A program that aims to provide ill and injured service members with valuable work experience was launched on June 18 in Texas.

The Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) at Fort Sam Houston unveiled the Operation Warfighter (OWF) federal internship program. The program places ill and injured service members who are recuperating in various military treatment facilities all over the United States in supportive work settings that will help in their rehabilitation.

In addition to having a positive impact on their recovery, Operation Warfighter will also help these recovering service members build their resumes, explore their employment interests, get formal and on-the-job training, and gain valuable government work experience. This will help enhance their employment readiness, and prepare them for the future.

Everett Ybarra, lead for METC faculty and staff development and METC’s OWF project coordinator, shared: “It’s about taking care of the troops, that kind of commitment that never ends… Transition is always a challenge for service members… It’s a life change, and their life has already been altered by their injuries. Anything we can do to facilitate the process will help better their lives, their future outlook.”

Erasmo Valles, OWF regional coordinator for San Antonio, shared: “The opportunities that all the federal agencies provide give our service members a helping hand up to a new career focus… Our interns realize that they can move beyond their wounds, illnesses and injuries to reenter and be productive in any work environment.”