Resiliency: A key driver in our Community's long-term success.
When any new military recruit raises their right hand for the oath of enlistment there is a significant investment made by them personally, by their family, and by their community. An enlistee's willingness to serve others, could easily be leveraged by the community to build bridges (physically, economically and socially). As an enlistee leaves their community to serve the Nation there is also a promise of them returning with a new set of value-based skills. At the very top of that list of skills is the key trait of resiliency.
Pete Coors, former CEO & Chairman of Molson Coors, and Bill Hanzlik, CEO of Gold Crown Foundation & former NBA Player and Coach, are appointees to the position of Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for the State of Colorado. The CASA's mission is to promote good relations between the Army and the public. The holistic role is to understand and advise the Secretary on how we regionally prepare good citizens for service, and conversely, how we as a community prepare a meaningful environment for our service members. Key areas of focus include recruitment, career opportunities, education opportunities, and veteran advocacy.
On January 28th, 2021, Pete, Bill, the Command Team of the Eagle Recruiting Battalion (responsible for the recruiting mission in the State of Colorado), and members of the Lockheed Martin Military Veteran Business Group met to conduct strategic planning for the 2021 CASA mission. The end state in 2021 is to continue to build a culture of trust between our Colorado community and the Army. The vision to build the key element of trust is centered around the individual service member's development of resiliency through their service.
The Army provides career opportunities that ultimately allow civilians to turn into accredited professionals across all business verticals in our community. Military service is the ultimate leadership development training program, and increasingly critical business skills are being learned by every position held in the military. From engineering surveyors and CDL-certified drivers to software developers and digital media marketers, the Army provides training and education programs from recruitment to retirement.
The CASA strategy session resulted in numerous Civilian and Army relationship-building events being planned for 2021. The list of events, ranging from career fairs to community fundraisers for scholarships, will be published by the CASA and Eagle Recruiting Battalion in coming weeks. These events will build the confidence in the training, education, and benefits that service members receive and provide back to our community. Resiliency is the top intangible skill that so many community and business leaders rely upon to make Colorado a special place to call home.