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Barry Albert joined the Army in 1982. Better known as “Pappy,” he was the oldest person in his unit when he deployed to Iraq with the Reserves in 2005. A combat injury took his left leg, and Barry medically retired from the military. He could have returned to his civilian job as a nighttime private security officer, but his experience being injured gave him a new perspective—he wanted to spend more time as a father and husband.
“I had been away from home for two years by the time I left Brooke Army Medical Center,” Barry recalls. “I worked the third shift for 17 years, and I decided I didn’t want to work at night anymore.”
But finding another job wasn’t as easy as he hoped. The 44-year-old father of three didn’t have time to go back to school. A long commute wasn’t feasible. “I realized I needed to find a job either in my field or find someone to train me,” Barry explains. He searched for work with no luck. Then, Warriors to Work called.
Barry met Wounded Warrior Project staff members at Brooke Army Medical Center, where he spent 10 months recovering. When Albert returned home, WWP staff called to see how he was doing. Barry mentioned he was looking for a job. Soon, the director of Warriors to Work called with a job opportunity that matched perfectly—a job in asset protection with a Walgreens distribution center near Albert’s home. All day shifts.
Barry interviewed with an asset protection manager and liked him right away. More than a year after being hired, he still loves his job. He has many daily duties, including performing investigations, monitoring cameras, and patrolling the building. He’s doing what he knows and loves, but on a schedule that gives him more time with his family.
At work, Barry isn’t the only one who has overcome challenges. Sixty percent of his colleagues have physical or mental challenges. Between his injury and having a son who is autistic, Barry feels at home working among his colleagues. “I like working with other people with disabilities. It’s really an untapped workforce,” he says.
The warehouse Barry oversees is about 20 times larger than his last location, and sometimes a lot of walking can be challenging. Albert has an above-knee amputation, with only about 8 inches of his left leg remaining. On bad days, he can use his wheelchair or the company’s Segway.
Looking back, Barry has nothing but great things to say about Warriors to Work. “The VA was great on medical issues, but I don’t really hear from them unless I have a problem or need my prosthetic adjusted,” he says. “They were supportive, and I appreciated what they did for me. But Warriors to Work calls me every other month, just to see how I’m doing. They really stay with you.”
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