A Message for Veterans Day
To everyone who serves, everyone who has served and everyone that may serve some day.
My name is Justin Lewis and I am the Chair of Constellation, a network of creative agencies inside the professional services space. I’m also a Co-founder and former CEO of Instrument, an agency that specializes in helping businesses master the intersection of technology, brand and marketing.
Long before the fancy titles, I was an active duty Sergeant in the US Marines. I enlisted in the Marine Corps Infantry for six years when I was 17. That decision was motivated by an utter lack of self confidence and the images I saw in the Marine Corps recruiting office showed young men and women with conviction and purpose. I wanted that. I went to bootcamp at MCRD San Diego and was stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC with the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines. I deployed on the USS Kearsarge and the USS Ponce. I had the privilege of being on the Marine force that rescued Captain Scott O’Grady from Bosnia after he was shot down in 1995, an incredible story represented in the film “Behind Enemy Lines.” I served with great men and women. We did hard things. We sacrificed our youth. I loved my time in the Marines. I left in 1999, still not really understanding the gifts or the education I received.
I bounced around for a bit like many veterans do, pondered my future, did physical labor, exercised constantly and did my best to become “normal”. I took a job at UPS and delivered packages as a seasonal driver and was continuously reprimanded by the union for doing too much work and for being too motivated. The truth is, I just wasn’t wired the same as everyone else and I was adrift with how to apply my skills to the new world around me.
One day while delivering packages I walked into a business doing early website work and I saw a sign for HTML, CSS and Javascript developers. I applied and they hired me. I bought several books the weekend before I started and stayed awake for 48 hours teaching myself enough to appear competent. I had no business in that job, but I had the work ethic of a US Marine and witnessing innovation of the early Internet days sparked a sense of purpose in me that had not been felt since I served.
The future of the internet was limitless at the time and my lack of education and a “normal” background was limitless within it. I learned quickly, taught myself dozens of programming languages and realized by my second job that I one day wanted to own a company that did this type of innovative work.
I joined two friends a few years later and we set off to run a 3 person web design and development business. I grew that business for 17 years with partners, with friends, with people that became family, with people I love. Together we built one of the greatest agencies of our time.
So why am I telling veterans this story? I’m telling you because I did this with nothing but the values I learned as a US Marine. I’m telling you because the education in leadership that you’ve received or will receive is greater than any college degree and more applicable to the world around you than almost any other experience you could entertain.
What I didn’t realize then, and I’m not sure many other veterans do either, is that the corporate world needs people like us. They need our courage to charge the hill. They need our creativity to find advantage in chaos. They need us to stand up for the men and women in our charge. They need our tenacity to win the battles their companies fight. They need us to drive mission accomplishment and fulfill commander’s intent. But most of all, they need us to model the principles of selflessness that only exist when you’ve truly been willing to make sacrifices for something greater than self.
I didn’t see it in 1999 when I drove off that base for the last time, but everything that I am, everything that I’ve done, can be traced back to my act of service. I can say now, with the wisdom of time, that joining our nation’s military was the greatest decision I have ever made.
I say this line to myself when I see fellow service members. “For I am you and you will always be me”. I believe that this is true and I believe that everyone of you can do what I’ve done, and more.
Happy Veterans Day brothers and sisters,
Justin Lewis
Inspired by this message? Join Stagwell in our support for VetsinTech. VetsinTech supports our current and returning veterans with re-integration services, and by connecting them to the national technology ecosystem. VIT is committed to bringing together a tech-specific network, resources, and programs for our veterans interested in Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment.