Veteran Spotlight: Captain Scott Kiplinger

Captain Scott Kiplinger

I was a Forward Observer before commissioning as an Infantry Officer in 2010. I branch-detailed as an Artillery Officer in 2013. During our deployment to Kandahar, my unit traveled with local security elements and conducted fire support missions while training the Afghan military on how to use artillery assets to support maneuver elements. In Kabul, we served as a quick-reaction force for urban operations and provided personal security details for local leaders.

I think we helped many communities and locals while we were deployed, particularly women. Providing security for the areas we occupied allowed representatives from the State Department to build roads, schools, and wells in remote areas that were entirely reliant on bad actors for decades before the invasion.

I now have gratitude for small comforts. Coming home to family after working in an air-conditioned office is pretty awesome compared to wandering around in the woods or desert for weeks at a time.

How does military service shape your view of leadership and teamwork?
Being in the military has developed my interpersonal skills in a unique way – usually for the best. Platoons and companies are comprised of dozens of people from different areas and backgrounds, and that experience helps you learn how to find common ground and relate to other employees and clients.

The best leaders are typically those who don’t ask anyone to do something they aren’t willing to do (or have done) themselves and don’t care who gets credit for a task being accomplished. Those traits are the two best and earliest indicators of good leadership, and it’s infectious.

How can we better support veterans?
Military service really is a cheat code and head start for young people, even if they were to join the reserves or national guard rather than active duty. After a 6-12 month initial training period (depending on your job), your commitment is typically two days per month and two weeks per year. In exchange, you receive a free education, healthcare, supplemental income, and work history. However, recruiting is at an all-time low because qualified candidates think it’s too difficult.

Post-9/11 veterans have the resources they need to thrive, particularly in comparison to previous generations of veterans. GableGotwals, in particular, does an outstanding job of recognizing service and supporting employees with continuing service obligations.