Veteran Employee Uses Military Experience in Unexpected Ways

Veteran Employee Uses Military Experience in Unexpected Ways

On Veterans Day and throughout the year, we honor our military veterans and recognize their contributions to our country and our company.

Russell Rawcliffe grew up in a military family and has lived all over the world, including two elementary school years at Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico where his father was stationed and two years as a young adult in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He served eight years of active military duty for the U.S. Army with tours that included 15 months in Iraq piloting air assault and cargo missions in the CH-47D helicopter. “We only flew at night and did a lot of low flying and it got to be routine,” he said. “I had a couple of close calls, but nothing unusual, just like everyone else.”

Rawcliffe was also stationed for a year in South Korea and later was a flight instructor. After transitioning out of the military he worked for several companies, but said he kept looking for the right fit – and he found that fit at Fresenius Medical Care.

As a Senior Financial/Business Analyst in our Strategic Analytics Group in Atlanta, Rawcliffe is responsible for evaluating and analyzing all Value Based Services departments’ performance, goal achievement, and trend analysis metrics.

“Fresenius Medical Care is top notch,” he said. “It’s one of a very few large corporations I know of that really respects and values a veteran’s experience. The leadership I’ve seen here is the kind I’d been looking for.”

As a veteran, Rawcliffe “highly recommends” the company to other veterans and National Guard men and women.

“It’s clear to see that Fresenius Medical Care cares for its patients and people like they’re family,” Rawcliffe said.

When Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September of 2017, and our Disaster Response Team grappled with the complicated logistics of our recovery efforts, Rawcliffe’s past and his present came together in a way he couldn’t have anticipated when he started a career in the corporate world. Rawcliffe currently serves as a Chief Warrant Officer for the Georgia Army National Guard, as well as a pilot with experience conducting air cargo missions. He’s also fluent in Spanish and holds master’s degrees in management and accounting, along with some “uniquely specialized skills.”

“I have aviation and logistical experience and the recovery effort in Puerto Rico was accomplished by flying supplies to the island because boats take too long,” Rawcliffe said.

Rawcliffe served in the initial wave of strategic support, first at the staging area at Miami International Airport and then as an Incident Commander assisting Luis Emanuelli, Regional Vice President for Fresenius Kidney Care in Puerto Rico.

“Russell was instrumental, using his military background, in helping our relief teams navigate through the many obstacles that existed on the island,” Emanuelli said. “He knew how to get around and which doors to knock on to get the support we needed through that first week after the hurricane hit. His efforts served as the model to follow for subsequent Incident Commanders that supported us.”

Rawcliffe said he is just one of many colleagues who volunteered to help in Puerto Rico.
“I’m just a very small part of this relief effort,” he said. “It’s humbling to be part of an organization like this.”

A husband and father of four boys, Rawcliffe still loves flying helicopters with the Georgia Army National Guard and plans to continue serving while maintaining his career at Fresenius Medical Care North America.

If, like Russell Rawcliffe, you are a talented professional and veteran, visit our Fresenius Medical Care military jobs page to learn more about the career opportunities in your area.