HOOAH! These US military veterans now have big roles on Wall Street

Kelsey Martin spent more than a decade with the US military, first studying economics at the US Naval Academy and then as a fighter pilot and as an electronic warfare instructor. After his time in the Navy, he headed to the Booth Business School at the University of Chicago for his MBA. A short stint at Morgan Stanley was followed by a 10-year run at Goldman Sachs, where he's currently employed, according to his LinkedIn profile.

After a short stint at investment bank Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, a young Steve Schwarzman would briefly take a turn in the US Army Reserves before returning to the world of finance. Following his time in the reserves, Schwarzman would head to Harvard Business School, and then into Lehman Brothers, where his career in finance would take off. Today, he's the 38th richest man in the US, according to Forbes.

Former General Wesley Clark left the US Army at the rank of General after more than three decades of service in 2000. He would then go on to run for President of the United States — as a Democrat — in 2004 and remained active in politics afterwards. Clark made his move to PE in 2013, joining Steve Schwarzman's Blackstone Group.

Owen West is a Marine's Marine. He did two tours in Iraq, and followed it up by writing a series of books. Today, he's a partner in Goldman Sachs' securities division and head of US natural gas and power trading. He was named managing director in 2006 and partner in 2014.

And, he's clearly got a sense of humor about both the big jobs he's served in: “The truth is, Wall Street has always coveted veterans. At Goldman, CEOs Weinberg and Corzine were Marines, Whitehead was a Naval Officer, forgivable because he captained Higgins boats, and before we emplaced our Veterans’ Network, Blankfein beat us to the punch by making it a central giving focus. The US military is competitive, proud, committed, and a bit maniacal. A lot like Goldman and the other banks.”

For nearly 16 years, Dennis Cornell has been with Morgan Stanley, most recently heading up its energy investment banking team in New York. Cornell's path to Wall Street went first through the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton undergraduate program (and, in the school's Navy ROTC program) before he joined the military. He would go on to spend five years as an engineer on nuclear submarines before heading to the world of dealmaking.

John Councill had the military career many young men and women dream about before signing up for work at Goldman Sachs. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in upstate New York, graduating in 2003. By 2004, he was an Army Ranger, one of the most elite levels of military service in the US. After more than five years with the Army, including a stint in Iraq, he deployed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he'd earn his MBA in finance. Councill joined Goldman less than two years ago in its asset management division.

During his DC days, Frank Carlucci worked in roles including deputy secretary of Defense, deputy director of Central Intelligence, and worked in the Office of Management and Budget. Carlucci was among the first big names in DC to switch career tracks. He joined the Carlyle Group in 1989 as managing director and became chairman in 1993. He held that role until late 2002, when he was replaced as chair by ex-IBM CEO Lou Gerstner.

Michael Ross graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1981 to fly the KC-135, a military refueling plane. He spent more than five additional years after graduating with the US Air Force and simultaneously earned his MA before going on to join a number of firms that would make many Wall Street pros wistful for the old day: EF Hutton, Smith Barney and Shearson Lehman Brothers. Today, he's executive director and financial advisor with Morgan Stanley, where he's been for more than six years.

After 37 years in the US Army, Petraeus spent just one year running the Central Intelligence Agency before he resigned amid infidelity allegations that surfaced as a result of an FBI investigation. The former general made his move to private equity firm KKR long before he had to plead guilty to mishandling classified information; the private equity firm said after Petraeus’ misdemeanor plea he would remain on board.

Todd Haskins today is managing director of the financial sponsors investment banking division at Goldman Sachs — but, in the late 1990s, he was a Wall-Street-jarhead-in-the-making. He served in varying roles with the Marine Corps, leaving after making the rank of captain. Haskins went on to to work for Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young and Blue Sage Capital in junior roles before heading to Goldman. He has been there more than 11 years, and today is co-head of the Goldman Sachs veterans network and serves as chairman of the New York City Veteran Advisory Board.

John Hibbs got his start first at the US Naval War College before rising through the ranks to become director of global cyber security operations with the Navy cyber defense operations command in Virginia. After a stint with General Electric, he joined JPMorgan as managing director and global technology leader in New York.

Walter "Bud" Abbott spent six years in the US Navy, earning seven national medals and three Letters of Commendation for his work, including in Operation Desert Storm. He spent more than a decade with Fidelity before joining the Fiduciary Trust Company of New England, a wealth advisor and investment manager, in New Hampshire earlier this year.

Brent Brown is another graduate of the esteemed United States Military Academy at West Point, and after that he went on to serve as a counterintelligence officer in the US Army, eventually rising to the rank of captain. He went back to school at Harvard Business School, and did a quick stint at Goldman Sachs as an associate before getting into the world of private equity in 2004. That's where he's been the last 11 years, and today is a managing partner with Madison Parker Capital.

Joe Purcell served as a supply officer in the US Navy from 1980 until 1989 in various roles, allowing him to work on a nuclear submarine and an aircraft carrier. He continued to serve in the Navy Reserves, retiring with the rank of commander. Today, he's managing director of Morgan Stanley's financial sponsors coverage group. He said serving his country helped him get ready for life on Wall Street:

“The Navy gave me a foundation of rigor, focus and high standards that provided me the internal strength and clear guidelines to build a career in a demanding Wall Street environment. For this I am eternally grateful to the service. This same type of training prepares Veterans from all services to be strong contributing professionals and leaders across all aspects of the US economy and, will help propel us forward.”

Tom Hill has enjoyed a lengthy career on Wall Street, spanning from First Boston to Shearson Lehman Brothers to Smith Barney. Before any of that, he attended Harvard Business School, where he met Steve Schwarzman. The two would go on to serve in the same Army Reserves intelligence unit, and made annual trips to Fort Meade together for years. Today, Hill is president and CEO of Blackstone's hedge fund solutions group and sits on its board of directors.

