U.S. veteran returns to Xerox

U.S. veteran returns to Xerox after four-year tour of duty in Iraq

For the past six years, one of our very own Xerox colleagues, Colonel Christian Klinefelter has been serving in the U.S. Army. Last week, he came back to Xerox as a product specialist, and received a warm welcome from his team in the Ohio Valley/Michigan CBU.

“We’re honored to have Christian back on board with us,” said Brian Leedy, vice president for Ohio/ Michigan CBU. “While risking his life to serve and protect our country, he learned many new ways to work with people, and is a real asset to his peers and the company.”

When Colonel Klinefelter was mobilized in January 2003 to train U.S. troops for battle, he didn’t hesitate. Generations of his family fought in active battles – his father was a World War II tank company commander, his grandfather served in World War I, that man’s grandfather served in the Civil War and one of his great grandfathers served in the Revolutionary War. While Colonel Klinefelter was commissioned when he was 21, he was never presented with the opportunity to serve in battle until the Iraq war.

Following his two-year, U.S.-based training mission, Colonel Klinefelter was deployed to Iraq. He spent four years in a variety of influential roles from training 3,000 Iraqi soldiers and deploying them into the Battle of Fallujah, to being a key leader with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Baghdad managing $15 billion of Iraqi reconstruction projects.

“Overall, it is good to be home. I am looking forward to taking the skills I developed in the field and using them in my new role,” said Colonel Klinefelter. “I’ve interacted with people from so many backgrounds and held various training and advisor positions in Iraq. This will help me better understand and work with team members and clients. Having a world view on foreign affairs and the global business climate will also allow me to better counsel customers on how Xerox can position their company for success.”

Colonel Klinefelter has been honored with two Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, a Bronze deFleury Medal, and a Legion of Merit. For the servicemen and women still serving, Colonel Klinefelter says his thoughts are with them and that he’s proud of their ongoing dedication to serving the country.

He has been married to Katherine for 33 years and has four children that are 18, 20, 24 and 26 years old. His youngest son, Christian, is hoping to carry on the family tradition of serving in the U.S. military by joining the Army ROTC program at University of Toledo this fall.