Our servicemen and women dedicate themselves each day to protect our nation's security. Whether from the frontlines of a battlefield or behind a desk deciphering critical data, they ensure our safety and interests across the world are protected.

When Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Coast Guard and Airmen transition back to civilian life, General Dynamics Mission Systems is honored to welcome them to our team and continue the mission by helping solve the toughest technology and security challenges that face our nation and allies. Their experiences and perspectives not only make our innovations more valuable to our customers, but also to their brothers and sisters in the armed forces. As General Dynamics celebrates Military Appreciation Month, our gratitude goes out to all those who serve and have served, especially our colleagues.

Colleagues such as Sri Reddy, a mechanical engineering technical manager who joined General Dynamics shortly after completing a tour in Iraq, exemplifies a life dedicated to safeguarding others. Like many veterans, leaving the Army didn't mean stopping his service.

"It was important to me to continue my service to our nation by providing services to our warfighter and for national security," he says.

It's the commitment to continued service to our nation and allies that makes joining General Dynamics an easy decision for so many veterans. Verice Bennett, a senior technical training specialist, says: "I instruct Marine and Navy personnel on the proper use, monitoring and operations of technical security systems. It's extremely rewarding to know that I play an important role in the security of our nation."

Verice also shared how welcome he felt by his General Dynamics family after leaving the military, noting, "my transition out of the military was rough, as it is for any service member. However, the transition into General Dynamics was very pleasant, largely due to the individuals that I have the pleasure of calling my coworkers. Most of them are prior service, but even the ones who hadn’t were extremely welcoming."

This inclusivity defines our culture and makes General Dynamics Mission Systems an organization of which people can be proud. It also allows us to welcome people from all walks of life and experiences to help us execute our mission and vision. Many veterans find that they have the ability to apply their military skills and experiences to be the leaders we need.

For instance, Elizabeth Taggart, a senior program manager in Space and Intelligence Systems, found that her military experience was instrumental in making her an employee who can get things done.

"My experience in the Navy taught me a responsibility to my people, accountability to my customers/seniors, and understanding that I will be working most of the time without the expertise or answers I would like. I think that applying these lessons learned from the Navy has made me a better program manager and employee."

Others like David Ramirez, a machine learning engineer, feel the same way, saying, "the USMC gave me a skill, electronics repair, which I eventually turned into two electrical engineering degrees. During my time in the Corps, I saw how some parts of the U.S. military operate. This informs my application-focused General Dynamics work and Ph.D. research.”

Some veterans like Tim Andrew, a logistics program management specialist, relied on equipment built by General Dynamics during his time in the military. "While I was on active duty, I used General Dynamics communications products and was aware of the company’s reputation for quality and dependability. I’m very proud to be able to help influence the design of equipment that will be used by our military men and women around the world to perform missions vital to our national security. "

Thank you to all of our veterans and reservists for your service and for choosing General Dynamics to continue your journeys.

Editor’s Note: General Dynamics Mission Systems is privileged to be a top employer for veterans and military spouses. To learn more, visit our careers section.