A Brief But Spectacular take on translating military service into civilian life

Geoff Bennett:

Military veterans bring valuable leadership skills and experience to the civilian work force, but translating those skills into job opportunities can sometimes be a challenge.

Tonight, Dwight Boddorf, a Marine Corps veteran wounded while serving in Iraq, shares his Brief But Spectacular take on why veterans deserve a fair shot at service.

Dwight Boddorf, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran:

Veterans often get stereotyped. Either everybody's a hero or everybody has post-traumatic stress disorder.

There are hiring managers and employers that make assumptions on both sides, and I think both do a disservice to the veteran. We want to be treated like everybody else. All we're asking for is for a fair shot and for you to put some effort into learning what some of those military jobs and skill sets are.

I was 19 when I deployed to Iraq. It was the summer of 2006. In October, my vehicle, the LAV, was hit by an improvised explosive device, also known as an IED. Two of my friends lost their lives. I came out with some serious head trauma and fractures and then spinal muscle and nerve damage, which ultimately led me to a medical retirement from the Marine Corps.

I had envisioned 20 years in the Marines. Having that ripped from you in milliseconds is devastating. Integrating back into civilian life was difficult. When you're a company commander, for example, and you put that down on your job application or your resume, most people are not going to know what that means.

But you have led hundreds of people through really tough environments. You have been in charge of tens of millions of dollars. You have been directly responsible for life-and-death objectives, logistics, human resources, all of these things that theoretically should translate well into the civilian work force, but a lot of civilian leaders don't understand that experience.

So I currently serve as a municipal manager in the Pittsburgh area. So we're the power company. We're the water company. Essentially, we're the CEO of the town. Being adaptable and figuring out a way to get it done, those are skill sets that are really, really useful in almost any field that you go into in the civilian sector.

There is no such thing as not my job in the military. Every place needs leaders who are calm under fire, who can adapt, who will get the job done even if the mission parameters change. There certainly should be a better avenue in connecting those service members and veterans to civilian jobs.

My name is Dwight Boddorf. This is my Brief But Spectacular take on translating military service into civilian life.

Geoff Bennett:

And you can watch more Brief But Spectacular videos online at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.