Honoring Our Veterans: Leo Magadia

I was in the army reserves starting in Guam and based out of Hawaii, later moving to Texas and working in architecture. Soon after I found a reserve unit, 9/11 happened and I was deployed. Since I was the only guy who knew AutoCAD, I did most of the drawings for deployment in Iraq. I became a combat engineer specializing in demolition and route clearance which was my favorite job and returned for another deployment, clearing IEDs and the roads. I enlisted in January 1990 and retired in November of 2018.    

My most memorable moment when I joined McKinstry in March of 2020 (I am a McK Covid baby) was the companies call with Dean Allen when assured everyone that the company and the people will not be affected by the pandemic. I was afraid that I was going to get let go since I was one of the new guys. The culture and what I’ve heard and seen, the involvement at McKinstry with veterans has surpassed what I’ve seen in my career. I’ve run into several people at the company who have been in the military, and it’s been great to talk to them. Makes me proud to be part of the McKinstry family. 

Our comradery in the military. I was never in a leadership role in the army but here, if anyone needs help I’m there. Supporting of team members and me trying to support other team members, it’s just how it goes.   

Depending on what you’ve gone through and where you’ve been, if you get stuck, hung up, always reach out to somebody. Whether in your job or just social, just reach out to somebody, talk to somebody. Always ask for help. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t make you look weak, someone is always out there to help.