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Jason Keilers
From serving overseas with the Army to being a paint-by-numbers cake decorator to working his favorite shift — the night shift — as a coach at Walmart, Dublin graduate Jason Keilers has had a colorful career. Now, he’s living in Idaho, enjoying a steady job and the freedom to relax on his off time.
Keilers graduated from Dublin in 2000 and worked for a year at David’s Supermarket to save up some money to go to college. He applied for and got a scholarship to Tarleton in 2001, and began studying business.
“Then the 9/11 attacks happened, as I was coming out of one of my business classes,” Keilers said. In the aftermath, Keilers wanted to help in some way.
“We didn’t have anybody in the family that was military, but my brother called me up to talk about enlisting,” Keilers said (his younger brother) Derrick, graduated from Dublin in 2001. “Both of us decided that it would be a good thing, so that’s what we ended up doing.”
Both brothers joined the Army, although they never served in the same place. After basic training, Keilers’ brother was sent (where?), and Keilers was sent to Germany. For a while he worked on various assignments here and there.
“We would have different missions,” he said. “One time I got to drive Officers to the Conference of European armies, mainly due the fact that I was one of the few that knew how to drive a stick shift. So that’s when I started seeing the VIPs, like the generals. And after that I got invited to become a driver for the secretary of general staff section.”
This meant he was constantly surrounded by people like the Commanding General and other highranking officers. “I got to meet a lot of really impressive people with a whole lot of diverse backgrounds and motivation,” he said.
During his time in Germany, Keilers had the opportunity to visit 17 different countries as part of temporary duty assignments. When he had time off, he always made it a priority to make new recruits feel at home in their unfamiliar environment.
“That first initial period away, you spend a lot of time missing home,” he said. “So a group of us got together and for any new barracks mates, we would take them out and get them accustomed to the local community and teach them things they might need to know, like how to order [food] or how to get help if needed.”
Keilers and his friends would let the new soldiers use their telephone minutes and find places to take them to get them acclimated to their new location. “We wanted to help them realize that their family is going to be here, and they’ve got this unique opportunity of being in a new country, widening their horizons,” he said.
After over four years in Germany, Keilers decided he wanted to go back to college; so when his time there was up, he headed home and wrapped up his business degree back at Tarleton, with an added minor in military science.
When he got out of college in 2006, jobs were scarce. He decided to apply at the Walmart in Stephenville. His grandparents and his father had all worked there at one time or another, and Keilers’ retail experience working at Davids made him a good candidate for a job in the store.
“I went to work with Walmart as a part-time candy stocker, the only position they had available at the time,” he said. “I remember talking to the store manager about the position, I said ‘I know this is the only open position you have right now, but if the opportunity comes I want to move up and progress in my career.’”
This motivation — plus the skills that he learned in his business degree — soon helped Keilers take on more responsibility. He began helping with store planning, and soon moved up to the department manager position at the Walmart bakery. “That was interesting, being colorblind,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to decorate cakes without knowing what colors they are.”
But Keilers fellow employees were able to help him out. “The ladies there actually numbered all the bottles of color spray and icing, took aside all the cake designs and made them into paint-by-numbers so that I could actually decorate,” he said. “It was awesome of them to take that time to help me, and in the process I learned a lot of stuff about baking. You never know what skills you’ll need in life, but adaptability is always key.” Next Keilers transferred away from the Stephenville Walmart to a position in Graham, Texas, and then transferred again to another in Colorado. While he was in Colorado, Keilers began dating Crystal, one of his online friends who he would often play the game Destiny with on Xbox. “We just gamed all the time and pretty soon I was making road trips up to Idaho, where she lived” he said. “It was a 21-hour drive, and I guess that showed how much dedication I had.” Soon Keilers moved up to live with her, and found a job at a Walmart in Post Falls in a new position called a coach. “They’re basically the third in the chain of command of the stores,” Keilers said. “You have your store manager, your store lead, and then you have your coaches.”
Keilers is the only overnight coach at his location. “I love the night shift,” he said. “Usually, it’s an indication of your strengths.”
In the future, he plans to keep working at Walmart. “Walmart being as big as it is, it is actually a really good company that I can move forward with in the future,” he said. “And it’s one of those essential jobs, especially at this time, that really comes to the forefront because no matter what’s going on, everybody’s going to need what Walmart has.”
During the pandemic, Keilers has enjoyed being able to help keep the store running and open for people to find some sense of security and normalcy. “It’s a tough time right now,” he said. “But at least you know we’re still in business, we’re still going to keep on doing what we can for everybody, and to make sure that we keep on serving our customers.”
When Keilers is not at work, he enjoys woodworking and reading in a wide range of genres. He also enjoys gaming with his girlfriend.
Living so far away, he does not get to visit home often, but has fond memories of Dublin. “[My friends and I] used to hang out all the time, go out to the different farms, go down to Old Doc’s Soda Shop or the square or go do some target practice in the woods.”
Keilers also remembers spending time with his grandparents, Jim and Jean Keilers. “My grandfather and grandmother were just the epitome of family love,” he said. “They were always so supportive of each other. They had been together for years upon years until she had passed away. That was my goal to find that kind of care and love they had for each other.”
Throughout his life, Keilers has had his share of struggles; after leaving the military, he dealt with a drinking problem. “I lost a bit of my path and managed to claw my way back out,” he said. “It was just a battle with myself. And I’m not ashamed of it — my past is my past, it’s helped me become who I am today. If we don’t embrace the past, we don’t learn from it.”
Now, he’s grateful for everything he’s been through, both good and bad, and appreciates the help he’s gotten along the way. “I’ve done what I wanted to do,” he said. “I got to visit other countries, see the world and be a part of it, rise through the ranks in my career, and I’ll keep on going. I’ll keep on striving for more and better. And having a family beside me no matter where I am supporting me from every single direction has been a godsend.”
Keilers’ advice to Dublin graduates is to strive to be the best version of themselves. “A lot of people that I’ve encountered wanted the best of everything, but they weren’t willing to put in the effort to be the best, so they got surpassed by those that had that drive and determination,” he said. “That drive and determination is what will set you apart.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other graduates, email publisher@ dublincitizen.com.