Thank You for Your Service: Honoring Schnabel Veterans

On this Veterans Day, Schnabel Engineering honors the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces. We extend a heartfelt thank you to all service members for your dedication and sacrifice for our country! We take this occasion to recognize and celebrate a few of the veterans at Schnabel.

A special thank you to Chuck Wilson, John Healy, and Caleb Pittard for sharing your stories.

Senior Staff Engineer John Healy served in the United States Navy from 2011 to 2015. During those four years he maintained and repaired avionics equipment onboard the EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler while assigned to the VAQ-142 Gray Wolves. He spent time in the “line shack” where he became qualified as a Plane Captain (aircraft handler).

“During my service I learned the importance of teamwork and communication in stressful and hazardous working environments,” says John. “Coming together as a team is essential for a successful mission.”

He also learned the importance of endurance and fortitude, “I learned to push myself mentally and physically, which has been invaluable in my pursuit of higher education.”

John was awarded VAQ-142 Plane Captain of the year in 2013 while deployed aboard the USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier for safely executing launch and recovery operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. This award provided John the opportunity to take an incentive flight (aka joy ride) aboard the EA-6B Prowler. Hooyah!

Caleb Pittard, Senior Staff Scientist in the Richmond office, served as a combat engineer in the US Army from 2016 to 2020. Stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, Caleb was a member of Bravo Company, 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. In addition, he served as an Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) operator, as well as a dismount in his company’s sapper platoon. In 2018, Caleb was deployed to eastern Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

“I made some amazing lifelong friends in the service. I also managed to travel, learn about different cultures, and interact with people from different walks of life,” Caleb reflects. And to top it all off, Caleb met his “amazing and wonderful” wife while traveling in Athens, Greece with his company.

Caleb counts his time in the Army as one of the most impactful ventures of his life, “The army taught me a great deal about love, leadership, and selfless service. It instilled in me a drive and dedication to craft and a passion that I have carried with me through my professional life.”
Life lessons he learned in the army such as “Always looks for the silver lining,” have helped Caleb overcome hardship and push through many obstacles and overcome hardship.

Principal Engineer, Chuck Wilson, is a 1971 graduate of the US Military Academy, West Point, New York. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers on June 9, 1971. “I always wanted to be a civil engineer and my goal at West Point was to be commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. Being a Corps of Engineer officer provided the opportunity for a wide variety of experiences from construction equipment operations to terrain analysis. The skills I acquired in the military were very applicable to the work I have done in the private sector for four decades.” Wilson served nine and a half years on active duty and over 15 years in the US Army Reserve. He retired in April 1996 as a Lieutenant Colonel.