“Veterans have the right stuff,” Kevin Kennedy told Inside Towers. He should know. Kennedy served 32 years as an aviator with 120 hours on combat missions and was the lead U.S. Air-Force advisor in Afghanistan following 9/11. He has served as the President & CEO of Warriors 4 Wireless for over three years and is a member of the Military of NATE subcommittee.
“Their training foundation is incredibly impressive,” Kennedy said. “One hundred percent of the high-school graduates entering military service must complete a 7-to-12 week basic training course, i.e., boot camp, to learn discipline, honor, integrity, and basic combat warrior skills. An individual may enter boot camp; but what emerges is a physically stretched and disciplined team player who then builds upon this life experience by learning specific warrior skills to employ in their military careers.”
Kennedy cited two examples of veterans working in the wireless industry:
- A U.S. Army veteran, who served a tour in Iraq, had trouble finding steady work when he got out of the military. He was evicted from his apartment as he spent his last dollars to attend tower technician training. He found employment at $16/hour immediately after earning his climbing certifications; then one year and many promotions later, was earning $27/hour.
- Another was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moved by the impoverished lifestyle he saw there, he became a schoolteacher when he came back to help underprivileged children. Struggling with school closures in the pandemic however, he has now found steady work and decent pay in his new wireless career as a tower technician.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” Kennedy said. “The wireless industry helps vets and vice versa.”
For more Veterans Day articles:
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George Kerstetter, CUSP, National Solutions Engineer, PerfectVision
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By Jm Fryer, Inside Towers, Managing Editor
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