Archive | Warrior Care Month | Warrior Transition Command

Research Key for Soldiers Finding Employment

Filed under Warrior Care Month by cmccarrie on November 14, 2012 at 10:20 am {no comments}

By Emily Anderson, WTC Stratcom

As employment for our wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers continues to be an important focus for Army leadership, these Soldiers and Veterans need to do their part by researching their chosen career field with resources available to assist with the job hunt.

It’s important that Soldiers start the Army Career and Alumni Program process as early as possible and take Transition Assistance Program workshops seriously. Soldiers who are serious about transitioning successfully into a civilian job or career should do the research and go the extra mile.

This can be a difficult choice for Soldiers who want to return to duty versus leave the military. However, they should have a plan b such as going to college or getting an extra certification. Employment experts also encourage Soldiers to consider their hobbies when considering job opportunities. What they enjoy doing is as important as their knowledge, skills, and professional abilities.

Experts also point out that Soldiers should make sure what they want to do will provide financially for their Family and take into consideration the cost of living and the salaries of different geographic locations. They recommend that Soldiers talk to their employment and education counselors and come in with a well thought-out plan and a willingness to try something new.

There are several career and education resources available. Soldiers and Veterans looking for additional assistance can visit:

Army Career & Alumni Program (ACAP) – ACAP helps Soldiers transitioning from military service make informed career decisions through benefits counseling and employment assistance. ACAP is responsible for delivering both transition assistance and employment assistance services. While the ACAP Center traditionally has been the principal service provider for these services, now those transitioning have the option to use the ACAP website to receive services from any location with Internet capability 24/7. https://www.acap.army.mil

Department of Labor – Each state’s Department of Labor employs Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) representatives and Local Veterans Employment (LVER) Representatives who work in the one Stop Career Centers. To find your local DVOP/LVER use the DVOP/LVER locator website. http://dvoplverlocator.nvti.ucdenver.edu

Hero 2 Hired – Hero2Hired (H2H) was created to make it easy for servicemembers to connect to and find jobs with military-friendly companies. H2H also offers career exploration tools, military-to-civilian skills translations, education and training resources, as well as a mobile app. Support for H2H is provided through the Department of Defense’s Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. https://h2h.jobs

U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command – Serves as the lead proponent for the U.S. Army’s Warrior Care and Transition Program. WTC ensures that non-clinical processes and programs that support wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers are integrated and optimized throughout the Army, and supports the Army’s commitment to the rehabilitation and successful transition of wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers back to active duty or to Veteran status. http://www.wtc.army.mil/

Warrior Games Assessment and Selection Clinics Underway

Filed under Adaptive Sports, Warrior Care Month, Warrior Games, Warrior Transition Command by cmccarrie on November 8, 2012 at 4:59 pm {no comments}

By Emily Anderson, WTC Stratcom

U.S. Army SSG Charles Baird, currently assigned to the Fort Belvoir Warrior Transition Unit, takes aim during the Army archery and sitting volleyball assessment and selection clinic for the 2013 Warrior Games.

The U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command Warrior Games assessment and selection clinics are currently being held throughout the United States to find the best athletes to represent the Army during the annual Warrior Games.

“The clinics are really good because it gives me a chance to get active and be a part of a team again,” said SGT Jeremy Bowser, currently assigned to B Company, Fort Drum Warrior Transition Unit. “I feel I’m getting involved and not just sitting around doing nothing. “

The first multi-sport clinic was held in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the last week of October and the second multi-sport clinic will take place November 4 – 9, 2012, at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Fort Belvoir clinic included specialized training in archery and sitting volleyball, and the Fort Bliss clinic will include cycling and swimming activities.

“Providing opportunities to compete and rebuild confidence in their abilities is the primary reason we’re holding these clinics, but we also want Soldiers and Veterans to try the different reconditioning activities.” said LTC Keith Williams, Adaptive Reconditioning Branch Chief, Warrior Transition Command. “This is the athletes chance to see if there’s another sport they would really enjoy doing.”

“Bringing awareness to the different types of activities available is the one of the reasons we host clinics and camps on military bases or highly populated military areas,” Williams added. “Our primary camps and clinics focus on holistically reconditioning our Soldiers in each of the six Comprehensive Transition Plan domains.”

