This Veterans Day, I want to send a message of thanks to Veterans across the AFL family and share with you my personal commitment to our Veterans.

There is an important distinction I want to make between two important national holidays that honor American Veterans. Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, honors those who died while actively serving in the military. Veterans Day, always observed on November 11, honors all who have served in the Armed Forces, living or deceased. Today’s message is about Veterans Day.

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. It was not until 1938 that November 11 became “Veterans Day,” a federal holiday. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American Veterans—living or deceased—and it is the day we pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by our country’s Veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime, men and women from all official branches of our military: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force, including all branch reserve components.

The Space Force is the first new branch of the US military to be formed since 1947. It organizes, trains, and equips personnel to protect U.S. and allied interests in space. Their 2024 budget proposal is $30 billion, more than the entire yearly US defense budget in the era of WWII. Today, technology fuels the world, and with lightspeed advancements comes new threats to our nation’s security.

It is on this day, November 11, 2023, that I ask you to seek out our Veterans and thank them for the greatest gift of all, our freedom. Do you know who they are?

To begin, I want to thank the members of all AFL US Services divisions under my watch who fought for peace at home and around the globe for your service. I know not all Veterans want to be identified, and I respect that. Still, I hope you will accept my heartfelt gratitude and commitment to you, and to all your brothers and sisters who served.

For today is the day we honor you for protecting and defending our freedom. No person, including me, who has not served their country will ever know the nature or extent of the sacrifices you made in service to our country, but today I want to acknowledge that you paid the price and remind us all that freedom is not free. It is a precious privilege we enjoy at great expense to those who served and continue to serve today. We also thank your families who often endured months, sometimes years, of separation from you during your service. For many of our more than 18 million US Veterans, the sacrifice is not over, nor will it ever be. That is why this year, we will focus our resources on identifying and development a network of resources designed to serve and support our veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress and moral injury sustained in the line of duty. Through these efforts, we hope to honor the sacrifices made by our veterans and help them navigate the path towards recovery and a fulfilling post-service life.

We are surrounded by Veterans and yet so few of us seem to know who you are, in which branch you served, or what your job was. Are you a Veteran? Is someone in your family a Veteran? How about a neighbor or a coworker? This Veterans Day, I’m asking you to take the time to reach out to all the Veterans you know and find a way to say thank you for giving us the greatest gift of all, our liberty.

AFL US Services is proud to employ dozens of Veterans who have self-identified as such, and to have launched in 2021 a formal Veterans Initiative under our HR banner. The number one goal of our Veterans Initiative is to be “Veteran-friendly.”

But what does “Veteran-friendly” really mean? A company is Veteran-friendly when it takes deliberate and consistent measures, through its policies and programs to recruit, hire, train, promote, and retain military personnel or Veterans. Veteran hiring preference, paid time off, military skills translation, and flexible work schedules to accommodate training and deployments are among a few of the programs and policies in place to assist our current or former service members.

Many Veterans struggle to gain employment because of culture gaps between civilian society and their military pasts, as well as the lack of seamless integration across Veteran care programs. Years ago, companies gave priority to Veterans when looking for new hires. I am committed to ensuring that all US Services hiring managers are trained to lead this initiative and are equipped to make sure our Veteran hires have the care and attention they need to succeed once on board.

Why are we on a mission to recruit and retain Veterans? Because we believe American Veterans have gone above and beyond for us, and now it’s our turn to give back. Government studies tell us the most critical need Veterans have is for good paying jobs with opportunities for growth and advancement. Yes, Veterans are the most deserving of good jobs. But hiring Veterans also has to make good business sense, and it does. Why? Because Veterans make outstanding employees.

Our experience in US Services is that most of our Veteran employees are strong leaders who are highly disciplined. Our Veterans have a “mission first” mindset, meaning they put their teams before themselves. I have found that our Veterans are extremely loyal and committed to the highest standards of excellence.

There are more reasons: Not only do Veterans have an unmatched work ethic, but they are also masters of analysis and skilled problem solvers. Veterans excel at determining the root cause of a situation, finding the best possible solution, establishing a plan, and executing on that plan with confidence.

And let’s not forget: Veterans are good under pressure, able to adapt and overcome. Veterans are no strangers to responding to a crisis, stepping up when needed most.

So, what, you might ask, have we done to become Veteran-friendly? Well, over the past three years, we have formalized our Veterans Initiative with Eric Adkins, ITC’s Dream and Leadership Manager (and Veteran Marine) at the helm as coordinator, along with Mike Morris, responsible for facilitating improvements in AFL’s HR policies and practices. Eric has an enormous appetite for excellence and a passion that knows no bounds for ITC’s Veterans. Mike has a proven track record of advocating for all AFL employees and has helped to pave the way for the Veterans Initiative.

In addition, we have established a presence on our website, aflvets.com, a resource hub for our Veteran community where all are invited to regular meetings for real talk and camaraderie.

Each Memorial Day, we pay our respect to fallen soldiers everywhere with our very own “Hall of Heroes”. “Hall of Heroes” is a permanent memorial on our website, designed to share stories and serve as an expression of gratitude to great Americans and their families.
What else can we do to support our coworkers who are Veterans? Here are just a few ideas, some which we can do year ‘round:

• If you know a Veteran who is a new hire, tell them about our Veterans Initiative.
• Pay attention to what is happening around us and take our civic duty seriously.
• Work to live a life worth the sacrifices made on our behalf.
• Encourage open and non-judgmental conversations about mental health.
• Reach out to the families who continue to sacrifice while their loved one is serving.
• Familiarize yourself with and advocate for support available through AFL’s NexGen EAP (Employee Assistance Program).
• Volunteer at a VA hospital or a National Cemetery.
• Educate yourself about Veterans’ challenges and support Veterans’ initiatives.
• And remember, it’s always OK to simply say, “Thank you for your service.”

In closing, I am extremely proud to support military Veterans and their families. I invite you to join me in getting more involved. It is the best possible example of a win-win!

Finally, to those members of the AFL family who fought for peace at home and around the globe, you have our deep and lasting gratitude. We are blessed by the extraordinary talent, training, and experience you bring to our organization each day. We are a better company because of you, and we are counting on you to teach us how to become the very best Veteran-friendly company we can be.

Thank you and have a safe and meaningful Veterans Day.