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Jarod Myers has a passion for helping others. Being injured while serving in Iraq only affirmed that passion, but finding a job in the civilian world after being medically retired from the proved to be one of his toughest challenges.
Jarod left for boot camp six days after graduating from high school in 2002. By 2004, he was in Iraq, where an encounter with a suicide bomber left him with serious injuries to his legs and back. Jared struggled to find his place in the civilian world after his medical retirement in 2005. He worked odd jobs and eventually enrolled in a local community college, only to find out after a year in the program that he was on the wrong track. Jarod wanted to become an oncology nurse, but advisors had placed him in a four-year general studies program. Worse, he learned his injury prevented him from performing some of the physical duties required of an oncology nurse. It felt like one more road block.
“Getting a four-year degree was my ultimate goal, but I needed to work now,” Jarod explained. “I wanted my two-year nursing degree so I could get to work.”
Those five years were frustrating and depressing. One day, Jarod did an online search for jobs with Veterans Affairs. He landed on the Wounded Warrior Project’s Warriors to Work website and uploaded his resume. Within a few weeks, he got a call from Warriors to Work—they had a job with a congressman near Jarod’s home in Texas.
Today, Jarod is a Veteran’s Affairs specialist in Congressman John Carter’s Round Rock office. It’s a job he never would have considered before Warriors to Work, but it fits him perfectly. He works with service members, helping them process their VA claims, connecting them with people who can help them work through problems, and following up with federal agencies to make sure claims are completed.
“When veterans contact Congressman Carter, we let the VA know there is another party involved who wants to see the case get handled in the proper manner,” Jarod said. “I love it. It’s easy to come to work when you love what you do. “
Eventually, Jarod plans to return to school and get that RN degree. “In the end, it all worked out. I have the support of my boss here at Congressman Carter’s office, and now I can use the new GI Bill, which has better educational benefits. I’m very thankful for this opportunity.”
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