Posted on 06/08/2006 10:33:06 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT HUACHUCA — Hospitalized soldiers are generally focused on getting well.
Many of the soldiers wounded in action in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan know their careers in Army green will be over after they go through painful rehabilitation or additional surgeries. But the Wounded Warriors, as the Army calls them, don’t know their military value does not end with a disability discharge.
On Friday, a team from Fort Huachuca went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on a recruiting mission. They sought soldiers interested in working as civilians on post.
It was the first job fair specifically targeting wounded soldiers who are facing at least a 30 percent disability rating, said Col. Greg Rose, who led the team. The fort’s team also included retired Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Chunn and active duty Master Sgt. Anthony Torres.
The Training and Doctrine Command, of which the Intelligence Center is part, was given the mission of helping soldiers find possible civil service jobs once they are discharged.
Thirteen positions that were identified for conversion from military to civilian jobs were made available to the more than 200 soldiers who attended the job fair as part of the Wounded Warrior Program, said Rose, the Intelligence Center’s deputy commander for training.
The Army has always supported its soldiers, he said. The program is designed to provide additional assistance for GIs to go from the uniform to civilian clothing while continuing to serve the nation.
“The Army is saying we have a place for them to continue their service to the nation,” Rose said. “We’ve spent an X amount of dollars on them and an X amount of years with them and we still need them.”
To let go of the experience such soldiers have would not be right, the colonel said.
The Army’s mission is to ensure soldiers are taken care of.
Soldiers who have been wounded in combat always wonder if they will be a useful part of society.
The answer is yes, Rose said.
The Army also has the answer to the wounded soldier’s question of “What do I do?”
Before going to Washington, D.C., the post team gathered information of what type jobs were available and obtained information from the Greater Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce about the community.
The Intelligence Center team also took information about employment opportunities for a soldier’s spouse.
“We pitched Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista,” he said.
He and the other team members found out many soldiers were not looking into the distant future about what faced them when they were discharged.
Their immediate focus was on getting better medically.
It hasn’t sunk in for some that they may not be physically able to continue in service, although the Army works with soldiers who want to remain in uniform if they can do some jobs, Rose said.
Some soldiers who went through the job fair expressed they were interested in staying in the Army.
There is a possibility they could be assigned to the fort, and their names were provided to the center’s Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin Saunders, the colonel said.
The first job fair was a learning experience those offering jobs and those seeking them.
Two civilian personnel specialists were assigned to the post team, only one of two installations to have requested such support, Rose said.
Once a soldier expressed an interest in a possible job on the fort, the civilian personnel specialists took them through the application process, Rose remarked.
Of the 13 possible jobs at the Intelligence Center, five people were offered employment, he said.
The center’s positions range in grade from GS-5 to GS-9, and they include training, operations, supply and instructor development.
Two hires were women and three men, ranging in rank from sergeant to major.
“It’s a way for them to get their foot in the door,” he said.
One of the women made a cell phone call from the center’s booth and excitingly told her mother, “I’m going to Fort Huachuca,” Rose said.
But the soldier first must complete her medical evaluation and be discharged.
Of the five offered employment, all suffered major wounds, many from improvised explosive devices, Rose said.
None had lost a limb.
The lessons learned from the job fair include working with hospital administrators to ensure resum/s are prepared, he said.
As part of any future job fairs — three more are scheduled this year — there will be resum/ writing courses.
There is a potential to expand the program beyond TRADOC functions, Rose said.
As an example he said he sees no reason other units on Fort Huachuca cannot participate in a future job fair looking for Wounded Warriors to fill military positions being converted to civilian jobs.
The Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, Joint Interoperability Test Command and other agencies may be interested in the program.
If so, they will have to send representatives to talk about what they have available.
The process also needs to be streamlined, with direct computer access back to an installation instead of using phones, the colonel said.
Rose sees the mission of the Wounded Warrior Program as another way of helping those who have served in combat, showing them they are appreciated and needed.
“It keeps them on active duty, in civilian clothing,” he said.
herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.
Working for Wounded Warriors
What a great program
yyyyYYYYAAAAAWWWWNNNNN!!!! Time for me to sign off. Good Nite and God Bless.
Cheerio
GS-5 to GS-9?! I'd have to move into a doghouse if I had to live on those wages.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.