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Internships help wounded soldiers transition

FORT RILEY, Kan. — Late last year, 1st Lt. Erik Stewart’s engineering battalion was on patrol in Afghanistan, clearing roadside bombs, when one exploded. His injuries prevented heavy work or even donning standard Army equipment, and he returned to the U.S.

While healing at Fort Riley, he volunteered for a new program that places wounded soldiers in unpaid internships with local businesses. He began working with small animals at the nearby Milford Nature Center.

“Maybe this could open up an opportunity for me when I get out,” Stewart said. “This kind of gets me in the door and seeing how the state of Kansas works on the natural resources and wildlife side.”

Launched this spring, the Warrior Internship Network allows soldiers wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq to learn new skills and prepare for life after the Army. Fort Riley officials say similar programs could show up soon at other posts.

Between 15,000 and 16,000 soldiers are stationed at Fort Riley, and about 450 wounded soldiers are on post at any given time.

In the new program, 16 wounded soldiers are working as interns, and two are waiting for jobs. An additional 45 are being screened for potential job placement.

The program was up and running less than two months after the idea was pitched to Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, commander of Fort Riley’s 1st Infantry Division.

Organizers acknowledge hiccups, such as settling issues about insurance and legal liability. Still, the program has gone “better than imagined,” said Cheryl Lynn Higgins, program coordinator for the Welcome Home Heroes Foundation, a civilian organization in Junction City providing support.

“The challenge is building it as we go,” she said. “We have these wonderful men and women that have served our country so well. They are now faced with redirecting their entire lives.”

Before the internship program, Fort Riley placed wounded soldiers in light-duty jobs around post. But often, those duties take up only a few hours each day and don’t help soldiers who are destined to leave the military for civilian jobs.

Participants in the new program are paid their military salaries and retain their benefits, including health coverage. They receive no additional money from the Army for the internships and still must attend formations and unit meetings.

Their skills are reviewed and they learn how to prepare resumes and job interviews — as soldiers do before they leave the Army. An occupational therapist works with the soldiers and employers to determine whether a job is appropriate.

“We want to get them back performing. But it has to be meaningful, and it has to be purposeful,” said Tom Litney, an occupational therapist with the program.

Soldiers start with a two-week immersion period. If the job seems a good fit, they are placed for three months, with the possibility of extending the internship to six months.

Because the program is voluntary, a soldier or the employer can decide at any point to discontinue it. Higgins said two soldiers dropped internships because the cost of fuel made it difficult to pay for transportation to medical appointments and off-post jobs.

But Spc. Roger Rex Allen III, from the Florida Keys, is hoping his internship leads to a permanent job in Kansas.

Earlier this year, he was about to deploy to Iraq with a combat aviation brigade when doctors found a medical condition that kept him from going, one he declined to discuss.

He was a dispatcher for the aviation unit but applied for and landed an internship at Lead Horse Technologies Inc. It’s a startup firm in Junction City planning to track drug interactions for doctors, clinics and hospitals, and he is helping set up its computer systems.

“It’s a completely separate field, but it’s a private thing that I’ve done since I was a kid,” said Allen, 21. “It’s turning into a possible career for me.”

Allen’s supervisor at Lead Horse, Patrice Armstrong, said one of the company’s founders served in the Army and wanted to support the military. “Roger has just been outstanding. He has a good work ethic and is disciplined,” Armstrong said. “He does anything.”

Stewart, 36, is married with four children. While his internship has given him an idea about his future, Stewart said young soldiers aren’t prepared for “cutting the strings from the Army,” especially after being wounded.

“It gives them the ability to go out and see something while they still have the Army as a backup. This is a great safety net for these guys,” Stewart said.