The SkillBridge advantage: A Marine’s next mission
FORT WORTH, Texas – June 29, 2026 – When Zach Curran retired from the Marine Corps after 22 years of service, he wasn’t worried about hard work.
He had enlisted at 17, deployed to Iraq at 18, served as a helicopter crewman supporting combat and medical evacuation missions, trained future Marines as a drill instructor, supported presidential aviation operations at Marine Helicopter Squadron One and later helped shape digital interoperability requirements for the Marine Corps.
Hard work was familiar. Starting over wasn’t.
“Taking off the uniform is scary,” Curran said. “It’s part of your identity. You hang it up in the closet, and suddenly you have to figure out what’s next.”
For many service members, that uncertainty begins long before retirement. The military provides a clear mission, a structured path and a strong sense of purpose. Leaving that behind can feel like stepping into the unknown.
Even for someone with Curran’s experience. Despite earning prestigious recognitions throughout his career – including Marine Corps Drill Instructor of the Year and White House Military Officer of the Year – he quickly discovered that military accomplishments alone do not guarantee a civilian career.
“A lot of people think you take off the uniform, put on a polo shirt and walk right into a job,” he said. “That wasn’t my experience.”
So, Curran approached his transition the same way he approached every challenge in the Marines: with a plan.
He attended veteran networking events, earned his Project Management Professional certification, completed graduate studies and researched potential employers. In his office, he built a board of companies based on a simple question: Who are the people I would want to work with again?
“I went through years of emails and wrote down the names of companies where I had worked with people I respected,” he said. “StraCon kept showing up. What stood out wasn’t just the work. It was the people.”
When unexpected legal and administrative delays pushed back his retirement timeline by nearly a year, many opportunities could have disappeared. Instead, Doug Mederos, StraCon’s Chief Customer Officer, stayed in touch. Rather than moving on to another candidate, Mederos partnered with Curran and the StraCon team to establish the company’s first Department of War SkillBridge program, creating a pathway for him to begin his transition before officially leaving active duty.
The effort was no small undertaking. While many organizations take months – or even more than a year – to establish a SkillBridge program, StraCon successfully navigated the process in just a few months. That commitment left an impression.
“That meant a lot to me,” Curran said. “They were willing to take a chance on me, and they stayed committed even when my timeline changed. That told me everything I needed to know about the company.”
As StraCon’s first SkillBridge participant, Curran spent three months learning the business from the inside. He studied company processes, read employee guides and program documentation, learned the language of government contracting and prepared for the responsibilities of managing a large workforce supporting NAVAIR’s program office for Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems PMA-266.
Most importantly, he learned without the pressure of being expected to know everything on day one.
The experience reinforced what Curran believes is one of SkillBridge’s greatest strengths: it gives service members the opportunity to learn while reducing the uncertainty that often comes with transition.
For employers, the program offers a chance to evaluate talented professionals before making a hiring decision. For service members, it provides something equally valuable – confidence.
“It gives you hope,” Curran said. “You start to see what your future could look like.”
Today, that future includes a role as Program Manager at StraCon, where he continues doing what he has always done: solving problems, leading teams and learning something new every day.
But there is one major difference.
For much of his military career, deployments, training schedules and long hours meant missing birthdays, milestones and family moments. His wife carried much of that burden while raising four children through multiple deployments and duty assignments. Now, for the first time in a long time, he is discovering what work-life balance looks like after more than two decades in uniform.
For Curran, SkillBridge was more than a transition program. It was an opportunity to begin a new chapter with the same sense of purpose that defined the last one.
And for StraCon, it proved something equally important: some of the strongest talent isn’t simply looking for a job after military service. They’re looking for a place where they can continue to serve, grow and belong.
About StraCon
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, StraCon Services Group, LLC is an ISO 9001:2015 and CMMC certified small business supporting U.S. military aviation and defense programs. A trusted provider of support to NAVAIR and other government organizations, StraCon delivers mission-focused solutions across several core capabilities: digital engineering and product life cycle management, foreign military sales, program management, financial management, unmanned systems, strategic communications, logistics, training, and engineering support. Guided by its commitment to excellence in execution, StraCon provides integrated expertise that enhances operational effectiveness across the defense community.