Military Appreciation Month Profile: Army veteran Tony Moore

May is Military Appreciation Month and Connecting Vets is running a series of veteran profiles telling the stories of those who have made the military to civilian transition. In the series, the veterans discuss their military career, how they transitioned back to civilian life and what advice they offer to vets who are currently going through what they did.

What propelled you towards military service? When did you join, which branch, which duty position(s)?

I always knew I wanted to be in the military since I was a kid. I loved watching military movies and was always just very interested in anything that involved the military. This is super cheesy, but I loved the movie Navy Seals with Charlie Sheen. I joined the Army in 2000 just before I graduated from high school and shipped out right after graduation. I was doing the football recruiting and campus visit thing and remembered sitting there on a campus visit thinking I don’t want to be here. I guess I was doing it because that was what you were supposed to do.

I wanted to join the Infantry and do anything in Special Operations, but had surgery on my feet when I was a kid so the military said I wasn’t physically capable of being in the Infantry. I always enjoyed medicine as well, so I joined as a 91B Medic. You may laugh at this now because I was a medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment and did everything the Infantry did. You know as well as I do the Army system.

Tell us a bit about your military service, positions served, moving up through the ranks, deployments, memorable moments.

I would say my military career started the second I was picked up from Airborne school for RIP. I thought Basic Training, AIT, and Airborne School was difficult, but I needed more of a challenge. I still remember seeing SSG Teakle standing there calling our names to fall into the RIP formation. His uniform was perfectly pressed, his boots were highly shined, and the Black Beret that covered one eye was so intimidating and I thought to myself “I want to be in that unit.” So there I went to RIP.

After completing RIP, I was sent to the SOCM medic course in Bragg where I learned so much in such a short period of time. You have to remember I was a 19-year-old kid that didn’t want to go to college and then was sent to one of the hardest schools in the military and not because it was physical. The most memorable part of that course would be the paramedic rotation I was able to do with FDNY in New York City. After successful completion of the SOCM course, I was assigned to Charlie Company 3/75 as a Platoon Medic. This is where I met some of the greatest friends who are still my best friends today. I did a couple deployments with the Platoon and then was moved to a company senior medic position. Did another couple of deployments and then transferred to Regiment.

There I started taking some college classes and made the decision to leave active duty after seven years to pursue college and try to go to medical school. After active duty, I stayed in the Army Reserves and retired in 2022. My last assignment was as an ROTC instructor at Washington University in St. Louis.

When did you transition out of the military and why?

I transitioned off active duty only to pursue my college degree. I always had a dream of attending medical school after first serving my country and giving back to this nation. If it wasn’t for that I would have stayed. My plans changed a bit during my undergrad when my wife became pregnant with our first child (of four) I switched my major so I could support my family. I still remember studying for my stats final while holding and feeding two babies one in each arm.

What did you transition to in the private sector (or continued governmental service) and what were the biggest challenges you faced in doing so?

While in college I worked all sorts of jobs to get by. I worked on a landscaping crew mowing grass, construction, bounced at a nightclub, and worked in a factory on the midnight and weekend shifts. I thought getting a job was going to be easy. I thought I had a nice resume built up, but was I wrong. I would say the biggest challenge for me was that there was no leadership or support. The level of leadership and support in the military is like no other. You wake up daily and have a leader trying to train and better you in every way possible. It could be in physical fitness, job proficiency, finances, health care, family issues, housing, promotions, or if you even just have a question. Once in the civilian world, it felt as if I was just a number and no one cared. You have to figure everything out on your own. No one tells you what to do, how to do it or trains you the way my military leaders did.

After graduating from college, I got into sales.  I started working as a Territory Rep for a large international manufacturer.  From there I moved to a couple of different companies until I found my current job which I absolutely love.  It took me 10 years, but I finally am back in the medical field and working as a Medical Device Rep. I could not be happier in my current role and plan on staying here until I retire.  I am back to helping people get improve their health and lives which at the end of the day means more to me than any amount of money.  I guess it goes back to why I chose to serve in the first place.

What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to a veteran currently transitioning from military service?

The biggest piece of advice I would give is to take advantage of all of the educational and training opportunities that are out there. There are so many programs to get a degree or a certificate or to help with job training.

The other thing I would say is to not settle for a job. Do something you are passionate about and something you enjoy and have built a career. You are going to have to start over and work your way up, but if you put in the effort and set goals you will achieve them and then you will enjoy your new career and life. When I was in Ranger Battalion I never worked a day in my life because I enjoyed it and I am finally to a point in my career where I don’t feel like I’m working.