A LIFE DEDICATED TO SERVICE

Strong patriotic values. A desire to serve. A fascination with cars. And love for the Maize & Blue. For Marty Mieras, ‘22M, these principles were instilled in him from an early age. The Grand Rapids native was born into a military family – his father was in the U.S. Coast Guard, his stepdad served in the U.S. Navy, and a host of uncles were also military men. “The Fourth of July really meant something besides hot dogs and fireworks growing up,” Mieras recalled.

Mieras moved to Ohio when he was seven, but the highlight of his childhood summers was visiting Uncle Richard back in Michigan. His uncle, who served in the Navy, was a car buff, racing Austin Healy’s and tinkering in the garage, always with a cigar in hand. The young Mieras was fascinated, playing out his vehicular dreams with Hot Wheels while his uncle worked on the British imports. As summer turned to fall, Saturdays were for University of Michigan football – even in Ohio. He owes this passion for U-M to another uncle, Ted Ploughman, ‘54, ‘58M, ‘68PhD. Ploughman, a U.S. Army veteran, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering and a doctorate in education from UM-Ann Arbor.

Equipped with a military, mechanical and U-M legacy, Mieras has built a life of excellence in these areas and more. His 34-year career with the Army saw him retire as a command sergeant major, having served in numerous overseas operations and earning a litany of commendations, including the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. He fulfilled his U-M aspirations in 2022, when he graduated from UMFlint with a master’s degree in liberal studies in American culture. His penchant for automobiles has resulted in international recognition thanks to his fleet of Ford Mustang pace cars, the largest collection of its kind in the world.

Mieras has woven a distinct commitment to service in each of his diverse pursuits. That mindset persists in his current role as the military program specialist with the U.S. Postal Service, a position that allows Mieras to continue his advocacy for service members and veterans, which is one of the Postal Service’s major goals and objectives in its Delivering for America Ten-Year Plan. Who could have guessed such a storied career would begin courtesy of a Bill Murray movie?

From Skipping Class to Playing Sax

As a 17-year-old high school student, Mieras ditched class with friends to see “Stripes,” the 1981 comedy starring Murray and John Candy as fish-out-of-water Army recruits. The movie “wasn’t remotely related to actual military life,” but Mieras found inspiration from the tanks that were on screen nonetheless. As the end credits rolled, Mieras headed directly from the movie theater to the recruiting station. After completing basic training at Fort McLellan in Alabama, he underwent advanced individual training to become forward armor support at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

A few years later, Mieras was on his way to a tank unit stationed in Germany when he came upon an Army band rehearsal. When word got out he had played saxophone in high school, Mieras was promptly asked to prove it.

And just like that, he never made it to the tank unit. Mieras was reassigned to the band, spending four years performing across the world at events like D-Day anniversary ceremonies in Normandy, France. Mieras says he was one of the last soldiers to join the band in such a manner, as prospective musicians would soon be required to attend the U.S. Army School of Music. Sudden reassignments to unexpected jobs would become a theme throughout his military career, but he was eager to take on new challenges.

“I’ve always found that if you are respectful, honest, and sincere with people, meaningful opportunities are going to come to you,” Mieras said. “Sometimes you have to be patient – more patient than you would like – but eventually good things happen if you have that foundation of integrity.”

Ann Arbor on 9/11

Mieras was volunteering at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post on a quiet Tuesday morning in 2001, filling out paperwork with the custodian for the company. Looking up at the TV, he saw the World Trade Center towers fall. Mieras asked what movie the custodian had put on. Then came the sinking realization that they were watching the news.

“I felt fear and anger. I wondered, ‘whose butt do I need to kick?’ I couldn’t believe it was happening,” Mieras recounted. “Then I jumped in the car and got on the phone.”

Mieras was now attached to the 406th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in Ann Arbor as the headquarters first sergeant, a role responsible for the security of the personnel and assets of the headquarters. Driving from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor, he literally rallied the troops, making calls to secure the building, set up the barricades, and prepare for combat.

“We were geared up, ready to go. Of course, we didn’t know what was going to happen, so we were prepared for anything,” Mieras said.

In the years following, Mieras helped to organize the Army’s first “in lieu of” company, taking 200 soldiers with various jobs and turning them into a truck unit. The 454th Transportation Company deployed to Iraq in 2005, and Mieras is proud to say they completed their mission and brought everyone home. Despite being promoted to sergeant major, Mieras accompanied his troops on a number of missions.

