Army leaders build relationships with Atlanta business community

ATLANTA (Army News Service) -- "The center of gravity for the All-Volunteer Force is the relationship and trust that we have with the American people and that trust is built one relationship at a time," said Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Daniel B. Allyn.

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Allyn, along with 25 senior officers and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, spoke Monday at a gathering of 50 Atlanta area corporate and civic leaders at the Atlanta CEO Symposium here.

The vice chief thanked the business leaders for their trust and relationship with the U.S. Army and their commitment to hire veterans and share the Army story within their own organization and communities.

The Army has been "very, very busy," with events going on around the world, yet the chief of staff, who very much wanted to be here, wanted to show that the Army cares and wants to make a difference to help America better understand "how we can work together to sustain the great military we have today," Allyn said.

COMMITMENT OF SOLDIERS

Allyn said he was proud of today's Soldiers, 187,700 of whom are serving in some 140 locations in the world.

"Lots of Americans do not appreciate the magnitude of the heavy lifting our military is doing, delivering national security and protecting freedoms that enable this country to thrive," he said, noting that they are doing it with a small, stretched-thin force, which is still operating under a continuing resolution that deprives it of much needed funding.

The vice chief said that when he visits Soldiers around the world and sees their commitment, it makes it easier for him to sleep at night, should they be called to action. He provided two examples.

The first was a first lieutenant out of Germany who was serving with eight NATO partner nations in Romania, instructing allies on artillery call for fire procedures during live-fire training, he said, indicating that a lot of responsibility was placed on his shoulders.

Twenty-four hours after jumping into Romania, the lieutenant was with the president and prime minister of Romania, who were observing the exercise, he said.

The second was during a visit this week to the Best Ranger competition at Fort Benning, Georgia, he said. While there, he and the sergeant major of the Army witnessed "one of most grueling world-class competitions in the nation."

Allyn said he spoke to one of the successful finishers, a specialist with less than three years in the Army. He asked the young Soldier what his plans were after the ceremony, thinking that perhaps he'd want to take some leave or go on vacation.

Instead, the Soldier told him that he was eager to get back to his unit and be with his fire team, which was getting ready to deploy in two months, Allyn related.

When talking with Soldiers, they're excited about what they're doing and committed, he said, and they need that same level of commitment from the American people.

"Words whisper but actions thunder," he added. "They measure our commitment not by talk but by our action."

Hiring veterans is one way to make that commitment, he said, adding that veterans are dependable and aspire to a high standard of excellence.

EAGER TO HIRE VETS

The corporate and civic leaders in attendance indicated they were eager to hire veterans and pleased with the ones they hired.

Wendy Stewart, Bank of America's Atlanta Market president, said the bank is committed to hiring 10,000 veterans over the next few years, several hundred of which will be hired locally in the Atlanta area.

Stewart said she found out about hiring veterans through a local non-profit called VETLANTA, which networks veterans with local businesses.

Col. Adam Rocke, special assistant to the chief of Staff of the Army and director of the Soldier for Life program, said VETLANTA has been very successful at doing that and he hopes to see similar organizations spring up soon in Louisville, Kentucky; Houston, Texas; and, Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Army, in partnership with the corporate world, has been very successful in helping Soldiers transition to the civilian workforce, he said, noting that the unemployment of military veterans nation-wide dropped from 515,000 in 2011 to 173,000 in 2016.

He added that there are some 40,000 veteran service organizations across the country, many of which are helping Soldiers with their transition and employment.

Stewart said BOA and other corporations are "looking for the qualitative skills the military brings: dedication, drive, discipline, commitment to team, and the ability to work in a diverse environment.

"Those attributes are far and away more important to us than the technical skills," she continued. "We know that someone who has served in our military can learn the technicals, so that then becomes our responsibility and we'll train them. We can absolutely do that."

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said Georgia is "a very patriotic state." Besides all of the many active-duty, Guard and Reserve Soldiers stationed at the three big installations and smaller ones around the state, some 752,000 veterans reside in Georgia. When the Army civilian workforce and all of their families are added, that's a big presence.

When a Soldier decides to separate or retire, he said, "we would very much like them to stay in our state. Employers don't have to train them to be on time, be fit and disciplined and be of value to the team."

Deal, an Army veteran himself, added that the state of Georgia is working to make it easier for Soldiers and their spouses who have work certifications and licenses from outside Georgia recognized in the state so they have a "seamless transition" coming here. "We are a very veteran- and military-friendly state on every front," he added.

WARRIOR ETHOS

Arthur M. Blank, chairman of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, AMB Group LLC and owner of the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons, spoke of the warrior spirit shared by Soldiers, Falcons players and Native Americans.

Blank, who organized and hosted the CEO event, stood beside a life-size statue of a Sioux warrior at his foundation headquarters. The warrior was a member of the elite Strong Hearts Society.

A number of an elite Sioux warriors who displayed unquestioned bravery and loyalty were allowed to gain entry into the Strong Hearts Society, he said. Membership was limited to warriors who proved themselves in battle and in their daily lives.