Lee Kirby, Salute Co-Founder, and retired Army colonel interviewed Lee McClish, Navy Veteran.
Before we dig in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
I grew up on a small farm in North Central Ohio. My father served in the Korean War with the US
Marines. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis a few years after discharge. It was considered
service-connected, and eventually, he was 100% rated when he became confined to a wheelchair
when I was 14. Two of his brothers served in the Air Force. Due to his military service and
association with the DAV, I had always considered joining the military. I first opted to get a college
degree in mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University. I saw a Navy Recruiter on campus,
which led to my joining the Navy Nuclear program. The farming experience and character-building
of living with an invalid set me up to pursue excellence. I also ran track and cross country
competitively in high school and college, which required a lot of discipline.
And what are you doing today?
I am the Director of Maintenance and Reliability for NTT Global Data Centers. After leaving active
duty and spending 25 years in various Maintenance and Reliability roles with manufacturing, I was
hired seven years ago to develop a Reliability program for a Data Center company. The Data Center industry is behind manufacturing in this area, so it is very exciting to extend the concepts to NTT.
Can you tell us a bit more about your military background?
I attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. I was a NUPOC (Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate), which some folks may recognize. After almost two years of training, I joined my first submarine, USS Gato (SSN 615), and served as the CRA, RCA, and MPA. I went to COMSUBLANT as a Watch Officer and served as a Shore Targeting Terminal Officer for the second year. After department head school, I joined the USS Spadefish (SSN 668) as the Combat Systems Officer. I left active duty after that and joined the Navy Reserves.
I enjoyed many experiences, including command in the reserves, and retired as an O-6 in 2012 after 30 years of total service.
Can you share the most interesting story that you experienced during your military career? What “take away” did you learn from that story?
I had been on board the USS Gato for about six months, deployed in the Mediterranean. We set
out during inclement weather, and I was the officer in charge, responsible for observing and
securing the line lockers. One of the locker hatches wasn’t secured well. When I asked the
Chief of the Boat (COB), the senior enlisted member on board, about it, he assured me that it
would be fine. After we arrived at the decks below, I informed the Executive Officer (XO) about
the potential rattling, and that’s when things escalated. We sent the COB and another sailor
topside to secure the locker hatch completely. Waves were crashing over the entire surface,
and some water seeped into the boat when they returned. After a brief, direct conversation
with my Commanding Officer (CO), it struck me that I wasn’t in Ohio anymore. As the senior
person on deck, I needed to step up and take charge.
Do you think your experience in the military helped prepare you for business or leadership? Can you explain?
I gained more experience than I ever thought possible. Along with the strong technical
foundation from my time in the nuclear navy, the leadership skills I developed were
unparalleled. At 23 years old, I found myself in charge of older individuals who had a wealth of
knowledge, which was both surprising and a tremendous opportunity to learn what true
leadership entails. I made many mistakes along the way, but I learned valuable lessons from
each one. Walking into my first manufacturing plant, a corrugated box plant, and reviewing the
steam system as an old hat was a blessing. The mentality of “git r done” has been my mantra.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My first Commanding Officer on the USS Gato was also from Ohio and shared my Christian
faith. He believed in me and inspired me to work hard and pursue excellence. Every nuclear trained submarine officer was required to pass the Engineer’s exam with Naval Reactors by the
two-year mark of their time onboard. Although I failed the exam the first time, I succeeded on
my second attempt. In addition to mentoring me during the line locker hatch incident, he did
everything possible to ensure I was well-prepared for the exam the second time around.
You are a part of Salute Veterans Community that shares a common passion of helping veterans get into this industry. This community is “Veterans helping veterans”. Why is this important to you?
I have worked for several bosses who have no military experience. They often have little
understanding of what we go through and the skills we bring with us—until we prove ourselves.
Having been in that position, I believe we can assist other veterans in various ways, such as
transitioning from military to civilian life, providing career mentoring, and recommending
veteran organizations that can fill in the gaps. I served as the chair of my company’s Veterans
Employee Resource Group, and I learned that there are many resources available to veterans
for a wide range of needs.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
You never know what your idea can trigger. I have volunteered for the past two years in Columbus, Ohio, at the Veterans Stand Down sponsored by the Veterans Administration. Witnessing the needs of Veterans has highlighted the importance of joining supportive organizations like the DAV, VA, WWP, American Legion, or VFW. Every able-bodied Veteran should consider making this a goal. Additionally, compiling a comprehensive list of all organizations that support Veterans and providing this resource to those transitioning from Active Duty would be highly beneficial.
How can our readers follow you online?
LinkedIn works!