Those in the military who were deployed multiple times to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan often struggle transitioning back into “normal” society.
A three-week workshop aimed at helping these service members through all aspects of civilian life–including finding employment–is coming to Brandman University's Irvine campus in mid-September, but because space is limited organizers are getting the word out now.
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Presented by San Diego-based nonprofit National Veterans Transition Services, which develops strategies for returning military personnel to civilian life, the free Reboot workshop is scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Brandman University Irvine Campus, 16355 Laguna Canyon Road, Irvine. Visit www.rebootworkshop.org to register.
Reeboot was launched by retired Navy officers Rear Adm. Ronne Froman and Master Chief Petty Officer Maurice Wilson in July 2010, after they became concerned with the increasing number of former service members who reported issues transitioning back to “real life,” according to a Brandman University release.
“The concept is that if you have to go through boot camp to
be acculturated for military service, there should be a program
when you leave service as well–that is the goal for Reboot,” explains Froman, who notes his organization has so far helped more than 600 men and women.
The goal is to get veterans the career, employment, education, living, personal effectiveness and well-being resources they may not even know are available to them. This is crucial, because statistics show war veterans suffer from high unemployment and higher rates of substance abuse and homelessness.
“With the conflict in Iraq winding down and the coming military withdrawal from Afghanistan, more and more service members need support like this,” Wilson predicts.
To that end, the Reboot organizers always welcome employers who are interested in participating in the program. For more information, or to donate, call (866) 535-7624 or visit www.nvtsi.org.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.