MalahatTwo7
12-16-2005, 10:53 AM
Always A Soldier Finds Ways For Wounded Vets To Serve
Jobs Program Keeps Wounded Vets Working In Army
UPDATED: 12:52 pm EST December 15, 2005
FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- A new program is finding jobs for soldiers wounded in combat who can't fight anymore but still want to serve their country.
Steve Clark works at the headquarters of the Army Materials Command at Fort Belvoir. His job is to get U.S. soldiers fighting overseas what they need when they need it. Though he's no longer a soldier, he understands how important his job is because he is a combat veteran.
"I was in Baghdad," Clark said. "I was a 50-cal gunner in a Humvee, and just like you see on the news too often, there was a roadside bomb, and that explosion, the shrapnel hit me, and it devastated my arm, which had to be amputated."
Because the military career he'd planned was no longer an option, Clark had to look for other work. He was hired by Always A Soldier, a program with the goal of finding jobs for wounded veterans in the Materials Command.
"There's everything from welding jobs and putting Humvees together to administrative jobs and working behind a computer and in an office," Clark said.
Andre Parris works in the chaplains office at Fort Belvoir. He suffered shrapnel wounds from when a mortar exploded next to his Humvee south of Baghdad last December.
"It was hard when I came back, because a lot of people weren't really looking to hire," he said. "I think it's really hard for soldiers, when they're now coming back, to get a new job."
Clark thinks Always A Soldier employees bring something extra on their resume.
"When you're trying to put together an agile, fast army, the decisions that a wounded combat veteran would make are different than someone who lacks that experience," he said.
Clark said he would like to see the program expanded to every branch of the service.
Copyright 2005 by www.nbc4.com.
Jobs Program Keeps Wounded Vets Working In Army
UPDATED: 12:52 pm EST December 15, 2005
FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- A new program is finding jobs for soldiers wounded in combat who can't fight anymore but still want to serve their country.
Steve Clark works at the headquarters of the Army Materials Command at Fort Belvoir. His job is to get U.S. soldiers fighting overseas what they need when they need it. Though he's no longer a soldier, he understands how important his job is because he is a combat veteran.
"I was in Baghdad," Clark said. "I was a 50-cal gunner in a Humvee, and just like you see on the news too often, there was a roadside bomb, and that explosion, the shrapnel hit me, and it devastated my arm, which had to be amputated."
Because the military career he'd planned was no longer an option, Clark had to look for other work. He was hired by Always A Soldier, a program with the goal of finding jobs for wounded veterans in the Materials Command.
"There's everything from welding jobs and putting Humvees together to administrative jobs and working behind a computer and in an office," Clark said.
Andre Parris works in the chaplains office at Fort Belvoir. He suffered shrapnel wounds from when a mortar exploded next to his Humvee south of Baghdad last December.
"It was hard when I came back, because a lot of people weren't really looking to hire," he said. "I think it's really hard for soldiers, when they're now coming back, to get a new job."
Clark thinks Always A Soldier employees bring something extra on their resume.
"When you're trying to put together an agile, fast army, the decisions that a wounded combat veteran would make are different than someone who lacks that experience," he said.
Clark said he would like to see the program expanded to every branch of the service.
Copyright 2005 by www.nbc4.com.