Since 2010, nearly 200 wounded, ill, and injured servicemembers and Veterans competed annually at Warrior Games, a unique partnership between the Department of Defense and U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program. Warrior Games’ athletes compete in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, swimming, cycling, track and field, archery, and competitive shooting. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the athletes or team members who place first, second, or third in their events respectively.

“It’ll be exciting if I make the team because I’ve never done a competition like this before,” said SSG Charles Baird, currently assigned to A Company, Fort Belvoir Warrior Transition Unit. “This is a new experience, and it will be a great honor to take part in something like this which not everyone is able to do.”

Although Baird is competing for a position on the Army’s archery team, he decided to look into the other Warrior Games sports for a chance to secure a spot on the team.

“Participating in these clinics is very therapeutic and helps take my mind off of other things.” Baird said. “I’ve played wheelchair basketball before, but I will have to learn how to swim because if I don’t make the team this year I’ll have an extra advantage for next year’s team.”

Last year the Army dominated in several events, winning more than sixty medals, and 2013 Warrior Games looks to be no different.

“After watching the competitors during the clinic and the feedback I’m getting from the field, I have no doubt the Army’s team will be a reckoning force during the 2013 Warrior Games,” Williams said.

Duty with Fort Hood WTB – An Incredible Journey for Former Commander

Filed under General, Warrior Care Month, Warrior Transition Command by cmccarrie on November 5, 2012 at 5:13 pm {no comments}

U.S. Army MAJ Jason Good of the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade.

By Major Jason “Jay” Good, Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade
I am honored to recognize Warrior Care Month by sharing a snapshot of my experience as cadre in a Warrior Transition Unit. I had the distinct privilege of working for the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) since January of 2008 when I was first activated as an Army reservist.

What an amazing journey and life-changing trek! Since I started here, I commanded more than 700 Soldiers in transition, and served with numerous cadre and civilian staff members. It’s been both an honor and a privilege.

I knew within a month of arriving at this newly formed organization that this assignment was going to be special.

I began my journey here as a company commander. From there, I moved on to battalion executive officer, and later, to battalion commander. In 2011, I stood up our pilot remote care program, and here I am in 2012, the Brigade S3—the last duty assignment of my Army career.

I developed personal relationships with everyone, and truly became a life coach to those that I served. With that, I had to expose myself in a way that allowed others to see me as a human, a man behind the uniform with similar life challenges.

I shared my own stories of failures and accomplishments, mental and physical battles, and the internal desire to overcome and achieve on the path to recovery. Whatever medical or personal issue we faced, I had to be part of the treatment plan, which was a real commitment to the journey, not just in words, but in a partnership that could be visualized through action. Embracing this commitment allowed me to see my role in a different light.

During this five-year journey, I shed many tears of sorrow from the countless memorials of Soldiers lives taken too early. Whether it was terminal cancer, addiction, or sudden tragedy, the impact was the same. My heart ached for the staff, friends and Family left behind who worked diligently as a team to surround the Soldier with “care and compassion.”

I also shared in many personal moments of joy, watching Soldiers in transition accomplish something great through the belief that anything is possible on the way to healing. This journey allowed me to be a part of the inaugural Warrior Games, bike over 400 miles with Ride 2 Recovery, participate in the Bataan Memorial Death March, build a relationship with the USO, forge a partnership with our community adaptive sports, develop resiliency opportunities for cadre, and become a role model for my peers.

As I pack my bags and move on to retirement, I will be forever thankful that I was given the privilege to serve those in need who committed themselves to a greater cause.

As my military journey ends and I, too, transitioning, will have many memories of my time with the WTB. I gained lifelong friends in the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade by simply being myself and sharing in the human spirit.

Education and Employment Focus for 2012 Warrior Care Month

Filed under General, Warrior Care Month, WTC Commander by cmccarrie on November 1, 2012 at 3:36 pm {no comments}

BG David J. Bishop, Commander, Warrior Transition Command
Please join me in observing Warrior Care Month this November. This month we will as an Army highlight how we continue to honor our sacred obligation to care for our most seriously wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers and their Families. It is a time to reaffirm our commitment to quality health care, education and careers for these men and women.

The theme for this year’s joint observance is “Success through Transition – Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship.”

Across the Army in November, Army leaders will host employment fairs, professional development sessions, open houses, media days, adaptive sports, reconditioning events, and celebrate the resiliency of our Soldiers and their Families. Wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers from Warrior Transition Units (WTUs) will engage local community groups, sharing personal experiences from health care to training, education and employment.

