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HomeNewsOperation Warfighter Internship program helps bridge gap for transitioning warriors

Operation Warfighter Internship program helps bridge gap for transitioning warriors

Written by David E. Gillespie
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital

Blanchfield Army Hospital - BACH - Fort Campbell KYFort Campbell, KY – Easing the employment transition for Fort Campbell’s wounded, ill and injured recovering Service members, Operation Warfighter (OWF) hosted its quarterly career fair at the Soldier and Family Assistance Center Wednesday, allowing Soldiers to meet face-to-face with more than a dozen federal agencies with internship opportunities.

As a federal internship program, Operation Warfighter provides opportunities for Service members to augment their employment readiness by building their resumes, exploring employment interests, obtaining formal and on-the-job training, and gaining valuable Federal government work experience that helps prepare them for the future.

Staff Sgt. Shirley Clingan, a Soldier at Fort Campbell's Warrior Transition Battalion, discusses internship opportunities with Defense Finance and Accounting Service during Operation Warfighter's quarterly career fair at the Soldier and Family Assistance Center Nov. 19. (U.S. Army photo by David E. Gillespie)
Staff Sgt. Shirley Clingan, a Soldier at Fort Campbell’s Warrior Transition Battalion, discusses internship opportunities with Defense Finance and Accounting Service during Operation Warfighter’s quarterly career fair at the Soldier and Family Assistance Center Nov. 19. (U.S. Army photo by David E. Gillespie)

The program helps align Soldiers’ abilities and interests with internship opportunities, and then ensures placement does not negatively impact their medical needs.

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and the Wounded Warrior Project were among the agencies at Wednesday’s event.

The OWF program is not an employment agency, but provides an important step to bridge the gap between military service and civilian employment, explained Ned Hall, the OWF coordinator for the Midwest Region. “For wounded, ill and injured Service members, that means they can build skills, training and networking, while still in the Army and still taking care of their medical appointments and other requirements.”

It can be a stressful time as you prepare to hang up the uniform and enter a new career, Hall explained. “This program confirms for these Service members that the skills they learned in the military are transferable to a civilian job. For those who return to duty in their healing process, the internships can give them additional training, certifications and experience that can make them even more valuable to their unit.”

The program has produced many success stories, Hall said, pointing out specific examples passing through the doors at the career fair. “Since June, we have had more than 150 Soldiers express interest and about 50 of those followed through all the way to being placed in internships. Of those, we have had some find permanent employment either with the agency where they interned, or from the networking, training and experience they gained from the internship.”

Henry Mare is one of those success stories. Until last week, he was Spc. Henry Mare, an electronics technician who sustained multiple injuries during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Just last March, I began the medical board process and heard about the internship program,” Mare said. “I followed up with the OWF coordinator, got an internship and now a job. Last Wednesday, I was released from service. Monday I continued as an intern. Now, we expect an official start date to be December 3rd.”

Mare, who resides in Clarksville with his wife and four-year-old son, was accepted as an intern at the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Electronic Service Section at Old Hickory Dam. He said the experience eased the stress of his transition from the start. “When I first got there, everybody there really took me in. They briefed me on everything and showed me around. They really made me a part of the team. They took care of me from day one and still are taking care of me.”

Like any opportunity worthwhile, nothing is just handed to you, Mare cautioned. “You really have to take initiative and always follow up. But the opportunity is there. Just use what they teach you in the military and apply it to any job. Simple things like discipline, values, being on time – it should be ingrained in everything you do.”

Nationwide, Operation Warfighter has placed more than 2,500 Service members in internships with more than 105 different Federal agencies. About 15 percent of interns have transitioned into Federal jobs after participating in the OWF program, according to the Office of Warrior Care Policy web site.

For more information on the OWF program, contact the Fort Campbell office at 270.798.3151.

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