“I believed that if my soldiers were outside the wire facing the danger, I needed to be with them. I couldn’t go on every mission because of my operational duties, but I rode with the troopers in combat convoys,” said Mieras. “I believed in my soldiers. If you believe in your troopers, they believe in you.”

College in a War Zone

Shortly after arriving in-country for Operation Iraqi Freedom (he had previously been deployed during Operation Desert Storm), a superior officer asked Mieras if he had earned a bachelor’s degree. He had not.

“That was the wrong answer,” Mieras joked. He was immediately enrolled in Davenport University’s strategic leadership program, studying with a satellite phone after 12-hour shifts coordinating unit operations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2007, boasting a 4.0 GPA while overseeing the efforts of 10 companies in Iraq. He continued on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Davenport in 2012.

Mieras may have had several college degrees under his belt, but they just weren’t University of Michigan degrees. So when friend and fellow Command Sergeant Major Mike Poll shared the positive experiences he was having with UM-Flint, the next steps were clear. Mieras enrolled in UM-Flint’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies in American Culture in 2019. He saw the program as an opportunity to round out his education and explore the complexities of the human experience, in contrast to the strictly defined balance sheets of an MBA. His thesis focused on the contributions of various subcultures to our society – an investigation that included the military as a subculture.

“The military is a non-democratic entity established to protect a democratic country. We protect ideals such as freedom of speech, but we often don’t have those same freedoms afforded to us,” Mieras explained. “I was willing to accept that because of my belief in those ideals, that someone has to uphold them.”

As his thesis deadline loomed closer, Mieras was grateful he could turn to an advisor for help. Doug Knerr, interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of history, was a constant source of guidance and reassurance – even giving Mieras his home phone number with instructions to call day or night if he needed support.

“We were true collaborators, and I learned so much from the way he approached his topic and from his experiences,” Knerr said. “His dedication and his passion fused perfectly in his research. I especially enjoyed meeting him at commencement after all our virtual interactions.”

The Student Veterans Resource Center (SVRC) was another support system for Mieras during his time with UM-Flint. He celebrated with fellow veterans in a dedicated military graduation ceremony, and he praises SVRC for providing him with a ready-made community, stating that “they really made me feel like I was supposed to be here. It was almost like, ‘what took you so long to walk through the door?’”

Helen Budd, SVRC program manager, heard from Mieras a few months after he graduated. “He was excited to inform me that he had obtained a promotion within the Postal Service as a result of his U-M degree and the work he has accomplished. It has been an honor to assist him during his program and I hope we will remain in touch in the future.”

Continuing the Mission

Throughout his time in the Army, Mieras advocated for his soldiers and their families with a servant-leader mentality and willingness to help in whatever scenario he found himself. That commitment continues post-Army retirement as he is now the military programs specialist for the Postal Service, representing nearly 88,000 veterans employed by the organization. He hosts regular roundtable discussions covering a variety of veterans' issues – the next event will focus on veteran suicide prevention.

When asked what readers should know about the Postal Service’s programs geared toward military veteran employees, Mieras said, “Our employees, and military veteran employees, are our greatest assets, and our success depends on investing in their futures. One of our Delivering for America Ten-Year Plan objectives is to invest efforts to promote retention and career development of our military veteran employees. I really enjoy working on initiatives designed to improve engagement with them, strengthen their employee experience, and their opportunities for growth, advancement and promotion.”

Mieras has been affiliated with the Postal Service since 1998 and was the vehicle maintenance facility supervisor for West Michigan before taking on his current role in May 2022. He believes having a U-M degree played no small part in his successful transition to military program specialist.

“I’m having an interview with folks from Washington, D.C., and my future boss must have said several times, ‘You’re a graduate from the University of Michigan!’”

And that Mustang pace car collection? There’s no doubt he maintains his lifelong passion for the love of the cars. His Mustangs are multiple time Concours d’ Elegance, aka competition of excellence, winners and he has restored a few classic Buicks for good measure. But Mieras also manages to do good with his hobby. As president of the West Michigan Mustang Club, he hosts on-site car shows at nursing homes, participates in community parades and more. As a committee member for the Arthritis Foundation, he organizes fundraisers for childhood arthritis.

“My cars have allowed me to give back to our community and to share my personal successes with the country,” he said.

Mieras is now working toward a doctorate in strategic leadership from Liberty University, admitting that he is “running out of wall space for (his) college diplomas.” Even with such considerable experience in higher education – studying while at war included – one degree stands out from the rest.

“Putting aside the fact that a U-M degree enhances your career prospects, it feels so good to be a graduate of the University of Michigan. I tell all my friends now, I’m