By Lee Kirby, Co-founder and Chairman of Salute Mission Critical
Our team was recently interviewed as part of a documentary showing the good things Salute does to help homeless Veterans. The film crew from the Veteran’s Administration visited one of our Veteran’s home, his work place and they also talked with him about his experience. There were no dry eyes as they heard his story and I am so proud of what Salute has accomplished, so far, to help these heroes get back on their feet. But there is much more that we can do with the help of others. So, when the documentary airs we will be posting it to our website and hope to have others repost it and help spread the story.
Take a moment and imagine that you volunteered for military service; knowing that you would be going into harm’s way, but you do it anyway. Dealing with the trauma of combat is hard enough, but then you return home after completing your term and find yourself on the unemployment line. Unable to keep up with bills, you spiral down to a point of being homeless. What is going through your head? What do you do? Thank God for the VA Homeless Program because you can get help. You know you are not seeking charity, just a job. With a job, you can support yourself. You know that you will show up on time and out work anyone, but in the beginning you need to be paid daily to help with little things like groceries. Salute lets Veterans integrate at their pace because only they know what they are dealing with and it works for them and our clients.
Our clients never see this part of the story and that is okay because we know we must deliver value and outpace the competition. We know that we have to prove to everyone that Veterans are a highly-valued resource for this industry and we strive to prove that every day. What Salute clients see is Mission Critical projects executed with Military Precision. What we see is the life changing impact we have on Veterans’ lives when we hire them. I cannot say it enough, I am so grateful to the Salute clients because they have given us a chance. I am equally grateful to our Veterans because they have not only proven themselves but also deliver value to our clients every day.