This week, Bell Textron Inc. (“Bell”) kickstarted its annual company-wide ceremony to honor the official birth of the U.S. Navy. As the lively birthday celebration commenced, Bell teammates throughout the business joined together to commemorate their military service, talk best practices, and build lasting relationships - all while enjoying a traditional cake-cutting ceremony and music.

“As a valuable customer for many years, Bell is excited to celebrate the Navy’s 248^th birthday and to honor the legacy of the many Navy veterans at Bell that contribute to the work of the Armed Forces and civilian sector through their hard work and dedication every day,” said Kurt Fuller, senior vice president and program director, V-22 Osprey.

At Bell, nearly 1 in 5 employees are military veterans or reservists. With a wide-population of those who served in the Armed Forces, Bell has a military-dedicated employee resource group (ERG), VORTEX, that provides exclusive career development and networking opportunities for military veteran employees throughout the year.

In honor of the Navy’s 248th birthday, hear from three veterans on how they are continuing to support the work of the Navy – now, while at Bell.

Meet Christopher Misner, Senior Military Sales and Strategy Manager

Before joining Bell as the senior military sales and strategy manager, Christopher Misner served 30-years of dedicated service as a Naval Aviator. His service includes his notable position as the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Kingsville where he led over 2,000 civilian and military personnel at six locations.

When asked about his journey at Bell, Christopher shares, “Understanding what is at stake when you have the experience of flying and commanding a squadron of the men and women who fly and fight in the products built by industry helps me better understand our customers and their needs. The best part of working at Bell is getting to interact with those who not only operate the aircraft that we build, but also the team of professionals who work tirelessly to build these aircraft,” said Christopher. “Organizations such as VORTEX are integral to making sure those who served in uniform make a smooth and successful transition to civilian life working in industry. The transition is not easy. But working for an organization that shares the same values with the people we produce aircraft for make it the perfect place to land!”

Meet Timothy Doucet, Principal Engineer

Timothy Doucet served in the U.S. Navy as an Electrician’s Mate specializing in flight deck support systems for helicopter operations. In his ten-year Navy career, he served aboard the USS Rodney M. Davis and the USS Kauffman, and completed the law enforcement academy before being assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore to work with Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).  

When asked why he chose to work at Bell, Timothy shares, “I chose to work at Bell because I’ve been part of the Bell 525 Integrated Vibration Health Monitoring (IVHM) Focus Group since 2014, representing an Oil & Gas Helicopter Operator. An opportunity presented itself in 2020 and I jumped at the chance to be on the Bell 525 Entry Into Service (EIS) team with a goal of providing my O&G experience to thrill Bell’s customers.”

Meet Rodney Greenwood, Senior Military Veteran Recruiter

Prior to becoming Bell’s senior military veteran recruiter, Rodney Greenwood served 20 years as a U.S. Navy Corpsman, working with U.S. Marine Corps units based out of Okinawa, Japan, Camp Pendelton, and Kaneohe Bay. He also served as a U.S. Navy recruiter and career counselor.  

When asked on his favorite part about working at Bell, Rodney shares, “Bell has always been a long-term goal. The most rewarding part is continuing to work with transitioning military men and women.”