As an Air Force veteran – and the son of a disabled vet – I understand the sacrifices that serving our country can entail. That’s why I believe in finding ways – large and small – to demonstrate appreciation to military families and veterans.
I applaud, for example, the many shops that donate refurbished vehicles to active military families and veterans in need, and I appreciate efforts like 3M’s “Wounded Warriors” project. But don’t feel like taking on a big project is the only way you can help and honor those serving our nation. A friend of mine who is a hairstylist, for example, goes to Walter Reed Army Medical Center regularly to provide free haircuts to recovering soldiers. I think all of us should look for ways to say thanks.
Some of those opportunities may benefit your business as well. Every branch of the military has a recruitment website where you can look at resumes of people getting out of the military, or you can post a help wanted ad. When I was a shop owner, I used the Army Career and Alumni Program website to recruit employees from among those leaving the Army. After all, these folks are talented and disciplined and used to showing up on time, and deserve a chance at a new career after their service.
More recently, I’ve helped some of my client shops hire through the military alumni websites. One shop, for example, was looking for someone to train as an estimator. There was a guy whose job in the military had been to inspect aircraft after a mission to ensure they were still flight-ready. Talk about someone with attention to detail. Someone who’s worked in supply in the military could make a great parts person. And in some cases, the military will help cover some of the costs of training or tools these vets need to launch a new career.
Most military bases include a “hobby shop,” a place where those stationed there can work on their own vehicles. If you live near a base, maybe you can offer to volunteer once a month to help coach or mentor some of them.
Sometimes it’s even smaller gestures of gratitude that mean the most. One of my most vivid memories as a shop owner was once when a woman came into my shop in tears. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me her son was sick, her husband was over in Iraq and now she’d just wrecked her car.
We helped her calm down, and I looked at the car and found that all it needed was a bumper cover. I told her we could get the new part ordered and painted, then have her back in to put it on while she waited. She said it really wasn’t something she could afford at the moment, but I told her to not worry about that, that we would take care of it for her.
“Your husband is over there serving in the military for us, and we appreciate that,” I told her.
I talked to my crew about the situation, and right away one of the guys said he’d paint it for free. When she brought the car back, another tech installed the part on his own time. Those were the sort of great people I was lucky to have working for me.
Her tears that second time she was in the shop were tears of gratitude. She was insistent that we take something for our work, but we told her no way.
A month later, we got a package in the mail. It was an American flag, folded into a triangle. With it was a note from that woman’s husband, expressing his appreciation for the work we did at no charge.
“I want you to know this flag was flown over Fallujah in honor of what you did for my wife on behalf of me and everyone here with me,” he wrote. “We just want to thank you for looking after our families.”
I don’t think any other gift we received from a happy customer meant as much to me and my crew as that flag.
If you have a story about helping out a veteran or military family, please share it with me.
God bless the U.S.A. and our troops.
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