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Jewish World Review Oct. 1, 2009 / 13 Tishrei 5770 Helping the fighters thrive By Kevin Ferris
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Four years and almost 40 surgeries ago, Marine Staff Sgt. He remembers landing directly behind the Humvee, his legs a mess. One would be amputated below the knee soon after the blast. Ten months later, after getting used to one prosthetic, he finally agreed to amputate the second leg. "Basically it wasn't existing anyway," he says. "It didn't work. I said, 'Screw it. Take it.'" Today, medically retired from the Corps, he's traded in his military greens for business-suit gray. But the lessons learned as an NCO still apply. Jones is executive director of the Wall Street Warfighters, an organization that helps wounded vets find careers in the financial services industry. As one of the first two graduates of the program, Jones is a believer. So much so that he's putting his own full-time career on temporary hold to help others. "I saw it as my duty while in the service to take care of my fellow Marines," Jones says. "Now, I'm giving fellow Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen the opportunity to thrive, despite their disabilities." The privately funded program is sponsored by Drexel Hamilton, a Once they pass those tests, they are guaranteed a job. That promise — backed by retired Marine Gen. With years of surgeries and therapy behind him, Jones had moved with his family to Jones finished the program in 4 1/2 months and deferred a job with Drexel Hamilton to head Warfighters. "It turned out to be a good fit for me," he says. "One, I can work from home. Two, I'm independent like I want to be." While the flexibility and range of jobs makes the industry ideal for vets, the recruits are equally well-suited to the challenges they'll face. "It's a very mental field, very stressful," says Case in point is current student Who better to help staff the increasingly important compliance and regulations end of the business? "It's like sending them out to go after bad guys again," Hulitt says. Vets' life experiences, whether dealing with people of other cultures or leading troops, give them something to offer a firm that job seekers fresh out of school can't match, Jones says. "How many kids out of college with an MBA actually managed anyone?" he asks. "They managed a book and a schedule, not a platoon and multimillion-dollars worth of equipment." He adds, "We're offering companies proven problem solvers. ... We just have this mind-set: This is the job I have to do and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. And God help anyone who gets in my way." The second class of Warfighters — this one with four vets — began this month, and organizers hope to be able to eventually serve 12 recruits a year. The program will be matched to the vet's needs. If a person can finish in three months, great. That opens up a spot for the next candidate. If it takes seven months, so be it. Drexel Hamilton and other firms, as well as individuals, donate resources, teaching time, and funding. Computers are courtesy of the You, too, can, as Jones says, help rebuild Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Kevin Ferris is commentary page editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
© 2008, Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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