Veterans Groups Stress Service at Ariel Veterans Day Dinner
Two visiting veterans talked Saturday at the annual Ariel Veterans Day dinner about how their organizations are improving veterans’ lives nationwide. Ariel hosts the dinner to honor the service of veterans we employ. This year, our veterans heard from Pete MacKenzie, the Executive Director of Honor Flight Columbus, and John Jones, the Executive Director of Development for Workshops for Warriors. Both men served our country and are now working for groups; Ariel supports that help their fellow veterans.
At Honor Flight Columbus, MacKenzie helps veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War get to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials for fallen soldiers. He told our veterans about the Ohio-based beginnings of what has now become a national organization dedicated to making sure veterans get to D.C.
The Ariel Training Center was the site of our annual dinner to celebrate employees who served in the United States Armed Forces.
MacKenzie said some veterans who served behind-the-scenes insist someone who was in direct combat make the trip. He told our veterans the message is simple: It’s not as much about the individuals as it is about going as a group. Honor Flight has a long waiting list and provides the trips free of charge to veterans. The 93rd Honor Flight mission left Columbus at 3 a.m. on Veterans Day. “Help me find these veterans,” he said. “Help me find them and help me get them there. We owe this to the people who served because of the cost of our freedom.”
At Workshops for Warriors, Jones is part of an organization that provides manufacturing training – most notably welding and CNC machining – to veterans. The San Diego-based school has trained 535 veterans in the last 10 years and has expansion plans that would put a school in Norfolk, Virginia before growing into Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Texas.
In explaining all the school does to help veterans, Jones shared the story of his service. He lost both legs below the knee serving our country in 2005, when his Humvee hit an anti-tank mine in Iraq. He spent years learning to walk again and is now putting his energy into setting up veterans with jobs in the growing manufacturing workforce.
John Jones, the Executive Director of Development for Workshops for Warriors, a San Diego-based school that provides veterans with manufacturing training explains what the school does to help veterans.
Jones told Ariel’s veterans about the devotion Workshops for Warriors has to give quality manufacturing training to veterans. Some of that training developed after visits to the Ariel Training Center. “The reason we do this is when we see that veteran, and he goes through a hiring fair and gets that job offer, you see that light bulb come on, and it just happens for him,” Jones said. “Ariel has been so gracious to support us. We thank you all for welcoming us. It’s been amazing. The staff here is top notch.”
After the speeches, veterans left the Buchwald Auditorium for dinner in the Training Center’s Atrium. Each place setting included a card made by hand by local children to thank our veterans for their service.
Pete MacKenzie, Executive Director of Honor Flight Columbus, addresses Ariel veterans.
Karen Buchwald Wright, Chairman, President, and CEO of Ariel Corporation welcomes our employee veterans.
