Flo Groberg, a former Army captain who received the Medal of Honor for tackling a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, participated in the LinkedIn #HonorOurFuture campaign to encourage employers to recognize veterans' skills and potential. The campaign features veterans who have excelled in civilian careers and want to continue serving through their work. Other veterans in the campaign include a business owner who is hiring veterans and a web developer who overcame employer bias to pursue his career goals.

1. 16 G.I. JOBS | JANUARY 2017 | GIJOBS.COM
FLO GROBERG DIDN’T
set out to be a hero when
he tackled a suicide bomber
in Afghanistan in 2012. His
actions earned him the Medal
of Honor, but he doesn’t want
to be called a hero. “I’m a
soldier who did his job,” he
says. “That is it.”
Groberg, 33, wants Ameri-
cans to honor him for what
he has yet to accomplish. He
wants them to recognize that
his military training, skills
and experience can have a
transformative impact on his
country, his employer and his
community.
That’s why Groberg
agreed to participate in a
campaign launched on Vet-
erans Day 2016 by LinkedIn.
Called #HonorOurFuture, the
campaign features the stories
of Groberg and ive other
post-9/11 veterans who
want more than just “thanks
for your service” from Ameri-
cans. They want the opportu-
nity to excel as civilians and
to continue to serve.
“We are reaching out to
millions of people with a
message that states that we
can continue on to do great
things outside the service,
and you should utilize that
drive, experience, hunger and
passion,” Groberg says.
Through blog posts, vid-
eos, Instagrams and tweets,
#HonorOurFuture encour-
ages America to rethink how
it honors its veterans.
“While it’s true that some
veterans face challenges
as a result of their service,
it’s also true that there is
a strong and compelling
business case for hiring
veterans,” says Dan Savage, a
former Army infantry of icer
who now heads the veterans
program for LinkedIn. “Our
grandparents were called
the Greatest Generation for a
BY DAN FAZIO
LinkedIn urges America to rethink how it honors veterans.
Honor Their Future
How did you find your job at
Boeing? Funny story. I was supposed
to attend a meeting at Boeing
to support the Medal of Honor
Foundation. That meeting turned into
me speaking for 45 minutes with
an additional 15 minutes of Q&A
in front of 250 people. I wasn’t too
thrilled about it because I didn’t have
time to prepare, but like everything
in life I believe in finding a positive in
any negative situation I face. By the
end of the day, I had a call with Tim
Keating and an offer a week later.
Best one hour of my professional life
post-military.
What advice do you have for
transitioning service members?
Network, network, network and, oh
… network. Trust in your abilities
and your experiences.
Flo Groberg
Director of Veterans Outreach
Boeing
Age: 33
Military Service: Captain (O-3),
Army (2008-2015)
MOS: Infantry Officer (11A)
Education:
• Bachelor’s degree, criminology,
University of Maryland
• Earning master’s degree, management,
University of Maryland University
College, expected spring 2017

2. 18 G.I. JOBS | JANUARY 2017 | GIJOBS.COM
Where do you see yourself in
10 years? I see myself working for
a nonprofit company that really wants
to make a change in the world; that
isn’t afraid to cause ripples in a world
where our veterans are not getting
the adequate help they need in all
aspects of their lives. I see myself
testifying before Congress on policies
over and over again, eventually
becoming a congresswoman.
Would you recommend
transitioners use the tools
LinkedIn offers to veterans?
Yes, I even think it should go as far
as putting a LinkedIn course into
the Transition Assistance Program
for all active duty members.
Military Friendly®
is
the leading time-tested
program that benchmarks
and rates companies
and colleges nationwide,
helping veterans and
military families decide
which education and
career opportunities
are better for them. The
program uses government
data, veteran employee
and student feedback, and
propriety survey data to
recognize the institutions
that have programs and
policies that lead to
positive outcomes for
the military community.
Military Friendly®
is
proud to partner with the
LinkedIn #HonorOurFuture
campaign.
Tiannia Romero
Student/SVA Chapter President
Earning bachelor’s, political science,
College of San Mateo, expected May 2017
First Vice Commander, American Legion
Post 105, Redwood City, Calif.
Age: 27
Military Service: Petty Officer Third
Class (E-4), Navy (2007-2013)
Rating: ABE Aviation Boatswain’s Mate
(Aircraft Maintenance Technician)
Do you believe veterans are better
off for their military service? I think
the military gives veterans an opportunity
to learn how to be responsible at such
a young age in many cases.
What do veterans offer the civilian world?
The biggest strength is the ability to
adapt quickly in any situation.
As an employer, how do you use
LinkedIn? I use it to recruit employees
and to find sales prospects.
Marcus J. Carey
Founder & CTO
vThreat Inc.
# of Employees: 8
Age: 41
Military Service: Petty Officer Second
Class (E-5), Navy (1993-2002)
Rating: CTO2(SW) (Cryptographer)
Education: Bachelor’s degree, liberal
studies, Excelsior College, 2002
Master’s degree, network security,
Capitol Technology University, 2005
reason – veterans have returned
from con licts for generations
to make strong positive impacts
on their communities to become
leaders in industry, politics and
civil service.”
EMPOWERING VETERANS
The LinkedIn campaign
includes Tiannia Romero, a
former aircraft maintenance
tech who appeared in a recent
G.I. Jobs cover story about the
evolution of Military Friendly®
.
The Military Friendly®
program
empowers veterans to make
well-informed decisions about
their post-military future by
connecting them to career and
education opportunities, a mis-
sion mirrored by the #Hono-
rOurFuture campaign. For that
reason, Military Friendly®
is one
of ive organizations partnering
with LinkedIn.
“It’s important to show the
community we are not broken
just because we are veterans,”
says Romero, who serves as
president of the Student Veter-
ans of America chapter at
California’s College of San
Mateo and as an American
Legion commander. “We
have the skills and want to
make a difference.”
HE’S HIRING
Marcus Carey is already
making a difference. A
former Navy cryptographer,
he used his skills to start
a cyber security company
that simulates attacks on
clients’ networks. He’s not
unemployed, as the media
often portrays veterans.
He’s actually hiring, because
the business he founded
in Austin, Texas, in 2014 is
growing.
“There’s no greater feel-
ing in the world than being
able to help others provide
for their families,” Carey says
in his Honor Our Future blog
post. “I love that I can pro-
vide health care and bene its
to my employees, in addition
to a competitive salary.”

