Envistacom Celebrates Veterans Stories in Partnership with Atlanta United
December 1, 2020
New video series preserves war veterans’ stories for future generations
Envistacom, LLC, a leading technology enterprise that delivers advanced communications, cyber and related services to customers in the aerospace, defense, and intelligence communities, today announced a four-part video series preserving war veterans’ stories as part of its ongoing Salute Our Troops initiative in partnership with Atlanta United. Now in its third year, the initiative aims to honor active military members and veterans through several outreach programs. The video series is a part of their Generation Gratitude outreach initiative which started in August. The first video was released on November 13 and the remaining videos will be released in the next weeks.
“Envistacom is honored to partner with Atlanta United to amplify the voices of some of these brave men and women who have served our country in conflicts around the world,” said Alan Carson, President, Envistacom. “With this series, we are hoping to reach younger audiences through social platforms to connect them with past generations as well as to provide a way to learn about the accomplishments and contributions of our nation’s wartime veterans.”
The video series, to be posted on Envistacom’s YouTube Channel, focuses on four veterans from different eras and their contributions to the U.S. through their military service:
- Anne “Nancy” Kenney, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Navy. Nancy joined the Navy reserves and W.A.V.E.S. in 1953 and went into active duty the following year. She went to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, Rhode Island, as part of the 2nd class ever to allow women in the program. During the Korean War, Nancy was a Communications Officer, responsible for managing all message traffic and cryptology for the Naval Ammunition Depot in Hingham, Massachusetts during her first tour of duty; and later served on Vice Admiral Hoskins’ staff during her second tour of duty. Nancy’s interview is online here.
- Donovan “Don” J. Spurgeon, Major, Marine Corps. Don was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1977 and spent his military career as a Marine Corps pilot, after earning the Naval aviator “Wings of Gold” in 1979. He served in Asia and later in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and then Desert Storm. Don retired from the Corps in 1997, and now works as Satellite Communications Program Manager at Envistacom. Don’s interview is posted here.
- Albert Whiteside III, Captain, Army. Albert was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army in 1966 and attended flight school prior to heading off to Vietnam in 1969. During the war, Albert was assigned to the 509th RR Group, initially in Saigon and later in Nha Trang, to fly night intelligence recon patrol over South Vietnam. His father, Albert Whiteside Jr, was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and the inspiration to Albert’s desire to serve. Albert’s video is online here.
- Rick LePage, Master Sergeant, Army. Rick served in the National Guard from 1993–1996 while in high school; and then enlisted into the active duty Army where he spent 21 years in the service, nine of which were in Special Operations. Rick served in a variety of duty locations supporting the Global War on Terrorism. He retired from the military in 2017, and now works as Director, Special Operations at Envistacom. Rick’s interview is posted here.
Steve Cannon, CEO, AMB Group, the parent company of Atlanta United, interviewed each veteran for the series. “I’m always honored and inspired when I have the opportunity to speak with our veterans about their experiences. As a veteran myself, this is deeply personal,” Cannon stated. “Atlanta United and the Blank Family of Businesses will always prioritize our military community, and the Salute Our Troops, Envistacom partnership and Generation Gratitude initiative was a natural extension of that.”
The Salute Our Troops initiative is one of many community outreach programs Envistacom supports. The company’s outreach efforts focus on U.S. military members, veterans, and disadvantaged youth. For more information, visit Envistacom’s community outreach page.
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