Three tours in Afghanistan.

On today’s Up To Speed Live, Diana was joined by various guests as we continue to celebrate our veterans during this very special week.

At Verizon, we’re proud to employ over 10,000 vets across all our businesses. Not only that, we ranked as the #1 Military FriendlyⓇ Company, #2 Military FriendlyⓇ Brand, #7 Military FriendlyⓇ Spouse Employer and #10 Military FriendlyⓇ Employer in 2020.

My Why: Esaias Edwards

Speaking of veterans worth celebrating, today’s My Why featured Esaias Edwards who currently works as a Solutions Manager in Greensboro, NC. Before joining the V Team family, Esaias was an active member of the US Army family, serving from 2008-2016 which included three tours in Afghanistan. Esais, we can’t thank you enough for your service.

Celebrating our vets

Ronan highlighted all that we do to support our vets, not only as an employer, but also from a consumer perspective, including special discounts, offers, and experiences for our military friends and their families. All our customers can enjoy a small but fun bonus: access to two special battleships within the World of Warships video game in December.

Ronan pointed out that we’ve made it easy for our wireless customers to support WWP with the ability to round up their bills and contribute that amount.

Tami serves as the Executive Sponsor of our Military Employee Resource Group VALOR. She touted the 35,000 hours of volunteering that members of VALOR have given this year alone. She also discussed our Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship Program which allows us to be on military bases to help as military personnel return from active service and transition to civilian life.

Tami also discussed the VBG relationship with the Veterans Affairs Department. We donated 50,000 tablets to allow our veterans to engage virtually with their doctors as well as let injured soldiers communicate with their families. Our first 5G hospital was the VA hospital in Palo Alto, CA.

When it comes to the Department of Defense, we continue to be the market leader, including our deployment of 5G in the naval shipyard in Norfolk, VA.

“I sleep better knowing the Department of Defense runs on Verizon’s 5G network,” said Tami.

Wounded Warrior Project

Tami and Ronan welcomed Wounded Warrior Project CEO Michael Linnington. Michael pointed out that WWP is not able to do all that it does without the support of citizens and companies.

On behalf of Tami, Ronan and Verizon, Diana presented Michael and WWP with a $250K check. “Thank you so much. No national company provides more to us than Verizon. It’s not even close.” said Michael. “So from all of us at Wounded Warrior Project, thank you.”

Dan Nevins, a veteran, inspirational speaker, a teacher is currently a yoga instructor and helps others practice mindfulness, but back in 2004 he nearly lost his life in combat when a device detonated below his vehicle. He lost his friend that day, both of his legs and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He pointed out that WWP was started by just a few people who saw a need and wanted to make a difference. Now, years later, over 180,000 warriors have been served. He wanted everyone at Verizon to know how much their support means to those who need it.

Our military collection

Our Verizon-branded military collection is available now, benefiting charities including Mission 22, Fourblock, Semper K9, Black Veterans for Social Justice, and the Wounded Warrior Project. For more details and to order today, visit this page.

Veterans and wellness

On Wednesday, November 18 at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT Tami will talk with Medal of Honor recipient SSG Ryan Pitts, around Wellness in the Workplace, and how it affects our veterans. This will be shown live on LinkedIn.

If you have any questions, email them to live@verizon.com.

Click here for a transcript of the webcast.

Get the latest information on our Coronavirus Resource Page (Inside Verizon, The Street).

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