\u201cServing in the Army gives you confidence,\u201d said Lt. Col. Eric Warner. Dressed in a gray suit and coordinating silver-blue tie, Warner added, \u201cI\u2019m Joe Public now. It\u2019s challenging to explain who I am and what I do when I\u2019m out of uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n
An active duty soldier, Warner currently works in the Strategic Initiatives Department of the\u00a0U.S. Army Soldier for Life\u00a0program (SFL). SFL connects Army, government and community efforts that provide education, employment and healthcare resources and opportunities to support soldiers, veterans and their families. He found himself in a unique position at a\u00a0Hiring Our Heroes\u00a0Career Fair in Washington, D.C.: he attended as both a member of SFL staff and as a job seeker.<\/p>\n
![\"](\"http:\/\/hiringheroes.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Warner2_0-300x226.png\")
Warner will retire from a 24-year Army career at the end of this year.\u00a0\u201cYou look back at all your accomplishments and you say \u2018I can do this,\u2019\u201d said Warner of finding a civilian job. As he looked around at the hundreds of service members, veterans and employers in attendance, he added, \u201cYou also realize it\u2019s not as easy as you thought it would be. You can\u2019t just show up\u2014you\u2019ve got to do your homework and focus your efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The transition from soldier to civilian can be difficult, especially when it comes to finding a career that fits the individual\u2019s skills and needs.\u00a0SFL\u00a0works with\u00a0Hiring Our Heroes\u00a0to help translate military skills to civilian jobs, and to connect soldiers, veterans and their families with meaningful employment opportunities. To date, these hiring fairs have led to 369,000 confirmed veteran hires. Hiring Our Heroes does not plan to stop there. Their ultimate goal is to increase that number to 500,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransition is inevitable,\u201d said Warner. \u201cWhether you serve four years or 24 years, every soldier, veteran and military family will transition one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inevitable though it may be, many soldiers do not start planning for civilian life until close to their date of retirement or separation.\u00a0SFL\u00a0wants to change that. \u201cMeaningful employment in the civilian world enables our soldiers, veterans and their families to remain Army strong even after transition, and to serve as leaders and as contributing members of their communities,\u201d Warner said. By thinking of \u201cSoldier for Life\u201d as a mindset, soldiers, veterans and their families will take the Army values and ethics they live by in the service and apply them as civilians, making their communities better places to live and grow.<\/p>\n
Warner walked from table to table, talking to different employers about opportunities for transitioning or former service members. He was most interested in Department of Homeland Security agencies– like many soldiers, he wants to work in a profession that allows him to continue to serve. His dream job is to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), helping the nation to build its capacity to respond to hazards. \u201cThe military taught me the power of service and of helping people,\u201d said Warner. \u201cI want to continue that as a civilian.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"](\"http:\/\/hiringheroes.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Eric-Warner-300x227.png\")
In his dual position as SFL staff and transitioning soldier, Warner sees both sides of the system. His advice: \u201cNo matter the company, there’s probably a job for you. A soldier’s leadership skills and ability to solve problems will always be in demand.\u201d His other piece of advice: “start thinking about this early.”<\/p>\n
To learn more about the Soldier for Life program, visit\u00a0www.SoldierForLife.Army.mil<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Wenceslao Angulo is the Communications Director, U.S. Army Soldier for Life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cServing in the Army gives you confidence,\u201d said Lt. Col. Eric Warner. Dressed in a gray suit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,53],"tags":[60,66,59],"service_role":[],"class_list":["post-507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-stories-of-success","tag-military-installations","tag-military-transition","tag-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n