K. Graney Podcast: Veterans Day with Ray Ryan

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Hi everyone; it’s Kevin. We’re holding ceremonies Thursday (November 9) in Groton and Quonset Point in honor of Veterans Day, when our nation unites to honor the service of members past and present, remember their achievements and thank them for their sacrifice to our great nation.

Throughout its 125-year history, Electric Boat has contributed directly to the defense of our nation and the freedoms we all cherish so much. Every Electric Boat employee serves our country by coming to work each day and producing the most capable submarines to equip our warfighters with an unfair advantage. That advantage ensures the freedoms we all enjoy. And in today’s uncertain world, our nation’s submarines have never been in higher demand and remain at the center of our national strategy for deterring aggression and preserving the peace.

To hire the shipbuilders we need to operate in high-rate production, we’ve cast our net far and wide, including with veterans. Returning to the podcast with me today is Ray Ryan; he’s EB’s Veteran and Military Recruiter. So welcome back Ray. Let’s remind folks about the activities and events you’re focused on to get the word out to service members that we’re hiring

Thanks Kevin, I really appreciate you having me back on the podcast today. It’s that time of year again where we get to spotlight our nation’s finest and all the great things our company does to celebrate and honor veterans throughout the year. Let’s start with MAD (Military Appreciation Day). It’s held at Ocean Beach Park in New London in August. This year we kicked things off with our second annual 5K road race sponsored by Electric Boat. The commanding officer of the New London Naval Station, Captain Curtain, and Command Master Chief Stephenson were two of the 105 runners this year, and Captain Curtain even spoke a few words before the race. The day continues with employment resources for veterans, veteran services and military static displays. Entry to the park is free for all veterans that day. We conclude the day with the Coast Guard Swab Run and guest speakers, which included Major General Evon, Adjutant General for the State of Connecticut. All the money raised during the 5K race went to the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society. Last month I got to present a check for $2,000 to that charity. That charity serves all of the sailors and their families if they’re in a time of need.

With Veterans Day being next this week, we have two events upcoming that not only give back to our employees, but also our community. First is the WaterFire Salute to Veterans event in Rhode Island on November 4. Our outreach team will be in attendance with a recruiting booth. We also offer all our employees who are veterans an opportunity to carry a lighted torch. Every Electric Boat Veteran Network (EBVN) member was offered this amazing opportunity via email. If you’re a veteran and would like to carry a torch at the WaterFire event, please reach out to me and I can send you the link. 

I’ve participated in WaterFire, and I got invited to participate again this year. Anybody who is joining us at WaterFire, make sure you say hi, I’ll be around the veterans recruiting booth at some point during the evening and look forward to seeing you out there.

We had 40 torch holders last year, and we can have as many as we can until it fills up. This event was greatly successful last year and many veteran employees are returning because they had such a good time last year.

On Veterans Day, Electric Boat is the main sponsor of Vets Rock at Mohegan Sun Casino. It’s a great day. The day kicks off with a full military ceremony hosted by Gil Simmons from News Channel 8. Our very own Greg Wong from Department 438 will also have a speaking role to help celebrate this occasion. Vets Rock celebrates veterans and is focused on enhancing the lives of our service members through job fairs and veteran resources. It’s a great day; I was there last year, and we really look forward to being the number-one sponsor for that event again.

Thanks. Before we started recording you had told me a little bit about some of the recruiting you’ve done in Jacksonville (Florida). Tell me a little bit about what you’re doing there and what you’re seeing from vets wanting to come to work here.

We attend the tri-base career fair. They take the three bases right there and the transition assistance program holds bi-annually two different career fairs. Last year there were 500 transitioning service members that attend those events. It’s been a great recruiting tool.

That’s great. The word’s out—folks hear about what we’re doing here building Columbia and Virginia-class submarines and they want in. You’ve got a target-rich environment down there in Jacksonville, it sounds like.

Thanks for that update. In addition to the events you just talked about, Electric Boat employees are our greatest ambassadors for talking about our mission and the satisfaction that comes with contributing to our nation’s defense, and that’s true for veterans and non-veterans alike. So let’s remind them of the benefits EB provides to support employee reservists, since many veterans who transition out of active service choose to continue to serve in the National Guard or Reserves.

This company makes it very easy for National Guard and Reserve services. Members, when they are activated, all they have to do is get a military employment memorandum that they will receive from their unit, they show their supervisor, and there are no questions asked. With a lot of my National Guard counterparts who work at Electric Boat, I’ve never heard of anyone having any issue or anything that hinders their career by going on any kind of military orders.

Also this company pays a differential pay for Annual Training (AT), paying up to 15 days a year. The differential pay is pretty substantial. Anytime a National Guard or Reservist is on Federal orders or activated through the state of Connecticut, they will receive that differential pay for up to 15 months. After 15 months, it will be on a case-by-case basis. It’s a great benefit; I don’t know any other employers that do that for the time the service member is on orders.

Just a story about myself. When Covid-19 hit, I was activated for the State of Connecticut, and was an employee here at the time. I was on orders for three months when I received a call from Ellen Shuleshko in EB HR telling me that I had earned this benefit of differential pay. Ellen was very helpful, and I not only got the pay for the rest of the nine months of the order, I received back pay for the three months. Any National Guard or Reserve member listening to this podcast who don’t know about this benefit, please feel free to reach out to me or Ellen Shuleshko—she is very helpful.

Thanks for that personal experience; it’s appropriate we take care of our veterans and reservists as well. Ray, appreciate you returning to the podcast to talk about what Electric Boat does to encourage veterans to join our team and continue their service to our nation.

For those of you who have been a part of the U.S. military—our veterans, active-duty service members, guardsmen and reservists—thank you your service. We owe an eternal debt to all the service members who chose to set aside their personal ambitions and dreams to ensure the well-being of our great nation. Thank you also to your families for the sacrifices they’ve made to enable your service.

Our veterans give us the opportunity to live in freedom today and an opportunity to look forward to tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for honoring our veterans today and every day. We’ll talk again soon.

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