Wes Fine (left) and Juan Tanabe (right), Mission Command Training Program, exercise coordinators work together to develop training scenarios for the 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard during recent a Warfighter exercise on June 19 at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Both men were injured in Ramadi, Iraq, which happened to be the 28th ID’s battle space at the time. Since being injured, both men have participated in the Wounded Warrior Education Initiative Program and have earned Master Degree’s at Kansas University.
Wesley Fine and Juan Tanabe have much in common. Both were critically injured in Ramadi, Iraq before there were Warrior Transition Units. Both have earned a master’s degree at Kansas University while participating in the Wounded Warrior Education Initiative Program and both are wounded warriors now working at MCTP.
The Wounded Warrior Education Initiative Program gives wounded warriors both on and off active duty the opportunity to earn a degree. Those in civilian status earn the equivalent of GS-9 pay while attending school and are able to apply for jobs in the GS-11 range after completing the program.
Fine graduated from ROTC in 2002 and chose to serve in the Infantry. He completed officer basic course and Ranger school and went to his first assignment with the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment.
Fine deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in the Al Anbar Province, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 where he served as a platoon leader.
Although Fine’s days were spent outside the wire patrolling with his platoon, it was a rocket propelled grenade that hit him while he was on his combat outpost.
“I heard it coming and I just knew that it had my name on it,” said Fine.
“I was sure the second I had been hit that I was severely injured. I grabbed my face and I was shocked that I could actually feel my face I thought maybe, I might have a chance here.”
Fine made his way to the aid station where he was initially treated. His left eye was damaged beyond repair. His commander came to see him and joked that he would have to try harder to get out duty but despite the joking, Fine’s tour was finished and he left theater that night.
“I was on a plane with people who had significantly worse injuries than my own.” recalled Fine. “I remember feeling extremely lucky and guilty at the same time that I had only lost my eye.”
After returning to Fort Carson and receiving medical care, he returned to his rear-detachment unit. His command made a point to put him back in a platoon leader position.
“I was happy that I was getting a platoon again,” said Fine. “I was anxious to get back, to get my health back. Everything seemed ok at first, almost like the injury didn’t happen.”
But things weren’t ok and Fine was the first to notice. “I wasn’t able to keep up with my platoon. My steps were much slower because I couldn’t judge distance on ruck marches. I always wanted to be in the front, so it killed me to be behind,” said Fine.
Fine still kept trying to lead his platoon although it was like “trying to fit a square peg in a round hold.”
Most of the guys that knew what happened to me in Ramadi had already PCS’d. I was working with a whole new crew of guys.”
It came to a head one day when he was at a field training exercise. He misjudged the distance when calling for indirect fire and a senior officer approached him and accused him of trying to get people killed.
Fine did something at that point which rarely ends well for a junior officer and got into a heated verbal argument with the senior officer.
“I knew that day it was over for me, said Fine. I knew it was time for me to go.”
Fine shortly found himself back in his home state of Hawaii, off of active duty orders without being medically discharged. He was provided no assistance on how to transition to the civilian job market.
“I had counted on the Army being my career, and if for some reason the Army didn’t work out, I had hoped to working in federal law enforcement.”
All of Fine’s plans were based upon having a strong body and great eyesight.
“While I was out-processing, I was told that I hadn’t been paying into the GI Bill program while I was on active duty. I thought I had signed up for that while I was at OBC (officer basic course), but I guess I was wrong,” said Fine.
“They needed several thousand dollars from me to catch up and I just didn’t have it to give them.”
With little prospects for his future, Fine was left with nothing but time to reflect on everything that had happened over the last year.
“I received an honorable discharge, but I left the Army on what I consider to be bad terms. That is not the way that I saw things working out for me and I was disappointed in myself and the Army.”
“Looking back,” said Fine, “I wish someone had explained that there was more I could do for the Army, despite my injury. I would have loved to have served as a FAO (foreign area officer), or something like that. I just didn’t know that anything other than infantry was available to me.”
Fine received a call from the Wounded Warrior program and learned about the Wounded Warrior Education Initiative Program. Fine jumped on the opportunity.
