Wounded Warrior Careers

Under a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Army, NOD is helping severely injured veterans to move forward on career paths—and documenting the approaches that work.

Background

The US Army Wounded Warrior (AW2) Program assists over 7,500 of the most severely injured soldiers and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to adjust to their injuries and move on with their lives. Some AW2 soldiers return to active duty, but many more resume or enter civilian careers as veterans. Because civilian career development is a specialized activity, the Army asked NOD to demonstrate in three pilot sites how to help wounded warriors transition into careers.

Working in Texas, North Carolina, and Colorado, NOD Career Specialists are now helping hundreds of wounded warriors, and their families, explore career options, access education and training opportunities, and find jobs. In addition to helping veterans progress toward careers, a key objective is to make lessons learned more broadly known to the Army, the rest of the military, and service agencies.

Strategy

The following are the key elements of the Wounded Warrior Careers demonstration program:

• Intensive Career Supports: NOD Career Specialists help veterans and their family members explore career options, including education and training, to ensure that veterans have every chance to become a successful member of society.
• Proactive and Prolonged Personal Engagement: NOD does what it takes to connect with veterans and families. We know every soldier on our caseload and reach out to them to help plan and attain economic self-sufficiency and career fulfillment.
• Evaluation and Best Practices: The demonstration collects data to learn what works best to ensure career progress for veterans and their families, and to make those lessons more broadly known.
• Family is the Unit Served: The AW2 program was designed by the Army to serve the family. NOD’s Career Specialists help veterans and their families meet their career goals so that the family unit can be strong and effective.

News and Reports

In December 2009, NOD Career Specialists and veterans met with lawmakers to explain the value of the NOD Wounded Warrior Career demonstration project and how they and their families have personally benefitted. View photos from that visit.

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Danelea Kelly, who medically retired from the Army after two tours in Iraq, was among them. Hear Ms. Kelly’s story, as told to Fox 5 News.

Supporters of the Wounded Warrior Career Demonstration

NOD extends special thanks to the Kessler Foundation for their leadership support.

• The Aspen Community Foundation
• Susan Vail Berresford
• The Cannon Foundation
• Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation
• Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
• Chrysler Foundation
• Cumberland Community Foundation
• The Dallas Foundation
• The Duke Endowment
• Dartmouth College Class of 1952 & Friends of Alan Reich
• El Pomar Foundation
• Lockheed Martin
• Ford Foundation
• The Meadows Foundation
• McCormick Foundation
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Rose Community Foundation
• Joyce and Donald Rumsfeld Foundation
• The Starr Foundation
• Wellpoint
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
• MetLife

For more information, contact Richard Stark.