I’ve visited 13 WTUs since I came on board in July and have seen phenomenal leadership in the WTUs. But I also recognize that serving as a cadre member in a WTU is a complex, demanding and challenging duty. Just as we owe our Soldiers and Families the very best leadership and care they deserve, we owe our leaders the best training and development we can provide to help them succeed. In November, leaders and cadre at Warrior Transition and Community-Based Transition Units across the Army will pause and conduct a back to basics WTU Stand Down which will focus on the compassionate care of Soldiers and Families as they transition through the WTU process. This training will not only broaden their interpersonal skill sets, but will also deepen their professional capabilities as leaders.

Additionally, several other Warrior Care month events will occur here in Washington, D.C. and locally in Army communities. The Warrior Transition Command will launch an employment campaign on November 19 and host a joint-service sitting volleyball competition in the Pentagon, November 20. I encourage you to check local web sites and installation and community newspapers to learn about upcoming events in your areas. We’ve also posted many of the events on the WTC website at http://www.wtc.army.mil/about_us/warrior_care_month_2012.html.

Let’s also remember to acknowledge and be grateful to the men and women who don’t wear the military uniform, but who support and care for Soldiers and their Families – employers, educators, Veterans Administration, Congress, Veteran and military organizations, non-profit organizations, corporate America, local communities and individual citizens. I recognize and am grateful that our Nation comes together in so many different ways to honor the sacrifices made by Soldiers and their Families and to contribute to warrior care.

Follow the month-long observance on Warrior Transition Command website and blog, and share your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.

Warrior Transition Command: http://www.wtc.army.mil/

Warrior Care Month: http://www.wtc.army.mil/about_us/warrior_care_month_2012.html

Warrior Transition Command Blog: http://wtc.armylive.dodlive.mil/tag/commanders-drumbeat/

Warrior Transition Command Videos: http://www.wtc.army.mil/press_room/videos.html

Warrior Transition Command Twitter: http://twitter.com/armyWTC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/armyAW2

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/armywtc/

Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2): http://www.wtc.army.mil/aw2/index.html

Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) Blog: http://AW2.armylive.dodlive.mil

Commander’s Drumbeat: Military Athletes Compete at Warrior Care Month Sitting Volleyball Tournament

Filed under Adaptive Sports, COAD/COAR, General, Warrior Care Month, Warrior Transition Command, WTC Commander, WTU/WTB by jameswenzel on November 23, 2011 at 3:09 pm {no comments}

Soldiers playing sitting volleyball block at the net

SGT Juan Alcivar, left, and SSG Jessie White block at the net during a sitting volleyball match between the Army and a Pentagon team of Navy Reservists at the Pentagon Athletic Center on Nov. 22. WTC hosted the All-Service Sitting Volleyball Tournament as a part of Warrior Care Month. Photo Credit: James R. Wenzel

By BG Darryl A. Williams, WTC Commander

The energy was off the charts yesterday as the Pentagon Athletic Center filled with people cheering on our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines—Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve—during the Army Warrior Transition Command Warrior Care Month Sitting Volleyball Tournament.

Across the Army this month, units and installations have hosted events and engaged local communities and media to highlight warrior care. This tournament was the Army’s Warrior Care Month pinnacle event in the National Capital Region. I wish all of you could have experienced the excitement of being among so many people joined together celebrating these wounded, ill and injured men and women—celebrating their service, their abilities, and their amazing spirits. Among the attendees were several senior military leaders including the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Director of Army Staff and the Army Surgeon General.

Three of the four sitting volleyball teams were made up of wounded, ill, and injured service members—Army, Marines and a Joint team. The fourth team was a Pentagon team of Navy Reservists. I offer a huge shout out to the Pentagon team—they won the tournament with the Army taking second place. It wasn’t an easy win, these players gave their all.

Army Sgt. Jonathan Duralde said it best, “The other teams were great; it was especially good to see the strategy of the Pentagon team. For us it was a competition and we were there to play regardless of the teams and regardless who won.”

Duralde, a below the knee amputee, wounded in Afghanistan in June 2010, recently reenlisted and is continuing on Active Duty. He is assigned to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Belvoir and will soon start working in the Warrior Transition Command.

My biggest shout-out goes to all of the competitors. The tournament was about teamwork, cohesion and esprit d ‘corps. You all exemplify the best part of who we are.

