Johnson&Johnson: Alex Gorsky
West Point graduate Alex Gorsky served in the Army for six years, eventually achieving the rank of captian. He was a member of the Army's elite Rangers and served in Europe, the US, and Panama.
He became the CEO of Johnson and Johnson at the age of 51, where he remains to this day. He also serves on the Board of Directors for IBM.
Source: Ranker
Proctor and Gamble: Robert A. McDonald
Robert A. McDonald wanted to be in the Army so bad that he wrote his congressman for an special exemption at just 11 years old. Eventually, he came of age and got his wish, serving in the 82nd Airborne Division and retiring with the rank of Captain.
He is a former CEO of Proctor and Gamble, and the current secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Obama Administration, where he works to improve veteran's access to healthcare.
Source: Ranker
Casey's General Store: Robert Myers
Robert Myers spent 22 years in the US Army, serving in Germany, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait and finally retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1988.
After retiring, began working at Casey's General as a manager. Within a few years he worked his way up to the top of the corporation, which owns hundreds of stores across America, many of which are situated in small towns with populations of 5,000 or less.
Source: Fortune, Casey's General Store
Walgreens: James A. Skinner
Skinner began his career working at a McDonald's in Iowa. He then went on to join the US Navy and serve for nearly 10 years, including two tours of the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam war.
When he returned from service, again worked at McDonald's, this time as a manager. From there he worked his way up to CEO, over 41 years at the company. He now serves as the CEO of Walgreens.
H.D. Vest: Herb Vest
Before Herb Vest sold his financial advisory firm, H.D. Vest, to Wells Fargo in 2001 for $127.5 million, he served for nearly four years in Vietnam, in the airborne cavalry, where he lead dangerous helicopter raids as an officer.
After success in financial advising, Vest funded an online dating site, True.com, which went bankrupt in 2012.
Source: Ranker, Bizjournals
Viacom: Sumner Redstone
Sumner Redstone is the current CEO of Viacom, the media empire, and estimated to be worth $4.8 billion.
The Boston native and Harvard graduate took one of his first post-college jobs with the Us Army, during World War II, when he worked to intercept and analyzed coded Japanese communications.
FootLocker: Ken Hicks
Ken Hicks is the former CEO and president of the sneaker chain FootLocker, and he has also held high level executive positions at JC Penny and Payless Shoes.
Like his father before him, a World War II veteran, Hicks served in the military as an artillery battery commander in the Korean war.
Source: Ranker
Kinder Morgan: Richard Kinder
Richard Kinder is executive chairman of Kinder Morgan, Inc., one of the largest energy companies in North America, worth approximately $115 billion.
Before he became a big player in the energy sector, with stints at giant corporations like Enron, he was a Captain in the US Army, and he served in Vietnam.
Lumetra: Tom Dent
Tom Dent is the former CEO of a management and logistics firm called Lumetra, but before that, he was a decorated fighter pilot in the US Navy.
Dent served three tours of duty, where he learned a great deal about leadership. He still has his 1960's copy of Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach in his office.
Rockwell Collins: Clayton M. Jones
Jones is the former CEO of the aeronautics firm Rockwell Collins, where he was served by his experience as a fighter pilot with the US Air Force.
Upon leaving Rockwell Collins in 2013, he was praised for his strong leadership.
Source: Ranker
General Motors: Daniel Akerson
Former Carlye Groupe exec and CEO of GM, Daniel Akerson has a reputation for getting things done, so much so, that he once removed tubes from his arm and discharged himself from a hospital after growing impatient waiting on doctors.
Akerson is the son of a World War II veteran and served himself as a Naval officer aboard the destroyer DUPONT.
Lockheed Martin: Robert J. Stevens
Robert Stevens was the CEO of Lockheed Martin from 2004 until 2012. He now serves as the Lead Director for Monsanto.
Unlike other members of this list, Robert Stevens joined the US Marines straight out of high school at the age of 18. He became a highly decorated serviceman, receiving several awards including the Globe and Anchor Award from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s Circle of Honor Award, and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s Semper Fidelis Award.
Source: Ranker
ConocoPhillips: James Mulva
James Mulva recently stepped down as CEO of the energy giant, ConocoPhillips, which he had led since 2002.
Mulva attended college in an ROTC program, before being stationed by the US Navy in Bahrain. While in the Middle East, he learned about the energy industry, and its geopolitical implications first hand.
Source: Ranker
Verizon: Lowell McAdam
Before Lowell McAdam was the head of the America's largest mobile network, Verizon, he spent six years in the US Navy Civil Engineer Corps, where he became a licensed professional engineer.
In the Navy, he worked on with the Seabees, or the Navy's construction unit. McAdam's unit was even responsible for building sets for the hit film "Top Gun."
FedEx: Frederick W. Smith
Frederick Smith began his life as the son of a prominent businessman, but with a condition that left him confined to crutches until the age of 10. He outgrew his ailment, went on to play sports in high school, and ultimately to be the CEO of FedEx.
Smith then went on to serve with the US Marines in Vietnam in two tours of duty, one as a an infantryman, and another as a pilot. He received various medals for his service, and would eventually be hailed as "The Father of overnight delivery."
