Creating a Supportive Environment for Military Veterans
Deciding to transition from active military service to civilian life can be a nerve-racking experience shared Sara Hedrich, IT Manager, Defense & Space at Spirit AeroSystems. Sara would know. She served five years in the U.S. Army as a signals intelligence analyst before returning to civilian life.
Sara found leaving the U.S. Army difficult for her because of the comfort and stability the military provided. That’s why she made what she calls a “half-step” into civilian life. Sara’s first job was in defense contracting.
“You’re still around military people, but you’re just on the other side where you don’t have to wear your uniform every day,” said Sara.
After working as a civilian in cybersecurity and defense for several years, Sara is now taking her experience as a U.S. Army veteran and helping her fellow military colleagues as co-chair of the Spirit Employees, Reservists & VEterans (SERVE) employee business resource group.
SERVE, established in the spring of 2020, unites veterans groups in our U.S. locations and is focused on helping recruit, retain, and recognize military veterans and reservists.
On Veterans Day, SERVE hosted a celebration to recognize the military service of our employees. The event, held at our Wichita headquarters, brought Spirit leaders and employees together with eight U.S. Air Force Colonels from McConnel Air Force Base.
“It was a full-on ceremony,” said Sara.
President & CEO Tom Gentile and EVP & President, Defense & Space, Duane Hawkins both spoke, and Tom hosted a fireside chat with U.S. Air Force Colonel Nate Vogel, Commander, 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnel Air Force Base. There was also a presentation of the Missing Warrior Table and the playing of service songs.
Beyond recognizing employees’ military service, SERVE also helps recruit military veterans and reservists and supports those who join the company. A recent effort is the creation of a military veteran and reservist buddy program. New hires from the military are paired with an employee who is a military veteran or reservist who serves as a guide to help ease their transition from military service to civilian life.
Another way we are supporting military veterans is through the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program. The program provides the opportunity for service members to get on-the-job experience at participating companies during their last 180 days of service.
Our SkillBridge program allows service members to participate in a 151–180-day employment skills training focused on production at one of our facilities in Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, or Texas.
“Service members are still getting their active-duty military pay at that time, so they can kind of test out and step a little bit into that civilian life and see what it’s like. The company can also kind of see if the service member is a good fit for the role,” said Sara.
When asked what makes Spirit a great employer for service members transitioning to civilian life, Sara said that Spirit’s defense portfolio is growing and that she sees Spirit offering a supportive half-step into civilian life.
“We have a lot of veterans already working in our defense programs,” said Sara. “That means new hires from the military will have a support system in place who understands their service.”
Service members, veterans and reservists can learn more about Spirit, career opportunities, and access the SkillBridge program at www.spiritaero.com/careers/veterans.
