When Travis Holden remembers his time serving in the military, he tries to focus on only his best memories. Fear, he says, was a daily thing in his two trips to Vietnam.
“Being scared to death—you just put that out of your mind and keep on truckin’ down the road,” he says. “You don’t want to disappoint your buddies, so you can’t let any of that bother you. You have to keep on goin’. Somebody once said that it’s not the people in front of you that you’re scared of, it’s disappointing the people that are behind you you’re concerned about.”
Life in the Army undoubtedly changed Holden’s life. But perhaps it is the reason he is still so heavily involved in Army-related organizations today.
“Being in the service, you grew up quickly, and you learned to value friendship and fellowship more than the run-of-the-mill people would. You depend on those people to take care of you…my family was the Army.”
Today, Holden is highly involved in the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post in Des Moines. He was elected by the other veterans to be the Post Commander and he laughs as he says he does “whatever the guys let me do.”
He’s also the Fifth District Commander, meaning that he has 16 different posts in central Iowa that he’s responsible for, as well as being the state inspector. As a state inspector, he deals with any problems that may occur within any of the VFW posts. He also is a member of the Disabled American Veterans, noting that between each of these involvements, “it’s pretty much a full time job.”
For veteran Steve Rubin, however, post-service life has taken a different path. Rubin served both active and reserve duty in the Marine Corps. from 1978-2008. He joined the military after college “to see the world,” he said. “But it also provided me the opportunity to do something for my country.”
Since returning to life at home, Rubin transitioned from the position of CEO of one company, Culinary Enterprises, to starting his own business, Kitchens to Go. The company primarily leases mobile kitchens to disaster relief agencies, universities, major corporations, and governmental agencies.
But Rubin never forgets his Marines background.
“[My style] certainly has been influenced by my military experience, no question,” he says. “I analyze stuff different than people who have no military experience. I address issues and I’ve done other things that other people say ‘No you can’t do that,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, you really can.’”
It’s the ability to analyze and use this unique viewpoint in his everyday life that brings him success in his business life, and even in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
“I was down at Katrina—I spent quite a bit of time down there,” Rubin says. “I spent time with the South Carolina Baptists who have an agreement with the Red Cross and FEMA to produce meals. We looked at how they operated and then we designed a facility for them so they could more effectively operate.”
Both Rubin and Holden have proven that service is a lifelong commitment. Those who serve in our military have a deep love and appreciation for our country and an even greater understanding for what it means to help and serve others. And for that, we salute them.