Brian Kinsella spent more than five years with the US Army serving in Iraq, Italy, Germany, Haiti and in Kentucky camps. Leaving the military in 2010, he took on a calling and immediately founded Stop Soldier Suicide, which he still leads today. The veteran-led initiative aims to cut down on the number of suicides committed by US military members. He's also an energy sector specialist at Goldman Sachs, where he's been for nearly three years.

There's 'tough,' there's 'Army tough,' and then apparently there's 'Paul Marcato tough.' He spent more than eight years flying chopper missions in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism in a combat zone. As he rose through the ranks, he took on leadership roles including operational planning for the Iraqi Parlimentary Elections and scaling back US forces in Iraq — today, he's a vice president in global transaction at Deustche Bank, where he's been for nearly four years.

Jordan Thayer spent more than five years as a US Marine, serving in places including Afghanistan — and, counseling his comrades on how to not blow all their cash, he said. That helped translate into his career after the military. Thayer today is a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley, which has veterans programs for MBA candidates and undergrads alike. Here's what he recently said, at Morgan Stanley's website, about making the transition and how serving his country helped him:

“In Afghanistan, I set benchmarks for my Marines to excel at fitness and marksmanship tests. At Morgan Stanley, I set the same kind of benchmarks for myself, making sure I’m always staying in touch with clients and reaching out to the community,” Thayer said. “It’s a matter of prioritizing and controlling what I can control.”

Retired four-star General Ray Ordierno joined JPMorgan earlier this year in an advisory role to bank CEO Jamie Dimon. In his 39 years of military service, he racked up more accomplishments and awards than this space can cover (but, check 'em out here). He has also spoken out on leadership in bank culture, and had this to say last week:

"A military leader needs to be cognizant of more than just strategy; a leader in the financial world has to focus on more than just economics. The political atmosphere, diplomatic relations, security, and public policy all come into play for any given market, and each can significantly affect the others. An effective leader is able to discern how each factor interacts and discern risk and appropriate ways to mitigate risk."

Andrew Sendall spent five years in the US Air Force in the late 1980s and early 90s as a captain before he headed to the financial services sector. After working at UBS and at Barclays, he landed at Citigroup, where he has been director of risk management and business continuity for the last four years.

Timothy Roepke attended the United States Military Academy at West Point before joining the US Army and serving a five-year stint as an officer. At the same time he was serving his country, he also would go on to earn his MBA from The College of William and Mary. He went on to work at General Electric after leaving the military in 2006, and then at Barclays, before landing at Credit Suisse. Today, he's got five years under his belt with Credit Suisse and is vice president and a director in its technology, media and telecom banking business.

Ross Brown served in the US Army for 27 years after graduating from West Point. Some of his assignments include working as a commander in Iraq and in Honduras, as well as his service on the Army and Joint Staffs under the Secretary of Defense. After leaving his role in the US Army, Brown spent time working at the Pentagon before joining JPMorgan as director of military and veterans affairs.

Nick Padgalskas earned his undergraduate degree at West Point before joining the US Army and serving for five years, leaving with the rank of captain. After his service to his country, Padgalskas headed to MIT to earn his MBA and an MS degree in engineering, and was also honored as a Siebel Scholar, which recognizes graduate students and supports their tuition. After graduating, it was straight to Wall Street: in 2007, he joined Citigroup. He soon moved from New York to Hong Kong, and moved up the ranks. Today, Padgalskas is a director in energy investment banking in Singapore.

Over more than eight years in the US Navy, George J. Dennis rose to the rank of lieutenant and landed hundreds of jets on naval air carriers. After leaving the military in 1998, he would join Goldman Sachs, where he works today. Dennis is managing director for a group that manages families' and institutions' capital with Goldman in California.

Before joining Goldman Sachs, Gary Giglio served in the US Army. Giglio joined Goldman in 1994, moving to New York in 2004, the same year he was named partner. Now, he's partner and regional head of private wealth management in New York. Here's what he told Business Insider:

“My military experience taught me the value of teamwork and integrity. In both the Army and at Goldman Sachs, teamwork is essential and rigorous honesty is required to build trust. In the Army, rapid fire decision making was critical in a highly fluid environment. Similarly, in business, making fast and accurate decisions is a differentiator.”

Patrick Perdue earned his engineering degree at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis before joining the Navy, and, according to his LinkedIn profile, spent a decade working on submarines before he attended NYU's Stern School of Business. From there, he joined JPMorgan in 2005 for three years and today works with boutique bank Academy Securities.

Joe Femina joined Goldman Sachs as a summer associate in 2006 and returned full-time in 2007. He was named managing director in 2013. But before that, Femina served his country as a US Navy SEAL. Alongside Todd Haskins, Femina is co-head of the Goldman Sachs Veterans Network and was involved in Goldman's launch of a veterans' internship program.

Here's what he told BI: "The SEALs teach people how to think, make decisions and react quickly in stressful environments and BUD/S training forces you to be resilient. These are very valuable skills on Wall Street and in corporate America regardless of what a Veteran knows about business when they transition from active duty."

Scott Cullerton is a director in private equity firm KKR's capital solutions group, focusing on debt origination for the firm's credit platform. He worked his way up the Wall Street ranks with jobs at Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. Before that, he served in the US Navy, where he was special warfare detatchment commander. Here's what he had to say to BI:

“The common thread between my experience in the Navy and my time at KKR has been consistently being part of a lean, dynamic team where everyone had to pull their own weight.”

Now, check out the one boutique bank that keeps swiping deal flow from the biggest firms on the street, in a year where record M&A could drive smaller firms record revenues.