Not only did we see world class military athletes compete, we were privileged to have world class support and participation at this event. Well deserved shout-outs go to some special people:

John Register, one of our tournament commentators. A Paralympics athlete and Army Veteran, he understands the healing power of sports and the significance it can play in the rehabilitation and recovery of our wounded, ill, and injured.
John Kessel, Managing Director, Region Services, USA Volleyball. Kessel joined Register as a commentator and between the two of them kept everyone up to speed on each and every play with interviews about the power of adaptive sports and reconditioning activities between games.
Kari Miller, a former Soldier who lost both her legs as the result of an auto accident involving a drunk driver, who went on to win a Paralympics silver medal in sitting volleyball in 2008. She taught the athletes the tips and tricks of sitting volleyball and refereed the tournament.
Elliot Blake, Sitting Volleyball and Athlete Recruitment Coordinator, USA Volleyball. He also coached and refereed.
Vic Breseford and his team from the Army Media & Visual Information Directorate. They did a super job with sound and getting us live coverage on DVIDS and the Pentagon Channel.
Defense Media Activity (DMA) supported with visual and print staff.
Candice Barlow-Jones. An invaluable member of the WTC team who lent her exceptional voice to our national anthem, kicking off the event.

Congratulations to all of the participants.

I’d enjoy hearing about your Warrior Care Month plans and experiences. Please post your comments on this blog by clicking on the headline and scrolling to the bottom of the page to the comment box.

More information on events at WTUs around the country is available on the WTC website at http://www.wtc.army.mil/.

WTC Will Host Warrior Care Month All Service Sitting Volleyball Tournament

Filed under Adaptive Sports, General, Warrior Care Month, Warrior Transition Command by cmccarrie on November 17, 2011 at 3:36 pm {no comments}

By: Jim Wenzel, WTC Strategic Communications

WTC will observe Warrior Care Month by hosting an all-service sitting volleyball clinic and tournament at the Pentagon Athletic Center on November 22 with special guest facilitator, Army Veteran and Paralympian Kari Miller.

The Warrior Transition Command (WTC) will host a sitting volleyball training clinic and tournament in the Pentagon Athletic Center (PAC), Tuesday, November 22. A training clinic is slated for 9:00-10:45am, and the tournament will be held from 11:00am-1:00pm. This tournament commemorates Warrior Care Month, observed each November.

Military teams comprised of wounded, ill, and injured servicemembers from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Special Operations Command will compete for the event trophy. Pentagon league teams are also expected to participate. Everyone is invited to attend and support these resilient athletes.

Adaptive sports and reconditioning activities such as sitting volleyball play a major role in the recovery and healing process for wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers recovering at Warrior Transition Units (WTUs) across the nation.

Army Veteran and Paralympic volleyball player Kari Miller will help facilitate the clinic and tournament. Miller returned home from a deployment in Bosnia and was riding in the passenger seat of her friend’s car on December 19, 1999. A drunk driver slammed into the back of her friend’s vehicle at 80 mph. The accident required the amputation of her right leg above the knee and her left leg just below.

During the many months of surgery and rehabilitation, Miller could have given in to despair and hopelessness. Instead, she used her natural competitiveness on a journey that led her to become an ambassador for the United States Olympic Committee’s Paralympic Military Program.

“Having a world-class athlete like Kari Miller join us for this tournament gives our Soldiers an opportunity to gain a firsthand perspective of a wounded Soldier’s ability to achieve goals post-injury” said LTC Keith Williams, Officer in Charge (OIC) of the WTC Adaptive Reconditioning Program. “We look forward to Kari motivating both the wounded, ill, and injured athletes and the spectators.”

Commander’s Drumbeat: Warrior Care Month

Filed under Leadership, Warrior Care Month, Warrior Transition Command, WTC Commander by alanmorales on October 26, 2011 at 8:42 am {no comments}

By BG Darryl A. Williams, WTC Commander

In November we observe Warrior Care Month. The theme is “Healing the Mind, Body, and Spirit: Unlocking Unlimited Potential”.

Taking care of Soldiers is something we do every day. Observing Warrior Care Month allows us to highlight the significance of keeping Soldiers healthy and safe, and taking care of them when something doesn’t go right. We’re all in the business of caring for the Army’s wounded, ill and injured Soldiers—Active, Guard and Reserve.

