Veterans Day: Serving Beyond the Uniform

Eleven years have passed since I last walked across the flight line as an active-duty C-130 pilot in the United States Air Force. The smell of jet fuel, the sound of engines throttling up before takeoff, and the quiet intensity of pre-mission checklists are memories that still live close to the surface. Between Afghanistan and Iraq, I completed nine combat deployments. Each one left its mark, not just in the form of medals or stories, but in lessons about service, sacrifice, and what it truly means to take an oath to defend something larger than ourselves.

This Veterans Day, I find myself reflecting not on the battles fought or the miles flown, but on the promise we all made when we raised our right hand and swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That oath, simple, solemn, and enduring, is the thread that ties every veteran together. It reminds us that our allegiance was never to a person, a party, or even a flag. It was, and remains, an idea.

The Oath and Its Meaning

When we swore that oath, we pledged to serve the Constitution, a living document that represents the collective freedom, rights, and responsibilities of every American. We didn’t swear to obey a king or follow a particular leader. We swore to uphold a framework of government built on balance, liberty, and the rule of law.

That’s a profound distinction. It means that even in times of division, uncertainty, or change, the foundation of our service remains steady. The Constitution isn’t perfect, but it’s enduring, and it’s our shared compass. Veterans carry that understanding with them long after the uniform comes off. Whether you wore stripes, bars, or wings, that oath doesn’t expire. It shapes how we live, lead, and continue to serve.

Serving Our Brothers and Sisters

For many of us, service didn’t end when we left the military. It simply took a new form. The camaraderie, loyalty, and sense of mission we built with our brothers and sisters in arms don’t disappear. They evolve.

Through The Davinci Company (TDC), I’ve tried to channel that same spirit of service into something that helps our fellow veterans, not through combat readiness or aircraft missions, but through making the Department of Veterans Affairs more efficient, more effective, and better resourced to care for those who’ve served.

TDC exists to lower the VA’s costs for everyday medical and surgical supplies and the generic pharmaceuticals that veterans depend on. We work to ensure that the government gets fair pricing, timely delivery, and trusted quality. Every dollar we help the VA save is a dollar that can be redirected toward better care, expanded programs, or more innovative treatments for veterans. It’s a quiet kind of service, with no fanfare, no flight suits, but it’s a mission with impact.

Service as a Lifelong Commitment

I often think about what service really means once the deployments end and the uniform is folded for the last time. For me, it’s about carrying forward the principles that defined our military lives: accountability, teamwork, and purpose. Those same values drive how we operate at TDC. They guide how we treat our employees, our partners, and the agencies we serve.

Our oath taught us that true leadership means putting others first, protecting the team, finishing the mission, and doing what’s right even when it’s hard. In business, that translates to acting with integrity, being transparent, and always focusing on the mission: supporting those who support veterans.

Thanking Those Who Served

This Veterans Day, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to every man and woman who has worn the uniform. Whether you served for four years or twenty-four, whether you flew missions, stood watch, drove convoys, or cared for the wounded, you fulfilled a promise that only a small percentage of Americans ever make.

You served not for power or recognition, but because you believed in something worth defending. You lived by the creed of service before self. And in doing so, you carried forward the ideals that hold this nation together.

To my fellow veterans: thank you. Thank you for your courage, your sacrifice, and your unwavering commitment, not just to our country, but to each other. You are the reason I still wake up each day thinking about how to serve, even if the mission looks different now.

Continuing the Mission

For me, the mission continues through The Davinci Company, through finding ways to make the VA stronger, more efficient, and better equipped to care for those who carried the burden of freedom. I see our work to give back to the same community that shaped who I am. We may not be flying cargo across hostile skies anymore, but we’re still moving what matters: opportunity, access, and support for veterans across the country.

Veterans Day isn’t just about remembrance. It’s about renewing our commitment to the Constitution we swore to defend and to the brothers and sisters we stood beside. Service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. It just changes form.

So, this Veterans Day, I salute you, my fellow veterans, for everything you’ve done and continue to do. May we keep finding new ways to serve, honor the oath that binds us, and make our communities and our country stronger for those who come after us.