Veteran James Pierce: Continuing to Serve

By Corrie Poland, Army Warrior Care and TransitionMay 2, 2017

Veteran James Pierce: Continuing to Serve
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Veteran James Pierce: Continuing to Serve
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - On a bright spring morning, as the sun climbed into the sky above the National Mall and tourist groups began to fill the walkways snapping photos, groups of volunteers start to gather in the shade of a large American elm tree to await their instructions for the day. Park Ranger James Pierce, the park volunteer coordinator, has led countless groups before, but this day was different. This was the day members of the U.S. Army Warrior Care and Transition staff had come to contribute their time. And although he had never met them, they already held a special place in his heart.

Prior to becoming a National Park Ranger, Pierce served with the 514th Military Police Company out of Winterville, North Carolina as a Staff Sergeant. During a deployment in Afghanistan, a suicide bomber attacked his unit, killing three and injuring three others. He sustained severe injuries from the impact and was assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. to recover. For the next three years, Pierce was able to focus fully on healing, as part of Warrior Care and Transition's Army Wounded Warrior Program, a program dedicated to caring for the Army's most severely wounded, ill and injured Soldiers. A team of cadre, including an AW2 Advocate and transition coordinator, guided Pierce through his recovery and transition -- assisting with anything from setting up medical appointments, to navigating his career options and setting short and long term goals.

While in the WTU, Pierce's transition coordinator introduced him to Operation Warfighter, a Department of Defense program that matches wounded, ill and injured service members with federal internships. Through OWF and with help from his WTU cadre, Pierce landed an internship and then a permanent position with the National Park Service where he continues to serve today.

In his freshly pressed uniform, Pierce proudly introduced himself to the group of Soldiers standing before him. "Today is special for me because I've been through your program and I've been able to be successful and continue to serve. When I say it is a true honor and a privilege to stand here before you, I mean it," he told the group as he knocked on his leg brace that he needs to walk after having undergone multiple surgeries as part of the limb salvage program.

Pierce brought a box of water bottles with special meaning to him to give to the group. "I designed these water bottles myself -- in 'O.D. green,' he began. "I only give them out to select groups and I'd like you all to have them today as a thank you for your support and all you do."

As he led the group along the mall explaining the day's activities, it was clear Pierce is still a Soldier at heart. As a volunteer approached him to ask a question, he instinctively held up his hand in a fist -- a signal for 'halt' that any Soldier would recognize. The group chuckled in recognition and did as ordered. "I may have retired from the military but I didn't retire from serving this country."