AAR Honors Veterans Day with 2025 Veteran of the Year Nicholas Gross

AAR CORP. celebrated Veterans Day on November 11, 2025, with an event honoring AAR Senior Vice President Integrated Solutions – Government Nicholas Gross for his designation as Veteran of the Year by Illinois Joining Forces.

Gross is an executive sponsor of AAR’s Veteran Resource Group, and he also leads the company’s government business.

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth also visited AAR’s headquarters to join the celebration and congratulate Gross on his honor.

Senator Duckworth has served on the U.S. Senate since 2016 and has also spent two terms representing Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Duckworth has military experience that includes:

• Serving in the Iraq War
• Receiving a Purple Heart
• Working as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Senator Duckworth started the celebration by meeting a group of veterans who work at AAR’s headquarters. Facilitated by AAR Chairman, President and CEO John Holmes, Duckworth also met with AAR’s larger workforce in a special chat. Here, she discussed her experiences in politics and the military, such as her dedication to veteran-focused support efforts.

“Senator Duckworth bravely served our Nation and continues to advocate for our Country’s heroes. We are honored to celebrate Veterans Day with her,” said Holmes.

He continued, “Veterans are an important part of AAR’s culture and enhance our efforts to support the warfighter across the globe. We congratulate Nick on being named 2025 Veteran of the Year.”

At 17-years old, Nicholas Gross enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at 17 years old, and he has continued to support military customers in all of his roles since transitioning to civilian life.

Illinois Joining Forces is a nonprofit organization that offers service members, veterans and their families ways to connect and navigate the services and resources they need.

In his acceptance speech, Gross shared, “Most transitioning veterans know it can be difficult to translate the skills learned in the military to a standard corporate job description. Fortunately, at every step along my career path, a leader saw something in me that I had not seen in myself.”

He added, “It has been my mission to try to offer others that same level of opportunity. I am proud of the fact that within the group that I have the privilege to lead at AAR, roughly 45% are veterans.”