My name is Marty Mieras and I’m the Postal Service’s military programs specialist.
My job is to build relationships with military and veterans organizations to recruit top talent to the Postal Service and to keep our current veteran employees informed. We employ more than 72,000 veterans — that’s over 10 percent of our workforce.
My position is possibly the only one in the Postal Service that requires previous service in the military. It’s important that the person in this role have the inside knowledge and experience to be able to talk to former service members on their level.
I’m from a service family. My dad and uncles were all in the Navy and Coast Guard, so I’m kind of the black sheep — driving a tank in the Army just sounded like more fun to me.
I joined the Postal Service in 1998 after leaving active duty but was called back into service after 9/11. In 2015, I retired from the Army as a command sergeant major before returning to USPS. I’ve been in my current role since 2022.
There’s never a typical day in my line of work, but I usually begin my morning going through our military email account inbox. The comments and questions I get run the gamut — people ask everything from how to apply for Wounded Warriors Leave to how to navigate eCareer.
One of my most recent projects was the January veterans roundtable discussion. We had speakers from several veterans organizations explain the benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs and how our employees can access them.
I also work on the Mail Call newsletter for veterans, and our Veterans Day and Military Appreciation Month programs. There’s always a project.
I still see myself as a sergeant major keeping my troops informed. I take a lot of pride in being an advocate for my brothers and sisters in arms, and I love what I do.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
