It gave her goose bumps, she said as she listened to her former Fort Hood Warrior Transition Unit Soldiers share stories of their transitioning successes with other WTU Soldiers who will soon enter the civilian workforce.
The goose bumps, said Maj. Thelma Nicholls, a WTU nurse case manager, were from witnessing the transformation of her former "broken and worn down" Soldiers into confident and beaming professionals, thanks to the Temple VA's "intern to hire" philosophy and the Operation Warfighter federal internship program.
"To see how they have transitioned into productive citizens and are now paying it forward is remarkable," she said, adding how special it was that the WTU interns and VA veteran hires were sharing their positive messaging with Nicholls and nearly 50 other WTU Soldiers and Family members November 14 at the Olin E. Teague Medical Center, Temple, Texas, during a panel discussion on federal internships and employment opportunities.
"It was so uplifting," Nicholls said, "They are a light for the Soldiers who are leaving and thinking there is nothing out there for them. Well, there is something out there, but they have to want it, go for it and be that little light to makes things happen."
It also, said WTU's intake company's 1st Sgt. Renita Garrett, validated everything about the WTU and the "process" called healing and transitioning.
"It was awesome to see the end result of what we do here at the WTU," said Garrett. "It means that I am doing exactly what I have been charged to do: helping Soldiers with their transitioning."
PTS and the workplace
During the hour-long discussion, Soldiers asked the panel members questions ranging from coping with post-traumatic stress (PTS) and anxiety issues in a workplace environment to opportunities to reinvent themselves. The discussion was held in honor of Warrior Care Month, an annual Department of Defense initiative that honors the strength and resiliency of America's wounded, ill, and injured service members and their Families.
Interacting with veterans is how former WTU Soldier Douglas Saffell said he manages his anxiety and PTS issues.
"I'll go talk to veterans during my lunch hour or when I am on break, and I'll talk to veterans here in the clinics who have PTSD," the former staff sergeant said, adding that helping veterans is itself therapeutic.
Saffell, who was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, admitted he was angry and hated life when he first got into the WTU.
"It's a hump you have to get over," the VA employee said, encouraging the Soldiers to follow their heart, and if they do, they will do well.
Helping veterans is the reason why former Staff Sgt. Donald Sistrunk jumped when he was offered an internship at the Temple VA several years ago.
"For me, it was a no brainer because every day, I get to help some of the most fantastic people," he told the group. Admitting he was crushed when he learned that he had to leave active duty before he made E-7, he told the group that the VA internship allowed him to continue his soldiering, although his "Soldiers" were now World War II, Korean and Vietnam War veterans.
"It just lifts your spirits," he said. Our veterans are just so thankful. And that is why I am here: I want to treat those veterans exactly or better than how I want to be treated. "
Soldiers model employees
Today, Sistrunk is one of nine former interns who are now serving veterans at the Temple VA. Since the program began five years ago, 49 wounded, ill and injured Soldiers have participated in the medical center's Operator Warfighter internship program.
"We wished we could have kept more of them," said human resource officer, Mary Doerfler, who opened the hour-long program at the hospital's amphitheater, "but they were all going back to their hometown or back to school. We really wanted them because they were model employees."
Doerfler said the partnership between the Soldiers and the VA has been a "wonderful marriage."
"We have been able to place our interns in positions where they have blossomed," she said, adding that it has been amazing to see them grow out of their shell and within days blend in with the rest of the VA employees.
It took the program time to get it off the ground, said Houston Johnson, a human relations specialist at the Temple VA who has been instrumental in expanding federal internship opportunities for the Fort Hood population of wounded, ill and injured Soldiers.
"At first, the Soldiers who were once tank drivers or scouts did not have faith in themselves," said the Army veteran. "They just did not think they could do it because they felt they had nothing to bring to the table," a fact echoed by Master Sgt. Clinton Ellis who will be "Mr. Ellis" at the end of the month.
Not about an MOS but about the future
Ellis, a combat-injured Soldier from 3rd Calvary Regiment, is now interning in the prosthetics department and emphasized that Soldiers should not be stressed about not finding a job in the individual's military occupational specialty (MOS).
"It is not about your MOS anymore; it is about your future," he said, stressing that the VA will teach you the skills needed for the job. "You have the opportunity to enhance your career and learn something new while the Army is still paying you. This is about your future, and what you make of it."
But former intern and new VA hire Cher Wheeler told the audience to not expect to be hired as a GS-13.
"You will not get up here, until you get down here," the former 3rd Calvary Regiment Soldier said. "And if you get down here, the sky is the limit."
Wheeler was two weeks into her internship when she was offered a position in purchasing.
"I loved being a Soldier," she said, "and this is my way of giving back."
The job opportunity reduced the stress of wondering how to support her 18-month daughter said Sgt. 1st Class Michelle Cunningham, who is attached to the WTU and will soon be retiring.
"When I got that phone call with a job offer, my whole world just lit up," she said. "I knew this opportunity would help me take care of my Family," she said.
Be open minded
The panel members also told the Soldiers to be open minded about the opportunities and soak in everything they learn, whether they intern at the VA or another federal agency. The key, they said, is to know your limitations before you apply for a job.
Most importantly, Sgt. 1st Class Deron Stanton told his fellow WTU battle buddies, is to "swallow that pride and take care of yourself."
"You have to so you can go to that next chapter in your life," he said, adding that the internship program has been a wonderful experience. "I am happy, and my Family is happy."
"You are in the WTU to take care of yourself and go to that next chapter in your life. And make sure you do it for your family -- have to swallow that pride.
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