In honor of Veterans’ Day, we spoke with a few of our employees who have served our country.
Reginald Clayton, a customer experience specialist in Sterling Heights who retired from the U.S. Air Force with 21 years of service, explained the similarities between working at Comcast and his military experience with aircraft maintenance systems.
“The thing I liked about the military is that it had a cohesive group of people working together under one goal,” said Clayton. “When you have common objectives you can get things done. When I was in the military, I felt a sense of belonging; I knew what my objective was each day. I feel the same way at Comcast. I know what my job is, and I know how my job impacts the company.”
“Comcast’s Founder Ralph J. Roberts is remembered for his sense of integrity,” Clayton continued. “His values align with my own, which were reinforced during my time in the military.”
Garry Johnson, formerly of the Michigan National Guard, now works as a customer experience specialist in Sterling Heights. He echoed Clayton’s thoughts about the importance of values, like teamwork and inclusion, aligning with his own.
“After being in combat, it can be a challenge for veterans to acclimate back into a non-military work climate,” said Johnson.
Johnson, like many other Comcast employees, uses Comcast’s Veterans Network (VetNet), an employee resource group, to connect with other veterans and keep his career path on track.
“What I like about the VetNet is that there are great networking opportunities,” said Johnson. “It nurtures, mentors and helps veterans, like me, manage some of the differences between military and civilian work.”
Johnson enjoys the volunteer opportunities Comcast’s VetNet resource group provides, including serving food and helping homeless veterans at a local soup kitchen.
“There is no greater love than when a man lays down his life for his fellow mankind,” Johnson continued. “So why would a veteran be homeless? It is our job, as a society, to make sure that doesn’t happen and do what we can to help.”
While Keith Villegas, a customer experience supervisor at Comcast, hasn’t served in the military, he shares the same core values as Johnson and Clayton, his VetNet peers. Like all of Comcast’s different employee resource groups, VetNet is open to all employees.
“Integrity, honesty and respect are values that I live by,” said Villegas.
He also appreciates that VetNet helps bridge the gap between the civilian and military experiences.
“I’m a part of VetNet to bridge the gap between military and civilian experiences and to learn about the military perspective,” said Villegas. “A veteran’s experience of dedicating one’s self to serve others is valuable to think about and apply to everyday civilian life.”
To all who have served our country, we appreciate you and your commitment.
