USO News

Returning Warriors Benefit from Hire Heroes USA Workshop

Thursday, August 25, 2011

By Joseph Andrew Lee 

“At what point do I disclose that I’m partially blind?” asked Army Sgt. Maj. Karen Bolden.

The classroom – full of wounded transitioning troops – fell silent. Every head turned to Michelle Saunders, director of veteran relations for Hire Heroes USA, for the answer.

“An interesting and complicated question,” Saunders said. “Not necessarily something you have to disclose during a job interview, and you should understand why.”

Saunders went on to explain the laws in place to protect people with disabilities – particularly veterans – during the hiring process. And during difficult economic times, making unnecessary disclosures could cost an applicant the job they need and deserve.

A wounded veteran herself, Saunders takes a personal approach to the Hire Heroes USA mission. When she left the service, she assumed the military would take care of her just as they always had. Once separated, however, she had a hard time understanding, much less articulating, her value as an employee.

Too proud to ask for help, she wound up jobless and eventually homeless.

“That shouldn’t happen,” she said. “Just like the military wants well-trained soldiers, I want well trained veterans who are ready for the transition process. I want each veteran to build a comprehensive plan so that when they exit the military they are as ready as possible.”

Lt. Col. Donnie Coleman, a 27-year Army veteran, hadn’t thought much about her transition until Michael Hartzell, USO Hospital Services Coordinator at Ft. Belvoir, Va., personally invited her to attend the two-day Wounded Warrior Transition Workshop.

The workshop is a collaboration between the USO and Hire Heroes USA to provide complimentary transition support to wounded, ill and injured service members as they transition from military hospitals into the civilian world.

As a reservist, Coleman admitted that she may have it “a bit easier than most,” having had some level of interaction with civilian employers where other soldiers have not.

“Their whole world has been nothing but the military,” Coleman said. “Now they’re wounded, all they know is the military and they have to go out and find a job. That’s a lot to take on – especially in this economy.”

Hire Heroes USA intends to build a new level of confidence in these transitioning troops by giving them two days of intensive workshops focused on strategic resume building and one-on-one interviewing skills. After all, many members of the military have never once interviewed for a job.

“They made me look at myself differently. I feel like I have assets and value that I didn’t know I had before,” said Coleman. “I feel like I have a new-found confidence in the process now that I have these tools. It’s tough … but as a wounded warrior I think programs like Hire Heroes and the other programs the USO and the [Warrior Transition Unit] are bringing to us, certainly give us a leg up.”

Support from Hire Heroes USA doesn’t end when the workshop concludes, either. Perhaps the greatest value comes when these troops get home. For as long as they are seeking civilian employment, Hire Heroes USA is just a phone call away.

“We are a lifeline for veterans like myself, who may not think they need help until it’s too late,” said Saunders. “Our staff stays current on everything a job-seeker might need to know so that we’re ready to help with whatever they need when they call.”

Everything Hire Heroes USA does in the workshops can be done remotely for any veteran seeking help: from fine-tuning a resume to setting up a mock interview over the phone. Distance is not an issue, and their services are always free of charge.

Hire Heroes USA clearly believes, as does the USO, that all veterans seeking civilian employment deserve every bit of help they can get. It’s a difficult transition – especially for the wounded – but according to Saunders, if American employers give veterans the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities, they won’t regret it.

Especially not if they’ve had the opportunity to attend a Hire Heroes USA workshop.