Every time I interact with a veteran, two thoughts enter my mind.
The first is the memory of my grandfather and personal hero, First Sergeant John Katz – a Hungarian immigrant who entered the country through Ellis Island and enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army in 1942. He was 32 years old.
A trooper in the 17th Airborne Division, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, my grandfather fought on the front lines during the Battle of the Bulge and later dropped behind enemy lines in Western Germany as part of Operation Varsity. His unit drove eastward into the heart of Nazi Germany and didn’t stop fighting until victory in Europe was secured. The courage he and his fellow troopers had—volunteering to risk their lives to create a more just and peaceful world—is unfathomable to me.
And then I think about how much we owe our veterans and their families, and how we should be doing more to support them.
Collectively and individually, Americans have incredible access to opportunity: more quality schools, more career choices, more ways to be a successful entrepreneur. And yet, it’s easy to forget where those opportunities come from. So much of what empowers us in our daily lives is a direct result of the selfless sacrifice of our servicewomen and men.
As a proud grandson of a war hero, I’m lucky enough to work for a company that truly values service and recognizes that no service is more noble than the sacrifices made by those in our armed forces. At T-Mobile, we stand ready to serve those who serve us and actively look for ways to champion military members and their families in meaningful ways.