Military skills launch a new railroad career
Chris Horman
Police Communications Officer
CSX
Jacksonville, FL
5 years in the industry
8 years in the military
Base: Camp LeJeune, NC
For a former Marine who's been unemployed, homeless and permanently altered by combat, Chris Horman is a remarkably happy man. A police communications officer in CSX's Jacksonville, FL dispatch center, Horman is responsible for ensuring the safety of CSX property, coordinating with 230 special agents to keep tracks clear of potential hazards. He works nights, sometimes days, while also earning a BA in supervisory management from Florida State College at Jacksonville. When not at work or in school, he drives his three young sons to school. It's a hectic, productive life, and nobody appreciates it more than Horman.
As a sergeant serving in Iraq in 2005, Horman was thrown into a Humvee by an exploding car bomb and was left with serious head injuries. After being awarded the Iraqi Campaign Medal and an honorable discharge in 2006, he worked in a variety of jobs. The recession hit hard and suddenly, Horman, his wife and three little boys were homeless, living a nomadic life out of their car for a year as he searched for work. Through a CSX internship with the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit providing opportunity to injured military veterans, Horman's life turned around. “I've been to the lowest of the low with my family, but we had confidence in the railroads,” he says. “Now CSX is taking care of us.”
Today, Horman believes that with a large portion of the industry approaching retirement age, hiring competent people presents challenges for railroads and opportunity for veterans ideally suited to the work. “The military teaches leadership, discipline and a lot of other things that businesses really care about, like being on time and taking initiative,” he says. “I'm just doing the things the military taught me and applying them to my new career.” As for his job keeping people safe around CSX property, Horman feels he's come full circle. “I'm proud that I'm able to help people and save lives every day. It's a perfect fit.”