Today, we honor those who have served in the armed forces as well as their families and loved ones. Being away from home and unavailable for holidays is a sacrifice our veterans not only have had to make alone.

Get this: 1 out of 8 residents in San Antonio have a tie to the military; With more than a quarter-million veterans as residents, we certainly have the title of “Military City” for a reason. What’s more, is with about 200,000 veterans transitioning to civilian life each year, we can certainly learn a lot from what it’s like to make such a significant change in life.

As Americans, we take pride in our armed forces. It’s a point of admiration, a part of our culture, but it’s also a career. And just like with any other job, when you decide to take a different direction in life than what you’re accustomed to, it can be stressful, daunting, and overwhelming.

We interviewed our founder, an Army veteran, and a younger member of our community who served with the marines. As you’ll see, a lot has changed between the two generations, but the same work ethic, discipline, and principles persist.

Being veteran-owned and operated is one of our key attributes that has helped 1st Call become the superior cleaning service in San Antonio. The values we’ve taken with us through life from our service has helped shape our company to be organized, driven, and disciplined.

We interviewed a local marine veteran to learn on a more personal level what the experience is like from joining to transitioning to civilian life. We also interviewed our founder, who is a US Army veteran, and who founded 1st Call Cleaning Services based on the same values he learned in the armed forces.