3. 20 G.I. JOBS | JANUARY 2017 | GIJOBS.COM
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Garrett Wilkerson is a digital
marketing specialist for Cedar-
on Medical Inc. in Davis, Calif., a
job he found by using the Linke-
dIn search feature. Before he
got involved in the Honor Our
Future campaign, the former
Army infantryman published
a blog post on LinkedIn about
the misconceptions his civilian
co-workers had about him.
In less than a week, the blog
was viewed by 17,000 people,
liked by more than 1,000 and
shared by hundreds. He was
stunned. When LinkedIn asked
him to participate in Honor Our
Future, it was a no-brainer.
“I felt that the campaign was
shedding light on a quiet
phenomenon that plagues the
veteran community,” he says.
“Veterans are often character-
ized by the actions of their past,
which prevents many people
and many employers from
considering their future.”
I’M NOT BROKEN
For Donte Burney, 33, an Army
veteran who now works as
a web developer in Oakland,
Calif., the motivation to partici-
pate in the LinkedIn campaign
was twofold.
“I wanted companies to
know that veterans are capable
of ful illing critical roles in busi-
ness and to let veterans know
there are resources available
to help them move forward,”
he says.
Burney thought he was well
prepared to join the civilian
workforce when he left the
Army in 2010. Then an employ-
er told him during an interview
that he wasn’t a good it for the
company because of his military
service. So he enrolled in a web
development school and earned
certi ications. Now he’s
poised to earn a degree in
multimedia communica-
tions and is developing
an app that blends video,
graphic design, animation
and virtual reality.
“Every single day I get a
call with fresh opportuni-
ties,” he says in his Honor
Our Future blog post. “All
because I used my military
service and training to drive
my career, instead of believ-
ing anyone who said my
service was a liability.”
Has it been fun being the face of the
Honor Our Future campaign? It has
been an exciting experience to take part
in something that is bigger and more
important than myself. I haven’t been this
proud to contribute to something since
leaving the service.
What advice do you have for
transitioning veterans? Veterans need to
know that transitioning out of the service
is challenging, but not impossible. There
will be a lot of voices suggesting the best
route forward, but just because they’re
suggesting it doesn’t mean it’s the right one.
Do your research and take advantage of the
countless resources available for veterans.
Garrett Wilkerson
Digital Marketing Specialist
Cedaron Medical Inc.
Age: 30
Military Service: Sergeant (E-5),
Army (2006-2012)
MOS: Light Infantryman (11B)
Education: Bachelor’s degree, English,
University of California-Davis, 2015
What strengths do veterans offer
the civilian world? Veterans are
forward thinkers and inclined to
make decisions that will result in the
maximum benefit of the team. Just
as the motto says, “Don’t leave your
battle buddy behind.”
What advice do you have for
transitioning veterans? College
is great, and by all means pursue
higher education, but do your
research. There may be more suitable
programs and certifications that you
may actually enjoy and move your
career along more swiftly, such as
cybersecurity, software engineering,
virtual reality, Salesforce and web
development. Once you decide on
that career path, apply focus, your
military training and network with
like-minded individuals who can aid
your journey.
Donte Burney
Full Stack Web Developer
Digital Art Crew
Age: 33
Military Service: Specialist (E-4),
Army (2006-2010)
MOS:
Financial Management Technician (44C)
Education: Full Stack Web
Development Program, Galvanize
“Veterans are often
characterized by the actions of
their past, which prevents many
people and many employers
from considering their future.”
– Garrett Wilkerson
“

4. 22 G.I. JOBS | JANUARY 2017 | GIJOBS.COM
JUST GETTING STARTED
The ambush that earned
Groberg the Medal of Honor
shredded the former track star’s
lower left leg, which had to be
rebuilt through 33 surgeries
over three years at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center. When he
was medically retired in July
2015, Groberg faced the same
challenges as many transition-
ing veterans.
“I didn’t have the right
résumé, I didn’t know how to
speak it, and I needed to learn an
entirely new culture, to include
dressing myself,” he says. He also
struggled with “internal demons”
that tried to extinguish his war-
rior spirit. With the help of men-
tors, Groberg got back on track.
Today, he’s the director of
veteran outreach for Boeing, a
company that employs more
than 22,000 veterans. For Grob-
erg, it’s his dream job.
“I get to be a part of a team
that is out there in our com-
munity providing opportunities,
changing lives and even saving
lives,” he says.
He’s not done serving. He’s
just getting started.
President Barack Obama hosts
the Medal of Honor Ceremony
for retired U.S. Army Capt.
Florent Groberg at the White
House in Washington, D.C.,
Nov. 12, 2015. Groberg
received the medal for actions
during a combat engagement
in Kunar province, Afghanistan,
Aug. 8, 2012, while he was
the commander of a personal
security detail for the 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 4th
Infantry Division, when he
and another soldier, Sgt.
Andrew Mahoney, identified
and tackled a suicide bomber,
saving the lives of the brigade
commander and several
others. (U.S. Army photo by
Eboni L. Everson-Myart)