Tomorrow is Veterans Day, an important time for all of us to honor and pay tribute to those who bravely served in the United States Armed Forces. In addition, today marks the 239th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, which was founded at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia on Nov. 10, 1775. As we all reflect on the sacrifices and lives lost to protect our freedom, at CORT, we are proud to have numerous employees who personally served or have loved ones who served for our country. Among those is Rick Walker, Group VP of Operations at CORT and, more importantly, a Marine.
Rick was in the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, serving in Vietnam during 1968 and 1969. In addition to Rick’s honorable service for our country, his son, Spencer Walker, spent four years in the active duty Marine Corps, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Spencer has been awarded numerous decorations for his service including the Naval Achievement Medal with “V” for valor. During his deployment in Afghanistan, Spencer’s comrade was shot by a sniper while on a mission. Spencer helped save the wounded comrade, carrying him to safety while firing his weapon one-handed from his hip!
After completing his service in 2011, Spencer quickly recognized the need and desire to help his fellow combat veterans. The result was the creation of the Warfighter Foundation in 2012. The Warfighter Foundation’s mission is to empower combat veterans and their families through physical, mental, and emotional rehabilitation. So far, the Warfighter Foundation has helped more than 250 veterans find employment after returning from service and helps support combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
In addition, The War Fighter Foundation will be hosting a pre-screening of the new movie “American Sniper” in Houston on Jan. 14, 2015. The pre-screening event will welcome and honor members as well as combat vets and local wounded warriors from the Houston VA hospital.
For Spencer, he has dedicated his life to supporting our nation’s heroes. Alongside his son, Rick Walker also serves as a board member and treasurer for the foundation. He has also been instrumental in organizing several events, including last year’s pre-screening of the movie “Lone Survivor” and the 2014 annual 100 mile Warrior’s Hike on Memorial Day weekend. Rick is one of many employees right here at CORT who have served our country, and CORT is proud of all of its team members who have served or supported our veterans over the company’s 41-year history. On this Veterans Day, we encourage you to spend time reflecting on those who make our freedom possible.