November 11, 2022
By Ian Sargent

Nick Gawdun, a senior IT support professional in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, comes from a big family; he’s one of seven children and grew up in the American heartland of Topeka, Kansas. He’s also a part of an even larger family of service members enlisted in the nation’s Armed Forces. Like many military personnel, Gawdun selflessly sees Veteran’s Day as a time to reflect on the effort and sacrifice of others.

“It’s a great day,” Gawdun said. “Especially for those that served before me; they did a lot more than me so it's a great day for them.”

Gawdun says his friends will often remind him that he is well deserving of the thanks he gets.

“Some of the guys will bring that up frequently. Like, you're gone all the time away from your family, away from here. You're doing a lot more than you think.”

Despite being coy about his military contributions, the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the elite branch Gawdun has served in for 14 years, recently honored his dedication with a promotion to Gunnery Sergeant, a rank given to those exhibiting exceptional leadership within a unit or company. Gawdun is an IT specialist with the USMC and trains other members in rapidly deploying and operating specialized telecommunications equipment.

Though he’s an instructor with the Marines, at the Woodruff School, Gawdun is the youngest member of the IT team. He’s been with IT for six years and has seen it expand and grow into a tight-knit group of technical experts.

“We have a great team and they're all very knowledgeable. If I don't know something, that's not a problem to go to anybody for any questions.”

During his time in the Corps, Gawdun has traveled to ten different countries, from Central America to East Asia, and feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to both serve and experience diverse cultures.

Now a reservist, Gawdun’s deployments mean spending weeks away from his family at a time, so he enjoys taking Veteran’s Day off to spend time with his wife and two “wild little boys.”

“My kids are both in karate and I absolutely love it,” Gawdun said. "They’re enjoying it and it's fun, so I love seeing them do that and they're getting scary good at it.”

Outside of work, Gawdun enjoys learning to cook and riding his motorcycle. He plans to stay with the Marine Corps for at least six more years, giving him two decades of service, but he also won’t count out staying on longer.

“I'm sure I'll end up staying another year or two over,” he said. “We'll see what happens.”

The Woodruff School is sincerely thankful to Nick and all current and former service members who, despite the risk and sacrifice, chose to serve and defend the nation.

Georgia Tech recently announced plans for The Veterans Walk of Honor, which will be located outside the Veterans Resource Center (VRC), and will honor all Georgia Tech alumni, students, and staff who have served in the U.S. armed forces. The walkway leading to the VRC will feature granite inlays and mounted wall plaques recognizing the six branches of the military.