A Soldier for life

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., (July 27, 2016) -- Daily, commanders of Headquarters and Headquarters Companies, or HHCs, are faced with the daunting, but challenging tasks of taking care of the health, welfare, training and morale needs of the hundreds of Soldiers in their units. But if those responsibilities aren't enough, Capt. Michael S. Lee, HHC commander for the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, or ATEC, decided to add yet another task to his growing list by establishing the command's Soldier for Life program in March.

The Army established the Soldier for Life, or SFL, program in July 2012 to prepare current active, Guard or Reserve Soldiers to successfully transition to civilian life. According to the Soldier for Life website, the Army wants Soldiers, Guardsmen and Reservists to start strong, serve strong, and reintegrate strong so they remain strong -- the four phases of a Soldier's military lifecycle. In order to successfully accomplish each of the four phases, the Soldier for Life program focuses on three key areas -- employment, education, and entrepreneurship.

The Army believes training Soldiers for future civilian employment, investing in educational opportunities, and teaching them business-ownership skills before they trade in their green uniform for a blue suit will help make it easier for Soldiers to prepare and plan for life after the Army.

Lee agrees. "The SFL program helps lay the foundation for a perfect exit out of the military," said Lee. "It gives the individual Soldier tools he or she can use to help them continue to be successful even after military life."

ATEC HHC commander since May 2015, Lee, who is responsible for 175 Soldiers, said the inspiration to start the SFL program came from the satisfaction he receives helping other Soldiers. According to him, ATEC's SFL program adds another dimension to the transition process that is missing from the Army's -- mentoring; something the Army doesn't do until the last phase of the SFL program when Soldiers have already settled into their civilian lives.

"ATEC has a huge retirement population that was not being utilized efficiently in the Ready and Resilient Campaign," Lee said. "So we decided to enlist the help of those who have already been through the retirement process and talk lessons learned."

Currently, Lee holds the SFL sessions, or as he calls them, lunchbox meetings, monthly at the ATEC Headquarters building. ATEC's SFL program is open to Soldiers who are considering transitioning from Soldier to civilian; former Soldiers who have already transitioned or retired; and to the civilians who volunteer to serve as mentors. Mentorship is strictly voluntary, said Lee, and is left up to the Soldier to make the connection with the mentor of their choice.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Hoban, chief of ATEC's Protection Division, provides mentoring to all members of ATEC's SFL program and to Army officers retiring at other locations.

"The opportunity to be a mentor as a part of the SFL program really lets me give transitioning Soldiers the information I wish I had had during my retirement process," Hoban said.

Hoban retired in 2014 after serving in the Army for 24 years.

Lee explained that the topics for each month are chosen by the Soldiers participating in the program and the speakers who volunteer to present information to the Soldiers are gained through networking.

"During conversations with military retirees, I gauge to see if they would be viable to what we are doing," said Lee.

In April, Cindy Smith, assistant department service officer for the Maryland Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars, provided general information to the Soldiers on Veterans Affairs, or VA, disability compensation with an emphasis on the pre-discharge process.

Smith believes providing Soldiers information on the VA disability claims process before they transition or retire is a crucial, but sometimes missing, element of the separation and retirement process.

"Disability compensation benefits affect veterans for life and can be the gateway to other important benefits such as healthcare and education," Smith said.

Smith provides assistance to veterans in the Harford County community by volunteering to do events such as the SFL meetings. She also conducts public seminars on VA benefits and has provided VA claims services to Maryland veterans for over 10 years.

After the VA benefits briefing, Cindy Kane, a supervisory human resources specialist in ATEC's G1 directorate, gave presentations on veterans' preference and special hiring authorities plus resume writing for Federal employment.

Kane said she volunteers her time and expertise out of her desire to assist Soldiers in their transition out of the military and into the civilian workforce.

"SFL programs are important," said Kane. "It's about taking care of the brave men and women who serve our nation as Soldiers and who put their lives on the line. It's all about taking care of our Army Family."

The information on veterans' preference introduced transitioning Soldiers to the preferences they may be eligible to receive over others during the hiring process as well as the special hiring authorities that exist, such as the Veterans' Recruitment Appointment, that allows eligible veterans to be hired, in most cases, without having to compete with other qualified candidates.

During the second segment of her presentation, Kane went over the steps involved in creating a winning resume, from the information needed to write a resume to how it should be formatted.

"It was important to get this information to the Soldiers so they could prepare more effective resumes which will improve their chances for future Federal civilian employment," said Kane.

The topic for the June lunchbox meeting was "Dress for Success." Soldiers learned from Lee and Hoban how to dress for corporate America; the do's and don'ts of dressing professionally for the workplace; plus, what attire is or is not considered business casual.

Hoban stressed to the Soldiers how different their lives were going to be after leaving the Army when they would no longer be able to rely on wearing the same prescribed uniforms they already owned and were used to wearing day in and day out.

"It's not easy shifting from a career where you never worried about what to wear to a career where you are deciding everyday what to wear and how to build on that," said Hoban.

Hoban shared these words of advice for Soldiers entering the Army and/or preparing to transition out of the Army in the future: "Start early, pay attention to the VA and all the briefings, take great notes and ask lots of questions."

Retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Grifo, officer strength manager in ATEC's Military Personnel Division, had his own lessons he said he learned the hard way when he retired in 2009 after 22 years of service.

"I wish someone would have sat me down and told me the important things I needed to be concerned with," said Grifo. "Everything from the correct way to use the GI Bill to veterans' preference and choosing a representative for the VA claims system."

Lee hopes that by hosting monthly lunchbox meetings where Soldiers can sit, listen, and learn from retired and experienced Soldiers like Hoban who have successfully navigated the choppy waters between being a Soldier and becoming a civilian, the whole retirement and transitioning process will turn into a more positive and rewarding experience for other Soldiers. Hoban hopes so too.

"I would deem my participation in the SFL program a success if these Soldiers all finish the process without having to say, 'If only I had known…,'" said Hoban.

For more information on the Army's Soldier for Life program, visit http://www.soldierforlife.army.mil.

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Soldier for Life