Something Special
There is something special, unique, and valuable to occurs in the life of any man or woman who engages in service to their country through the Armed Forces. They are not the same individual after the experience that they were when taking their initial oath of office. It is this lasting difference that the AdventureVets program seeks out, identifies, and then assists the veteran in leveraging, qualities that enhance a career and make them a valuable asset to their country.
If we were to make a list of the characteristics, qualities, or aspects of a U.S. military veteran, the list would look something like this:
- Tenacity
- Fearless
- Committed
- Mission Focused
- Loyal
- Decisive
- Reliable
- Leader
When exactly a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or coast guardsman acquires and strengthens these factors in their lives, personalities, and way of living is not easy to nail down. But what we do know is that they emerge from service having them all. Each of these are valuable to an employer, so it is no wonder that employers specifically seek out veterans to place in open positions, especially those critical positions that are more suited for a warrior than for a civilian without the warrior experience.
At the Ready
And due to the nature of service, many veterans have a particular acclimation and desire to remain primarily in the outdoors while performing whatever duty they accept. After one or more years operating primarily outdoors, especially in high-alert status, a veterans develops a natural proclivity and comfort zone for performing duties where there are limited or no walls, where the normal state of being is high-awareness of their environment, and where a moderate level of discomfort is not only accepted, but expected.
For these veterans, the prospects of working in-doors, at a desk, or in a closed, calm environment is detrimental to not only their career satisfaction, but diminishes their talents, strengths, training, and experience. Whereas training these veterans to serve in outdoor, high-awareness positions provides a better fit for their “new normal” that they and Uncle Sam have worked so hard to develop and maintain.
As a result, the Adventure Vets program was developed to provide veterans a vehicle for getting from here to there – from Service to Placement. It serves only veterans. And the program it is fully donor supported.
What We Owe
It is rare to speak to an American who does not recognize fully that men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces have made a commitment that pales in comparison to most others one can make to their homeland. And then the forces arrive home, when they walk off their base, post, or ship, they still are due the honor and civilian commitment to usher them back into civilian life in a way that honors their service. The Adventure Vets program is one way to do that, in a very real, tangible, long-term way.
