Veterans Help Drive City of Little Rock Forward
Many military veterans have continued their lives of public service by going on to work for the City of Little Rock. At least 100 veterans of every Armed Forces branch work for the City, with many still a part of the National Guard or Reserve.
In honor of Veterans Day, we are highlighting just a few of the brave veterans who served in order to keep our country safe. We appreciate them and every veteran for their sacrifice and service.
Tommy Lomax was a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force who served our country for 20 years. 
He is now the purchasing card program coordinator for the City of Little Rock’s 
Finance Department. For a decade while in the Air Force, he was in charge of the Government Purchase Card Program for his squadron, which allowed for his transition to municipal government to be seamless.
Mr. Lomax is committed to being a good steward of taxpayer money, and he is committed to the U.S. Air Force core values of “integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.” He said he is committed to demonstrating those values to his colleagues and residents of Little Rock.
He joined the Air Force because he had a desire to serve his country, and because military service is a tradition in his family.
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Gwendolyn Harris, a classification and compensation analyst in our Human Resources Department, was an E-4 (specialists) in the U.S. Army. 
During her time in the military, she deployed to Iraq, where she said she worked alongside men and women from all walks of life who shared the same value: sacrifice.
“I think it is important for my colleagues and for residents we serve to recognize and appreciate that each of these individuals has likely made significant personal sacrifices in order to serve, defend, and protect the rights and freedoms that we enjoy every day,” she said.
Ms. Harris said working for the City following military service is a way to continue to show a deep sense of responsibility for the well-being of the community as well as a commitment to public service. She first joined the Army in order to build a secure future for her children and to pursue a career she could take pride in.
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Alex Ballard is an IT support supervisor in the City’s Information Technology Department who served in the U.S. Army from 2001 to 2005. 
He has worked for the City of Little Rock for the last three years.
Mr. Ballard was a sergeant in the Army, who enlisted in August 2001, shortly before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 
He attended Basic Training that November, and he said the aftermath of 9/11 was a significant factor in his service. While he was in the Army, his unit became the fastest ever to go from one deployment to redeployment, in less than 24 hours, he said.
He served in the intelligence field while in the Army, and he appreciates that that work aligns with the supervisory role he currently has. His military service and “getting out of the bubble” helped him to interact with and to understand different cultures.
His grandfather was a World War II veteran and a major reason why he decided to enlist.
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Jason Gregory served in the Navy from 1997 to 2004 and continues to serve his country in the Air Force Reserve, where he is a master sergeant. 
Mr. Gregory is known as Capt. Gregory in his municipal role, serving as a Fire Department captain. He is a training officer, where he employs his skills to teach LRFD recruits as they become certified firefighters and EMTs.
Through 28 years serving his country, Capt. Gregory said his dual roles for the City and in fire protection in the Air Force Reserve have provided countless opportunities for him to expand his knowledge and skillset within fire service.
During his time in the Navy, he was able to see more than 30 ports in Europe and at the same time learn what he wanted to do as a career. When he decided he wanted to be a firefighter, he left the Navy for the Air Force Reserve. He' has been with the Little Rock Fire Department since 2008.
“My service in the military has been invaluable in helping me become a better public servant by instilling a strong sense of discipline, leadership, and a deep commitment to the team and mission of the Little Rock Fire Department,” he said.
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Johnny Marchant spent 31 years in the military, 10 as part of the U.S. Navy and 21 with the Navy Reserve.
Mr. Marchant retired from military service in 2012 as a command senior chief in the Navy Reserve. He currently is an engineering specialist in the Civil Engineering Division of the City’s Public Works Department. Before that, he worked at the Little Rock Zoo as an aquatic specialist/engineering specialist.
His military and City roles are similar in that they both involved organizing and directing projects to completion, whether that be guiding contractors on civil engineering projects with the City, or anything from “simple navigation to taking over small countries” in the Navy.
He first joined the military to pay for college and to see places you would never get to see if you booked through a travel agency. He said veterans are almost always good leaders who have learned the positive attributes of time management and teamwork while in the military.
“Always support your troops. The saying ‘All gave some, some gave all,’ is very true,” he said.
