Today, Americans across the nation are celebrating the countless veterans who have served our country. And we are not alone. Veterans Day in the United States coincides with other holidays across the world, such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, to mark the formal end of World War I on November 11, 1918.
How many veterans currently work in your office or manufacturing facility? Is there someone you work beside every day who spent years of their life serving our country, and you never even knew it?
I was surprised to discover the number of veterans employed by IQMS. Found in almost every department, our veterans range across all ages, have served in nearly all branches of the military and have been active through multiple wars. In celebration of our military personnel, below is a bit about just a few of the great veterans we have working in our company:
IQMS Manufacturing/Shipping Coordinator, Alan Blackford, served in the United States Marine Corps from 1970-1974. A CH-46 helicopter mechanic, aerial gunner and crew chief of a flight crew, Alan was stationed both across the country and overseas. Alan served during the Vietnam war while on nine months of sea duty aboard the USS Okinawa.
Scott French, IQMS Application Programmer, enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2001. As an aircraft electrical/environmental systems specialist, Scott served at Fairchild AFB in Washington and overseas at air bases in Qatar and Kyrgyzstan.
In 1974, at the age of 17, IQMS Director of Manufacturing, Neil Gow, received permission from his parents and enlisted in the United States Air Force. Stationed out of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Neil served as an electrician at a remote radar site with technology that was classified at the time and now is sorely outdated.
Ed Hinckley, IQMS Systems Administration Support Specialist, was drafted into the military and served for four years with the 15th Air Force, 33rd Communications Squadron at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. A cryptographic communications technician, Ed's mission was to maintain secure digital communications with multiple Air Force bases.
IQMS Technical Sales Specialist, Michael Myers, spent four years attached to an f/18 squadron (VFA-82) while with the United States Navy. A hydraulics/structural mechanic responsible for repair, troubleshooting, launch and recovery of aircraft, Michael traveled to the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Arctic Circle and Caribbean. During his service, Michael was part of Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Bosnia and Somalia.
Graduating high school a semester early, IQMS Automation Coordinator, Josh Peters, enlisted with the United States Air Force in the early 2000s and graduated from both basic training and aircraft fundamentals by the time his high school class crossed the graduation stage. An aircraft maintainer on the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog), Josh was responsible for phase inspections, servicing of components and coordinating repair operations with various specialists.
Following in her Dad's footsteps, IQMS Technical Sales Specialist, Diane Ramaglia, served in the United States Air Force from 1984-1988. Stationed at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO, Diane's duties included finance and computer programming for Air Training Command. Diane received the honor of Airman of the Quarter on multiple occasions.
IQMS is not the only company proud to employ veterans. Our manufacturers have requested software enhancements that allow them to more easily hire those who have served. And as a company that prides itself on customer-driven software development, we were more than happy to comply. Veterans come with a valuable skill set and can contribute greatly to any organization.
To all of the veterans out there, IQMS thanks you for serving our country. We thank you for fighting for, protecting and defending our freedom. We thank you for striving to make the world a better place. Happy Veterans Day!
