(originally published on Axon.com)
“Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” – Douglas MacArthur
Prior to joining Axon, I graduated from University of Arizona on an NROTC scholarship and then served two tours in Iraq as a Marine Corps infantry officer. As a Veteran, I am humbled by the memory of serving with so many remarkable Americans. As the President of Axon, I am honored to work alongside many fellow veterans, like Bridget Sheffler, Product Designer and Albert Cushon, Sr Director of Infrastructure Engineering.
As the current Vice President for Axon’s Veterans Affinity Group, Bridget mentors fellow Axon veterans. “I feel like I have the best of both worlds” said Bridget. “I have a job I truly love with very rewarding work and I have the opportunity to regularly help fellow Veterans navigate careers in tech through the Affinity Group.”
I would encourage every American—and every company and organization— to protect and support our service members in uniform, past and present. At Axon, we are proud to support our military personnel in developing and deploying advanced technologies that will save and protect lives.
During my service, my unit was often in difficult situations dealing with a mix of insurgents and civilians. Several times after a bad outcome occurred I was left thinking there must be a better way. That’s why I’m so passionate about the work Axon is doing creating the tools and pathways to create better outcomes.
Many of us feel called by Axon’s mission to Protect Life. Our employees are building an incredible ecosystem of technology—including body cameras for transparency and a suite of software that accelerates justice—that empowers public safety agencies and communities to get everyone home safe. And I truly believe that Axon will create a TASER weapon that is so good and so effective that it will become the primary use of force option for public safety officers—something our CEO, Rick Smith talks more about in his recent op-ed published in Stars & Stripes.
To all of my fellow veterans, you have my deepest appreciation for your service to our country. We honor your sacrifices, both past and present, as we celebrate and recognize you.
As President of Axon, Luke Larson is responsible for leading the company’s day-to-day operations and overseeing all aspects of the company. Luke joined Axon in 2008 and has filled a variety of executive and management roles since then, becoming President in April 2015. Prior to joining Axon, Luke served two tours in Iraq as a Marine Corps infantry officer and was awarded the Bronze star with V for valor on his first tour.