“This program gave me an opportunity to earn a master degree in international relations at Kansas University and I applied for a position with MCTP soon after I graduated,” said Fine.
“I’m excited about the work I am doing with MCTP. There are a lot of great people here with so much more experience than I have but I learn from them.”
Juan Tanabe was a career Soldier when he deployed with a Military Transition Team (MiTT) team supporting the 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division.
“I had no idea what a MiTT team was when I first received orders.” He was one of the first Army MiTT teams to deploy to Iraq. MiTT teams are responsible for providing training for Iraqi security forces in areas such as intelligence, logistics, security and tactics.
“We fell in on an old Iraqi training area and began training Iraqi’s basic Soldier skills. It was even before we had biometrics available so we didn’t have a lot of information on who we were training.”
“We just trusted that they were good guys and trained them. Over time, we grew very close with our Iraqi counterparts. We became a small united team.”
Tanabe was just finishing a foot patrol with his Iraqi counterparts. They crossed a bridge over a canal and just as Tanabe had finished crossing the bridge, a loud explosion occurred and he went flying into the canal.
“I was somehow able to walk after being helped out of the canal. I knew something was very wrong though, I wasn’t in pain at first but I could feel waves of heat pulsing through my body.”
“I am positive that hitting the water rather than the ground saved my life.” Iraqi Soldiers on his MiTT team called for medical assistance.
Tanabe was flown out of Iraq and moved to Landstuhl, Germany. He was diagnosed with a broken back and other injuries. Physicians at Landstuhl treated Tanabe’s injuries and he was sent back to Fort Riley.
“I can’t say enough good things about the medical care I received. The tough part was the transition process. No one really had any information and it was stressful not knowing what was going to happen. I didn’t want to leave the Army.”
Eventually Tanabe recovered enough to go back to light duty with the 75th Fires Brigade while his medical paperwork was being processed.
“It felt good to go to work again, but I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. All around me people’s Army careers were progressing but I was just in limbo.”
“After 14 years of service, I counted on retiring from the Army. Once the medical board met and made their decision, I was off active duty orders so quickly that I didn’t have time to participate in the ACAP program.”
Although Tanabe had been medically retired, the percentage of disability he received was not high enough to support his family and he needed to find work.
Tanabe and his family moved to El Paso, his wife’s hometown and tried to start over. “Transitioning was very difficult but I managed to get a job so that made things easier and I started to feel optimistic about things again.”
“I had started working the Northrop Grumman on a contract basis only. I was very glad to have employment but my contract was renewed on an annual basis. There wasn’t the stability that I needed for my family and I was looking to get into government services”
Tanabe kept moving forward and although he was performing well at his contracting job, the economy kept getting worse and layoffs were becoming a reality.
“I was at home one day and I get this call from a lady saying she was with the Wounded Warrior project. She asked me if there was anything I needed help with”, said Tanabe. I had no idea what this organization was about or that anyone was tracking that I had been injured overseas.”
“I was surprised that anyone outside of the Army knew my situation, but it felt good to know that someone cared.”
“Over time, I started to become involved with the Wounded Warrior Project locally. I started attending community events they would sponsor at the V.F.W. in El Paso.”
He maintained contact with the Wounded Warrior program and when the Wounded Warrior Education Initiative Program became available, he was one of the first people to be offered the opportunity.
“It was a life-changing opportunity for me,” said Tanabe. “There would have been no way that I could have afforded to go to school full time with my family to support.”
Tanabe earned his degree in Supply Chain Management at Kansas University and applied for a position with MCTP.
“We are thrilled to have these men in our organization,” said Martin Dannatt, Exercise Control Chief, Operation Group COE. Although they participated in the Wounded Warrior Education Initiative Program, each had to apply for the positions they currently hold. They are here on their own merits and we are lucky to have them.”
“It feels good to be able to serve again, although it is in a civilian capacity. I love being able to know that I am helping to make training more realistic for people going overseas and hopefully help save lives or people from becoming injured,” said Tanabe.
