Trellix Celebrates and Honors Our Veterans

By Kim Anstett, Chris Treacy, Tony Herring and John Fokker · November 7, 2024

For the past two years, I have had the honor of being the Executive Champion of the Trellix Veterans Voice employee resource group. Of all the responsibilities that come with my job, working with the diverse group of military veterans and allies at Trellix is among the most rewarding.

In November, many countries celebrate Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, and Veterans and Military Families month. Though we are thankful for the service and sacrifice of our veterans all year, this month we choose to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of military veterans around the world.

A Conversation with Trellix Veterans

One way we’re celebrating our veterans is by talking to leaders of the Veterans Voice about their service, what it means to them, and how military service has changed their lives. We had the privilege of speaking with Chris Treacy, Senior Account Executive and Team Lead for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps business, John Fokker, Head of Threat Intelligence, and Tony Herring, Partner Account Executive for New Business. The following is an excerpt from our Q and A session with them (some answers have been edited for length).

Would you share your branch, rank, and dates served with us?

What motivated you to join the military?

Chris: I was motivated to join the military early in life. My dad was a Navy pilot, my grandfather was in the Army. Since I was a kid, I guess I always knew that I wanted to be a Navy pilot as well. So, when the opportunity came up to go to flight school, I jumped at the chance.

Tony: Initially, what motivated me to join the military was that I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to go into college right away or not. I always knew I wanted to serve, though. I come from a family of individuals who served in the Air Force and the Army, so I’ve always felt compelled to serve. However, my parents begged me to go to school first, so I did.

John: I was motivated to join the military when I was in college. I was very into running and being physically active, I really wanted to push myself, to see where my limits were while being a part of something greater. So, I joined the Marine Corps and that really gave me a chance to get the most out of it from basic training all the way up to special operations selection courses. The way I see it is, eventually we’ll all kick the bucket. They say a montage of your life flashes in front of your eyes when you die, and I felt like I might as well make it an action movie, something worthwhile.

What values or lessons from your military experience have stayed with you?

Chris: In the military on the first day, they teach you that there are five basic responses to every question. I continue to use this in life and in business because it’s probably the most valuable business lesson I’ve ever had. The five basic responses are “yes sir,” “no sir,” “aye aye sir,” “I’ll find out sir,” and “no excuse sir.” What I’ve discovered is that in business, I can answer any customer question in one of these five forms: “Yes, sir, I’ll take your order.” “No, sir, we don’t sell that here.” “Aye, aye, sir, I hear you and I’m going to do something for you.” The next two are the tough ones. “No excuse, sir.” That means I made a mistake. There’s no excuse for it; I’m just going to make it right. The last one is really awesome: “I’ll find out, sir.” We never say I don’t know. We say I’ll find out. It implies that I don’t currently know, but it also means I’m going to go get better.

Tony: The values and lessons staying with me that I learned in the military and still carry today are the values of teamwork, dedication, responsibility, courage, and commitment. These are the values I try to live by, not only in my personal life, but professionally as well.

John: One core value that has stayed with me is discipline. If you start something, you finish it and you give it everything you have. Also, there is an expression in the Netherlands Marine Corps we got from the UK forces, and that is: cheerfulness in the face of adversity. It’s about how the way you react to things determines your attitude. If you always have a positive attitude, you will be in a better situation. I also learned about the diversity of people. There are always going to be different opinions, and everybody has an equal voice within the team. I think because of that, a lot of people on my team at Trellix have a high sense of ownership, a feeling we’re all in this together as equals.

What does Veterans Day or Remembrance Day mean to you?

John: Veterans Day or Remembrance Day are times where we honor the people who have served. For me, there are a couple of things I remember. First, the people I served with who are no longer here. I always take a moment to sit down and think about them. For me personally, it’s a remembrance of being in Europe and understanding the history of World War II and what we owe to the allied forces and what kind of sacrifices were made.

Tony: Veterans Day is a way to really honor those folks who have served before us and still do today. Having served, I have a deep understanding of what it means when people say “thank you for your service” because it really is a service, and Veterans Day is a time to recognize those veterans who served in the military and the sacrifices their families made, as well.

Chris: Veterans Day takes place on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour when World War I ended. For me, Veterans Day is all about those who have sacrificed for the freedoms we all enjoy. My grandfather who sacrificed, my father who sacrificed, and my son are all among them. When I think about the sacrifices my wife and my family have made through the years, I then think about people all over the world making those same sacrifices every day to make the world a better place. It’s pretty incredible.

What makes you proud to be a veteran, and proud to work at Trellix?

Tony: I think what makes me most proud to be a veteran is having given up a key portion of my life to serve. I’ve missed birthdays and funerals and weddings and other personal things that folks get to experience in life; you kind of forego all that for a period of time. It truly is a hard thing to do. It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life but also one of the most rewarding, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. What makes me proud to work at Trellix is I’m part of an organization where I’m still in the service of doing important and soulful work.

John: I’m proud to be a veteran because the values and experiences I got during my service are things I never would have gotten anywhere else: camaraderie, resiliency, and loyalty. At Trellix, I’m very proud to have a team that has a similar mindset. The adversities are different, but at the same time, there’s a good sense of camaraderie and loyalty, and a positive attitude is key. We smile in the face of adversity here, too.

Chris: What makes me proud to be a veteran and a part of the veteran community at Trellix is I can say without reservation I’ve made the world a better place. I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud of the time I spent in uniform. And I’m very proud of Trellix and how we honor one another’s service in this company. There are very few companies that really get it, and Trellix definitely does. I once overheard a cashier tell a World War II veteran, “Thank you for your service,” and his response was, “It was always a privilege.” That affected me because receiving the message of thank you was sometimes hard for me. I got a lot from my time in the Navy, and it always felt like I was the one who should be saying thanks. Since I heard that man say those words, I’ve always said them too: “It was always a privilege.”

Remembrance, Reverence, and Reflection

While this is just a portion of the incredible insight we heard from Chris, Tony, and John, I hope you were as inspired as I was by the things they shared and the gifts they’ve all given to their countries. The photos included with this post were shared by these veterans, and all have such special stories behind them. I was especially moved by the story Chris Treacy shared about the photo of him, his wife, and their son: he and his son had both been deployed at the same time. Chris returned first, and then they were able to surprise his wife with their son’s early return. The look on her face just speaks to me, as a mom and as a citizen. It truly shows the essence of the sacrifice our veterans and their families make. I think I speak for all of Trellix when I say thank you to these individuals for sharing their stories and thank you to all the men and women who have served their countries. I hope you’ll take some time this week to reflect on what is better in our world because of our military veterans.