I realize most people think of the combat injured when they hear the term ‘warrior care’. Clearly, that is warrior care and there is no higher calling than helping these men and women heal. Warrior care is also preventing illnesses and keeping Soldiers healthy and ready to deploy. Warrior care is arming Soldiers with tourniquets that they can use with only one hand. It’s having the best trained medics in the world standing shoulder to shoulder with our combat Soldiers.

Warrior care is an undertaking that encompasses a broad scope of efforts that extend way beyond the battlefield including managing pain with medication and with complementary medicine such as acupuncture, massage, and yoga. Warrior care means building resilience and ensuring our men and women in uniform are strong in mind, body and spirit. Warrior care is our best researchers looking at how we can advance medicine, improve protective gear and treat trauma and complex injuries. It’s having a battle buddy who looks after you and a leader you can count on.

During Warrior Care Month I ask that you also take time to recognize the men and women who don’t wear the uniform but who support and care for our Soldiers and their families. I’m talking about our partners at the Veterans Administration, Congress, Veterans organizations, non-profit organizations, corporate America, local communities and individual citizens. These are the people retired Admiral Michael Mullen, (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) was referencing when he said there is a “Sea of Goodwill” in America.

I know a lot of you are planning events to honor the wounded, ill and injured men and women in uniform and to highlight what we do and what this Nation does each day in the spirit of Warrior Care. Like me, you’re likely looking forward to the events you’ll be attending. I’m excited about this month. We have a lot going on here in the National Capital Region. We will support the Navy in a wheelchair basketball expo and clinic in the Pentagon on November 18, and on November 22 the Warrior Transition Command is hosting a seated volleyball tournament. It’s going to be a great month. I’ll be traveling, visiting some WTUs and attending events that honor our Soldiers and people who work to keep them safe and healthy. It doesn’t get any better than this!

As I wrap things up, I want to emphasize my three priorities—education, training and employment. A WTU is a place for Soldiers to heal; it’s also a place for them to plan for their future; a place to develop a good, solid way ahead for them and for their family. When they leave a WTU I want them to have received the best medical care possible, have the education and training they need to succeed and have a job or career lined up.

We owe them our best, and Warrior Care Month is a time to commemorate their strength and resilience and the importance of what we do throughout the year.

I’d enjoy hearing about your Warrior Care Month plans and experiences. Please post your comments on this blog by clicking on the headline and scrolling to the bottom of the page to the comment box.

More information on events at WTUs around the country is available on the WTC website at http://www.wtc.army.mil/.

Warrior Care Month Concludes with Ribbon-Cutting of Screaming Eagle Medical Home

Filed under Warrior Care Month by jameswenzel on December 8, 2010 at 1:44 pm {no comments}

By: Jim Wenzel, STRATCOM

November has come to a close and with it so does Army Warrior Care Month. As the action officer responsible for facilitating the month’s activities across the Army and promoting the theme ‘Army Strong–Family Strong: caring for warriors by supporting Soldier Families’, I feel there can be no more fitting conclusion to the month than the ribbon-cutting of the first community-based primary care clinic at Fort Campbell on November 30th. The Surgeon General of the Army, LTG Eric B. Schoomaker, was present at the event to inaugurate a dramatic shift in the way Army Medicine treats the medical needs of our Soldiers’ Families.

Breaking the tradition of drawing Families to on-base Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) for care, the Screaming Eagle Medical Home is the first of 17 soon-to-be constructed clinics located within the community. These new clinics are designed–much like Soldier Family Assistance Centers (SFAC) are for providing Warriors in Transition and their Families information and support services–to be a one-stop-shop for Family medical needs.

The accessibility and value these clinics provide cannot be overstated for spouses and children, who might otherwise spend the whole day traveling to an Army Hospital on post. The community-based primary health clinics are an innovation in expressing the mindset of Army leaders concerning Army Families.

Families provide a level of comfort, care, and support to Soldiers that cannot be found elsewhere. This support is especially critical during times of stress such as deployment and recovery from injury. By enhancing medical and warrior care programs designed to include a Soldier’s Family and meeting critical support needs of these individuals, Army leaders seek to improve the Soldier’s resiliency and ability to focus on the Army’s mission. Although Army Warrior Care Month is over, the Army’s mission to strengthen Army Families by expanding its programs and policies to support them continues to march on.

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