BRANCH: U.S. Marine Corps LOCATION: Huntington Beach, Calif. TEAM: Defense, Space & Security Casey Fox Manager, Recovery and Modification Services Growing up on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, Casey Fox was raised to revere members of the military. Not only was his stepfather a former U.S. Marine and grandfather a World War II veteran, but his tribe, the Arikara, holds members of the military in high regard by awarding them the right to carry the U.S. flag and eagle staff— their tribe’s equivalent of the Stars and Stripes—during powwows. So when it came time to decide what to do with his life, Fox chose the U.S. Marine Corps. As an F/A-18 avionics technician there, he learned the benefits of working with diversely skilled teams, a lesson that would come in handy in his current role as a C-17 Recovery and Modification Services manager in Huntington Beach, Calif. 34 | BOEING FRONTIERS One of Fox’s jobs in the Corps was to service departing and returning jets on an aircraft carrier at night. Working quickly in low visibility, everyone on the flight deck was responsible for performing a task distinguished only by the color of their shirt or protective headset. “Some wore red, white, yellow, brown, green, but each one of those shirts represented a different job or skill set associated to safely ensuring the aircraft not only launched but also was recovered when it came back to the carrier,” Fox said. “It didn’t matter what upbringing, race, background, beliefs or special interests we brought to work every day. Our priority was to support the aircraft, and we took that to heart.” That appreciation and reliance on diverse skill sets has followed Fox throughout his career, from the military through nine management positions he’s had since starting as an avionics technical writer at Boeing heritage company McDonnell Douglas. In September he returned from an extended absence to find that his team had independently solved a number of issues that arose. “It was like they fed off each other and finished each other’s sentences as they explained the solution for the situation they avoided,” he said. “It made me smile because they didn’t need me to work the situation. I don’t take credit for that. It’s just something you would hope your team is able to do. Having said that, I’m going to take more vacation.” • PHOTO: BOB FERGUSON | BOEING NOVEMBER 2016 | 34
Frontiers November 2016 Issue
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