Serving my country, seeing the world and remaining fluid in the process

My name is Glenn Barron, and I began my career at Walgreens eight years ago after serving 15 years in the U.S. Navy. Today I am a senior business analyst for pharmacy and retail operations at Walgreens, working in third-party operations. I am also a member of the company’s Valor business resource group (BRG), a community of team members who are veterans, active-duty military members, military spouses or family members, or anyone interested in supporting their colleagues with military experience. 

Enlisting for service 

Growing up in Chicago, the military was not on my radar, but I knew I wanted to see the world beyond the Windy City. My cousin had joined the Navy, which left quite an impression on my mom, and she would subtly hint that I should enlist as well.

My mom unexpectedly passed away when I was 16 years old. After graduating high school, I needed a change, so I enlisted in the Navy and started boot camp on Sept. 5, 2001—that’s right, just six days before 9/11.

A healthcare calling 

I was always interested in healthcare, and the sudden passing of my mom further fueled my passion to go into the field. After completing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago, Illinois, I went to the hospital corpsman school, the medical field for the Navy and Marine Corps. Upon completing basic training, I was assigned my first duty station at a submarine base in Groton, Connecticut. Although I was never assigned to a submarine, I quickly realized it was not the environment for me after I toured a few on the base. I went to the Navy’s pharmacy school to become a pharmacy technician—a process that takes two years in civilian life but is condensed to six months in the Navy.

Upon completing the school and becoming a certified pharmacy technician, I was stationed with the 3rd Marine Logistics Group in Okinawa, Japan. During my time in Japan, one of my deployments was to set up a pharmacy in Pakistan, in an area impacted by an earthquake. We had to establish everything from scratch by planning and obtaining critical medications and equipment. Nothing is guaranteed in such a dynamic, evolving situation and adaptability is everything. We decided to use a schoolyard to raise the hospital and adjoining pharmacy. Once everything was set up, we were treating about 100 patients a day for the next four months. 
 

Aside from Connecticut, Japan and Pakistan, my time in the Navy took me to Kuwait, Bahrain, Korea, Australia and many other unique places that were unlike anything I knew growing up in Chicago. I was also able to attend college while enlisted and attained my associate degree. The Navy also allowed me to teach at the pharmacy school I had completed at the beginning of my career at the joint base in Fort Sam Houston. 

Re-entering civilian life 

After 15 years in the Navy and traveling to roughly the same number of countries, I ended up in California where I decided it was time to pursue a career outside of the military. Traversing the path from military life to the civilian world is often a long, winding road, but a while ago I received some great advice that has helped with many challenges: Water can change shape and go anywhere, so be fluid to navigate anything in your path.

In the military, housing and solid employment are guaranteed, and it is a convenient place to find a sense of belonging. All of these benefits are suddenly much more challenging in civilian life, but there are also less-evident changes that occur, ones you don’t anticipate or even realize until you leave the armed forces. Interpersonal communication and conflict resolution, along with work ethics, expectations and culture are completely different in the world beyond the military. Even something as minor as a gym membership—a benefit guaranteed in the service without having to seek it out—now falls on the individual to research, find and attain in post-military life.  

I was fortunate to maintain a strong network of connections, both in the military and beyond, that allowed me to find a job as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens within three months of departing the Navy. For anyone still enlisted or who recently got out, I cannot stress enough the importance of networking and maintaining contacts. You never know who will be able to help once you leave the service, so prepare ahead of time, embrace changes and talk to everyone. My travels have taught me that food is important, it connects people regardless of nationality, religion or background. Everyone likes to eat and enjoys sitting down for a delicious meal, so invite someone to break bread and you will already have something in common to open doors you never knew existed. 

Life at Walgreens and the Valor BRG

Transitioning from the store to the support center—what we call our corporate office—I have grown within the organization and intend to keep advancing my career. Currently, I am part of a team working on transitioning our billing standard and scoping out the framework for when the new National Council for Prescription Drug Programs standards take effect.

My military experience has been a great asset at Walgreens, paying significant dividends in all the roles I’ve held in store and at corporate. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Walgreens colleagues and I were tasked with providing essential medications to people stranded on cruise ships that were not allowed to disembark due to an outbreak of the virus aboard. Like setting up remote pharmacies during deployments, we needed to plan, adapt, anticipate and execute unique solutions to ensure the stranded passengers had medical supplies and medications to keep them well until the ships were allowed to dock. And like my experience during deployment, it was incredibly rewarding to see the direct impact of our efforts.

As part of the Valor BRG at Walgreens, I want to continue helping my military family to identify their veteran status with pride and find that same sense of belonging. Unfortunately, there are times when people associate stigmas to those who serve their country. This should never be the case—our service men and women should be proud, not only on Veterans Day, but all year long.