Called to Serve

On this Veterans Day, Americans are remembering the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice, or who went off to war and returned forever changed, like Drive My Way veteran Kevin Garner.

But not all who serve go to war. Those who serve U.S. interests stateside still feel a tremendous call to duty, however, even without battle scars haunting their days.

Drive My Way’s driver recruiting consultant, Kevin Garner, is among the Army soldiers who never went to war. But the U.S. Army veteran still stands strongly for the U.S. Army motto, “This We’ll Defend,” 12 years after his service ended.

“There’s a lot more to the military than going overseas and fighting,” Garner says. “There are life experiences, traveling, meeting incredible people and developing your skills. The military has the opportunity to teach you just about whatever you want to learn.”

In the eight years Garner served in the Army, he learned a lot. He enlisted as a finance specialist. For more than two years, his key responsibilities centered on finance and human resources. He then spent the last five-and-a-half years of his Army service in recruiting.

“I built rapport with people in the community, focusing a lot on relationship building, whether it was at colleges, the town hall or high schools,” he says. “High schools were big because the majority of people enlisting are doing so right out of high school.”

Take Garner himself, who enlisted in the Army at age 18. He sought to pay for his college education and see a bit of the world.

And see the world he did, spending two years in South Korea before returning to the United States.

Garner still cherishes his Army experience, despite its challenges.

“The thing about the military is that you have some things you’re incredibly proud of and other things that were really tough,” Garner says. “Whether it’s being lonely or being away from your family for long stretches, it’s a life-changing experience for everyone that joins, no matter how independent you are.”

Yet the Army bestowed on Garner much more than it took from him. “The Army’s given me many skills,” he says. “It’s given me great friendships that have lasted to this day. And it’s given me leadership skills that set me up for a lifetime of success.”

More than 60 percent of CDL truck drivers are called to serve in the military, just as they’re called to the road. Thank you for your service, veterans.