The Veterans of Skylight Financial Group
Skylight
November 11, 2021
We are honored to share the brave and vital individuals of Skylight Financial Group that have fought for our country. We are lucky to have such amazing associates to celebrate on this important day. Thank you to all of our veterans for their service to our country.
A few veterans shared insight about their experience in the military and how it has shaped their life! Read down below to hear from the veterans of Skylight.
Keven Prather, The United States Coast Guard (1987-1992)
What are some of the biggest lessons you learned from your time in the military?
The Constitution of the United States has created the greatest framework in modern history for a people to experience liberty and thrive economically. Courage is a trait others recognize in someone. The person displaying courage rarely recognizes it as such. Staying in place sometimes is dangerous. Freedom carries a significant price that few Americans have paid.
In my experience, every man or woman rises to do great things when their motivation is duty, honor, and commitment to others or a chance to catch more than three hours of shut-eye! The only easy day was yesterday (that is a mindset) – each new day brings its joys and challenges. We tend to remember the funny stuff during our conscious hours. In sleep, we often relay situations that allow our conscious mind to stay sharp, i.e. vigilance is a daily activity.
How has serving affected your life and career today?
It did prepare me for future hardship in a way that is hard to quantify. I can experience hardship, not like it, and keep going. The responsibility to others and a team meant you’d give 110% and not let your team down. We do that for our clients. I think I am a better financial advisor because of my past experiences. Experiencing the best and worst of the human condition gives you a unique perspective that I can apply to help our clients get through tough situations. My goal as a financial advisor is to enable our clients to live a life of significance they define. Making sure they are protected, in essence, builds some certainty into that equation. It is very rewarding to be able to do this and be in a high place of trust serving the people we care about. It’s taken many years, but I no longer think and speak in acronyms – if you are a veteran, you know what that means.
What do you miss most about serving?
I was part of highly operational units of the USCG – I had the privilege of serving with personnel of other service branches and operating a wide variety of environments (mostly cold) as a coxswain. Our missions always led to an adrenaline rush upon successful completion, whatever it was. I had amazing experiences, traveled to extremely remote and beautiful places on this earth. I miss that. I miss drinking hot coffee with a cold breeze in your face standing on the flying bridge of a ship just as the sun rises over the horizon and shines across a calm ocean; that never leaves you. I miss going to sleep at night with the hum of ships’ engines and occasionally hearing the
eerie sound of whale song reverberating through the hull. I miss the camaraderie that servicemen and women feel in the company of one another.
Ryan Puckett, Air Force (1999-2007)
What are some of the biggest lessons you learned from your time in the military?
The biggest lessons I learned while in the Air Force are hard work and patience.
How has serving affected your life and career today?
It has shaped everything I do, how I interact with people, and I respect others who
serve and served.
What do you miss most about serving?
I miss the friendships that I made while serving the most.
Skylight Financial Group’s Veterans:
Michael Connole, U.S. Marines Corp
Steven Crane, U.S. Marines Corp
Barry Hardy, Army National Guard (2 years), Air National Guard
Larry R. Huss, Ohio Army National Guard
Donna Lightner, U.S. Marine Corps
Lawrence Nold, U.S. Army (National Guard and Reserve)
Keven Prather, U.S. Coast Guard
Ryan Puckett, U.S. Air Force
Charles Schotzinger, 1st Lieutenant U.S. Army
Lawrence Tomczak, U.S. Army
Thank you for all that you have done for our country and Skylight!
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