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When he served as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy, Chris Wise was not only earning a paycheck and learning hands-on skills, but building a framework for his future as an entrepreneur.
“I would definitely say I would do it again,” Wise said of his enlistment. “The military gave me the discipline and focus to carry out difficult tasks. It taught me the ability to take risks, to handle the pressure of uncertainty and allow me to learn how to get along with a diverse group of people. It set me up for the future.”
Wise first joined the Navy in 2009 after graduating from Vatterott College with an associate degree in electronics. Even with a diploma, he had trouble finding a job in his field that paid well enough for him to also pay off his student debt.
That led him to the Navy where he served more than eight years as an electronics technician, including multiple deployments in support of the war on terrorism. He worked primarily with the Navy’s mine countermeasures force. His work maintaining and repairing radios and other electronic equipment on minesweeping ships was critical. His crew worked to find and destroy sea-based mines that threatened military and commercial shipping routes.
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A particularly tense time occurred when he was stationed in Bahrain. Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz – a strategically important waterway – which would have stopped global commerce, most notably the shipping of oil. During that deployment, Wise was at sea every couple of weeks for about a year.
“It was a multi-national effort,” he said. “There was a lot of allied naval forces in the theatre, which made us feel safe enough to do our job. If Iran decided to mine the Straits, we were to clean them out so that the big ships could travel in. I for one would rather be on deployment at the tip of the spear than stateside.”
Wise, 40, who lives in Hazelwood, is currently an MBA candidate at Washington University with an emphasis on finance. He has already co-founded an online store that sells outdoor clothing and equipment and is working to launch a nationwide logistics firm. The firm’s goal is to provide fellow veterans with well-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree.
After all, Wise said, military veterans like him have already completed one career. They bring to the civilian world a valuable set of skills that include problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.
“The average veteran has experience that goes beyond a college education,” he said.
Wise recently attended a three-day DAV Patriot Boot Camp, which aims to help veterans and military spouses find employment through entrepreneurship. The program provides training, mentorship and networking to help them build businesses that not only support themselves but create employment and success for others.
“It was a wonderful experience for me,” he said. “I was able to help other veterans, too.”
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Soldiers Memorial Military Museum shares American military history through the lens of St. Louis inside a beautiful art-deco building. Outside, the Court of Honor includes monuments to those who lost their lives in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.