By Joseph Bonfiglio,
Honolulu District Public Affairs
FORT SHAFTER, HI -- Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District Commander Lt. Col. Douglas Guttormsen and Warrior Transition Battalion Commander Lt. Col. David Weisberg recently signed a memorandum of agreement to implement a Work Re-Integration Volunteer Program for Soldiers at the Tripler Army Medical Center’s Warrior Transition Battalion at Schofield Barracks.
The Honolulu District is fully committed to support the Army Family Covenant and Wounded Warrior Program. The Work Re-Integration Program was developed by the Honolulu District with the TAMC Warrior Transition Battalion to provide civilian workplace opportunities for wounded Soldiers to help them reintegrate into the civilian workforce.
Selected Program candidates from the TAMC-Warrior Transition Battalion will be assigned to various Honolulu District organizational positions to learn and develop areas of career interest identified by each Soldier. To implement this program, the District agreed to:
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Advertise worksite opportunities to the Warrior Transition Battalion POCs and present briefings to Soldiers during training sessions.
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Carefully match the future goals of the selected Soldiers with a comparable training opportunity within the District.
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Provide Soldiers time in their schedule to attend all appointments since the wounded warrior’s recovery is the highest priority.
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Conduct periodic After Action Reviews with both Trainees and Supervisors to ensure that this program continues to meet program objectives.
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And establish training objectives for each wounded warrior and train these Soldiers to meet the objects.
Conversely, the TAMC-Warrior Transition Battalion agreed to work closely with the District to screen and nominate Soldiers to work as Trainees and facilitate full and open communication in order to maintain situational awareness of Trainee opportunities within the Honolulu District.
In 2007, the Army established the Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) to support returning wounded Soldiers from the Global War on Terrorism.
The Army Medical Command was tasked to establish Warrior Transition Battalions on specific installations to serve severely wounded, injured and ill Soldiers, Veterans and their families for “…as long as it takes.” Recognizing that every Soldier is unique, the AW2 assists these Soldiers in transitioning to civilian life and careers or in returning to duty.
Nationwide, in 2009 alone, AW2 served well-over 12,000 severely wounded Soldiers and Families of the Active Component, Army Nation Guard and Army Reserve. AW2 assists these Soldiers as they work through treatment, rehabilitation and transition to post-injury life.
As stated by the AW2 program director, “The success of our organization is rooted in our ability to provide AW2 Soldiers and Families with the best personalized support possible “for as long as it takes.”
For more information from Warrior Transition Battalion contact Sherielee Camacho-Fuentes, Occupational Therapist at (808) 433-8657 or S-3 Maj. Mitch Lester, at (808) 655-6802.
For more information at the Honolulu District contact Maj. Daniel Segura, District Deputy Commander at (808) 438-1069 or Phillip Mun, Equal Employment Manager at (808) 438-8386.