A Supportive Community for Veterans at Waters

Fostering a Supportive Community for Veterans

Every November 11 since 1919, the United States and many other European nations pause to remember the Veterans of their nation. In the US, we pause to honour America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. During this time every year, I reflect on my own service and what it has meant to me. As a cavalry officer in the United States Army and combat veteran, military service provided me with lessons in both life and leadership that continue to influence how I live my life today.  These experiences shaped the person I have become and how I approach leading teams in business.

In my role at Waters, I have the honor and privilege to be involved in the leadership of our Veterans Circle, which provides veterans and our allies in the company with an opportunity to connect, share our experiences and support one another. Our Veterans Circle has three key overarching objectives: 

1) To raise awareness of the uniqueness of the veteran’s lived experience

2) To connect our veterans and help us support one another with a focus on linking our mental health to our physical health

3) To work with leaders across the company to ensure veterans are well represented in our recruiting efforts

Waters Veterans Day Breakfast – November 2021 (L-R: Adam Beard & Richard Chapman)

Attention to Our Mental and Physical Health

Over the past year, our Veterans Circle shifted towards an important focus on linking our mental well-being with our physical well-being. Our “featured event” for the year was our team participation in the Taji 100, which takes place every February. The Taji 100 is not a race, rather, it is a personal and team challenge where each participant commits to running or walking 100 miles in the 28 days of February. The focus is to conquer the challenge for something greater than yourself, holding yourself accountable every step of the way. Members of our Veterans Circle and other colleagues participate in the challenge promoting health and fitness and supporting military-related non-profit charity organisations. We started this effort in 2021 with just a few team members and grew to more than 30 in 2022.

Reflecting on my experience in February during the challenge, I realised that while I covered almost every mile alone on my treadmill, I never felt alone… not for one second. I felt the presence and effort of each of my teammates as if they were there with me. I could feel their energy pushing me when my resolve faltered and pulling me forward in the final days of the month.  To challenge ourselves, individually and collectively, and to do something difficult together, was special. 31 teammates, 3,134.1 total miles, $1,776 raised, thousands of individual moments of hardship, perseverance, comradery, and joy.

Outside of the Taji 100, we’ve created a great community where we support one another.

• We shared our emotions and experiences as war broke out in the Ukraine. 
• We supported one another during Memorial Day. 
• We rallied volunteers for a recent military recruiting event in the Boston area.

Building a More Inclusive Experience

Our 2023 Veterans Day activities will be the most inclusive Veterans Day experience we’ve provided to date and activities like this make a meaningful impact on my life. For the Taji 100 scheduled in February 2023, we will be joined by those who would prefer to swim or ride their bikes in addition to running or walking. Our community of veterans within Waters continues to inspire me beyond the Veterans Day holiday.

Ours is a network we can tap into whenever it’s needed, knowing that we have colleagues who have similar backgrounds and experiences who can support us. I have been able to both ask for help and provide support through our Veterans Circle. I am proud to be a part of an organisation that supports our community and many other groups. One of our company’s strengths is recognising the benefits of diversity among our staff and the experiences they bring to our organisation.

By Adam Beard