By: Chris Copenhaver, General Manager, U.S. Marine
I began my career with Titlemax in January 2016 as a General Manager. It has been a blessing to see a company go above and beyond to show their effort and support for our veterans. You do not see many companies doing this for the men and women who have served. During my spare time away from work, I am currently working on my Master’s Degree in Accounting. I am a proud father with five children and my oldest son is currently serving our Military as well. He is six months into his Marines Corps career. I served in the Marines Corps for 14 years and got to see a lot of things during my tenure.
I was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for my entire 14-year career. I enlisted in communications; however, I also held other jobs while I served. The unit I was initially assigned to was the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines, which was an artillery unit. I then went on to be assigned to two different infantry units and a headquarters element. I know a lot of people do not understand some of the jargon used by military personnel and also when it comes to us stating our Units we served with, but all you have to do is ask us and we can let you know certain details. You might not get our whole story because some veterans do not want to talk about certain details, however, we will let you know some.
During my career, I visited 16 different countries to include one tour to Djibouti, Africa, three tours to Iraq, one tour to Afghanistan, and one tour to Kosovo. The countries I enjoyed visiting were Italy, Spain, Greece, and Jerusalem. I have seen a lot during my life and I have also been through a lot. I would not change anything from my past and especially my time serving our beloved country.
I believe the biggest thing that helped me in the transition from the military to the civilian sector was the “never quit attitude”. We lived by three words in the Marine Corps and those were HONOR, COURAGE and COMMITMENT. We were committed to excellence and that is the type of attitude we bring to the table daily no matter what branch of service you were in. You must be committed to doing an outstanding job and with that it takes passion in your work to excel in your performance. Without Passion for what you do, there would be no drive to get the things accomplished. I was told this when I was a young Marine in the Marine Corps. I was also told that Commitment + Passion + Discipline = Results and Performance. Everyone needs to remember if you are dedicated and disciplined enough in what you want out of life and you have the passion to do it, you will eventually accomplish the goals you set. These are the things that have made me successful both in the military and in my civilian career.
Semper Fi