Program gives injured troops 'RealLifelines'

Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said America's service members injured in the War on Terrorism have something to look forward to. Chao introduced a new program providing individualized job training, counseling and re-employment services for troops coming home.   a comprehensive new program to provide services to each and every veteran seriously injured or wounded in the War on Terrorism.

RealLifelines is a joint project between the Labor Department, the National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Dan Nichols, special assistant for Veterans Employment and Training Services at the Labor Department, recently returned from a six-month deployment in Iraq as a reserve Navy chaplain. He said the biggest problem facing injured service members is difficulties finding a job once they return to civilian life. The RealLifelines program, he said, will help the troops who have sacrificed to fight against terrorism.  

"The first thing we ask a veteran is, 'if you could do anything, what would you do?'" Nichols said. "Whatever they [say] is what we'll try our best to make happen for them."

RealLifelines will create a seamless, personalized assistance network to ensure that seriously wounded and injured service members who cannot return to active duty are trained for rewarding new careers in the private sector. "Our country owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the brave young men and women who have defended our nation with such honor in the Global War on Terror," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "These wounded veterans are to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve and all of us need to do all we can to help them transition successfully to careers in the private sector."  

The program also reaches out to wounded veterans' family because sometimes their injury prevents them from working. RealLifelines provides the same job training to family members because injuries don't just affect the service member.

The program is also dedicated to the service member's long-term welfare. RealLifelines will check-up routinely to ensure the veteran has everything they need.

The program creates a new team to work full-time with America's recovering wounded. Dedicated professionals stationed on site will meet personally with each wounded veteran at the Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospitals. They will help each person discover his or her special interests and unique talents. They will help each veteran find the right career path to suit his or her special needs. And they will be there to answer questions and provide insight into the processes of choosing job training opportunities and career paths. In addition, to ensure that everyone is served, a new national follow-up system will be established to ensure that each wounded veteran receives personalized assistance as he or she returns home and transitions to the private sector.

A key part of the program will be the services available at the Department of Labor's nationwide network of One Stop Career Centers. In addition to assisting wounded veterans, job training and employment services will also be made available to spouses in families that have suffered an active duty casualty, as well as to family members who have temporarily left their jobs to be with their loved ones during recovery. Participating with Secretary Chao in the launch of the REALifelines program were Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer, Jr., Commanding General of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Rear Adm. Adam M. Robinson, Commanding Officer of the Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

"RealLifelines is a program," Nichols said, "to repay our service members for what they've done for our freedom and our country."