Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner, and I am your host.
[00:00:19] Speaker A: Many of the causes that the Mitre foundation supports and how sincere it was on hearing the stories. And the Minor foundation just doesn't contribute financially. I think they're engaged in a very deep way and impacting lives. And that's such a unique opportunity to come to work at Minor. You get to work for a great organization, but more importantly, have an opportunity to impact the community in a real, sincere and authentic way.
[00:00:41] Speaker C: So, good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast and we have a very special episode today. This is with one of my personal favorites, Joe Person. Welcome, Joe.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: Thank you very much, Sherry. It's great to be here today.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: Glad to have you back. And so one of the things that Mitre foundation really focuses on is so we have four pillars of support, and one of them is Heroes Support, which is providing aid to causes that help veterans and active military, as well as police, firefighters, and EMS workers. And so that's why we're going to be talking to you today. And so for those that might have missed previous conversations, can you just introduce yourself and your connection to the military?
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Yeah, sure, Sherry. So my name is Joe Person. I'm the Chief Financial Officer here at Mitre Brands, and my connection to the military is I'm a military veteran. I served in the Navy for a little over five years as a Naval Intelligence officer.
[00:01:35] Speaker C: Awesome. And you went to the Naval Academy?
[00:01:37] Speaker A: I did, yes. In Annapolis, Maryland. Incredible experience.
Got to meet some of the nation's most fearless leaders, and all centered around selfless service to our nation and a cause that's greater than I, which is a famous quote from Woody Williams, is an entity that we support through the Minor Foundation.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: Right.
So when was the moment that you decided you wanted to join the military and give back to our country?
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a great question. I was fortunate. I grew up in a big family, one of seven kids. My oldest brother went to the United States Naval Academy, and I think I was in second grade and grew up and was exposed to a variety of military members at young age. I watched him serve on an aircraft carrier and then was fortunate to watch a few other brothers serve in different capacities throughout the military. At a brother that served in the Marine Corps and then one that actually recently retired as a helicopter pilot in the Navy. So I was exposed at a young age to this group of people that at that time were my heroes and still are. And I knew that when my time was called, I would definitely join, and it was the greatest experience of my lifetime.
[00:02:36] Speaker C: Oh, that's amazing. And so I just wanted to ask you, what was your specific role? You said you were an intelligence officer.
[00:02:43] Speaker A: Yeah, so I was a naval intelligence officer at the time. You know, we had been serving in Iraqi Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. I was not supporting those missions. So as I interfaced with some of my friends that were serving in combat, I was actually supporting more of the cyber world, which is actually pretty relevant to the world today, and was working, you know, at the National Security Agency and the Office of Naval Intelligence, managing some complex projects to support our nation's defense.
[00:03:08] Speaker C: Wow. And so what were your friends and family's reactions when you told them that you were joining? Were they like, of course you are, or were they surprised, or what was that like?
[00:03:17] Speaker A: I think just given my military family, it was like, well, jump on board. Let's go.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: Nice. And so out of the seven you said you're one of seven, how many were serving?
[00:03:26] Speaker A: So I was the youngest boy, my poor little sister. I was the fourth in my family to serve. And, you know, just like I said, it was an incredible experience and one that, you know, I just look back on as one of the. Some of the most fondest memories that I have in my life.
[00:03:38] Speaker C: That's amazing.
And so how did your sense of patriotism evolve from the time that you enlisted until the time that you discharged?
[00:03:48] Speaker A: Well, the year that I enlisted in my launch of my naval career was right after 9, 11.
So I obviously, I think at the time we knew I was going to Naval Academy, and it was my senior year in high school, and then the towers were attacked, and I'll never forget that day. And I played in a football game the next day, and we didn't know what to do, so we played the game. And my father held the American flag up, And I knew that it was my time to contribute to a cause that is greater than I. And so fortunate that I did and was fortunate to meet some really heroic people, some of which you'll hear speak during our foundation's events. And it was just incredible to get to know those heroes of our country.
[00:04:23] Speaker C: That's powerful. So what are you hoping that the next generation of Americans understand about the sacrifices made to protect our freedoms?
[00:04:31] Speaker A: That's a great question. I think Americans have to know that this country was founded on selfless contributions to a greater society. And the military provides such a great framework for the youth of our nation to Develop into leaders of the future.
And what you hope to get, you'll get more in return by serving in the military. You're giving back to our great country, but in turn, the country gives back to you in that service and you learn the ideals of leadership that'll carry us into the next generation and many generations to come.
[00:04:59] Speaker C: Do you have children?
[00:05:00] Speaker A: I do.
[00:05:01] Speaker C: Are they looking at the military as part of maybe their future?
[00:05:04] Speaker A: I'm not sure about that yet. They're 11, 9 and 5.
But my goal over the next few years is to continue to expose them to the same military service that I saw at a young age. So coming up, actually the Miner foundation will be supporting me in honoring a family, a close friend of mine that served and lost his life from ALS due to following his repeated deployments to combat zones. And we're going to honor him at the Naval Academy. And I want to expose my kids to those type of heroic leaders that I had the chance to get to know in my time. And hopefully they will keep carrying the tradition on and whether they decide to serve in the military or support through causes like the Mitre foundation, either way, the chance to give back to our great country.
[00:05:44] Speaker C: Yeah, it's powerful to give them that exposure for sure.
So how does it feel today when someone thanks you for your service?
[00:05:51] Speaker A: I'm humbled. But I also recognize that there's those in harm's way as we speak that deserve that recognition much more than I ever did. And you know, our thoughts and prayers are with those service members every day as they fight on the front lines to protect our freedoms.
[00:06:04] Speaker C: So here's a question, and this might be obvious, but when did you first get involved with or learn about the foundation and the passion for supporting our heroes?
[00:06:13] Speaker A: So I started, I believe in October. My first day was late October 2022. And I think the team and Matt DeSoto, our CEO, said, hey, would you like to just join us for the foundation event prior to your starting here? And what I thought was going to be a few introductions turned to be one of the most defining moments of my life and getting here. Many of the causes that the Miner foundation supports and, and how sincere it was on hearing the stories and the Minor foundation just doesn't contribute financially. I think they're engaged in a very deep way and impacting lives and that's such a unique opportunity to come to work at mitre. You get to work for a great organization, but more importantly have an opportunity to impact the community in a real, sincere and authentic way.
[00:06:53] Speaker C: Yeah, that's well said. And so, through support and building relationships with the Mitre foundation, what does being part of the Mitre family mean to you?
[00:07:03] Speaker A: Yeah, I think the Mitre foundation is obviously an extension of the Mitre family and it's some of the most incredible people that are committed to causes that they're so passionate about that hit home for me personally. It's military veterans and military outreach, but obviously a lot of the folks supporting the cancer causes, it makes you feel good and makes you want to give back more. And when you see the lives that are impacted, it's inspiring and gives us hope for the future.
[00:07:26] Speaker C: Yeah, agreed. I know some of the stories and when you hear they bring you to tears. They really do. And it gives us all good perspective. Right? Right.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: Oh, it absolutely does. And I'm looking forward to the October events this year. We've got a great schedule ahead of us with some incredible speakers and some incredible organizations that'll be represented. And more importantly too, we're going to be celebrating the nation's 250 year anniversary in a big way. So we're looking forward to it.
[00:07:49] Speaker C: Yeah, it's going to be a great time. Joe, I appreciate your time today. Thank you, thank you. And thank you for your service.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: Oh, thank you.
[00:07:55] Speaker C: Take care.
[00:07:58] Speaker B: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by Miter Brands University.
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