27,000 and counting

            SYRACUSE , NY - Improvements in body armor and other technological advances have resulted in an unprecedented number of U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan surviving major injuries - but returning disabled. The number of U.S. soldiers injured as of July, exceeded 27,000.

            Unfortunately, for the veteran returning from war with a disability, the traditional means to “climb the economic ladder” are often closed due to his or her disability. This individual faces policy and attitudinal barriers affecting employment opportunities. One in five returning U.S. soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan comes from a town with fewer than 5,000 residents. Roadblocks to economic productivity for a veteran with disabilities affect not only the soldier, but also the soldier’s community. Notably, many of these veterans

are in their early to mid-20s.

            On Aug. 11, the Dept. of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University launched the second phase - onsite training - of its inaugural “Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities” (EBV), an experiential training program in entrepreneurship and small business management for veterans identified as disabled from service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation Enduring Freedom.

            “Entrepreneurship is a means through which veterans with disabilities can engage the economic engine of their community,” says Mike Haynie, assistant professor of entrepreneurship in the Whitman School and a former major in the U.S. Air Force. “Statistics show people with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to be self-employed as the general population. With this unique program, veterans with disabilities will gain the necessary training and education to develop skills for small business creation.”

            EBV focuses on practical training in the tools of new venture creation and growth, reflecting issues unique to disability and public benefits. The program is training veterans with disabilities such as:

• Rusten May, 23, from Theriot, La., was an Army sniper in Iraq and won a bronze star for valor, but now struggles with physical and mental scars from his service. While recovering from shrapnel wounds, May has enrolled at a college in Louisiana to pursue his bachelor’s degree.

• Christina Hill, 24, from Perry Point, Md., was a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic and vehicle recovery specialist in Iraq and was injured when a 127mm rocket exploded less than 10 feet away from her. A postal carrier before she entered the service, Hill is undergoing treatment to regain the use of her right arm and seeks to start a specialty automotive service company that sells and services rare and vintage automobiles.

• Eric DeJonge, 39, from Winston-Salem , N.C. , is a former drill sergeant who was awarded the bronze star for valor in Iraq after losing his right eye in an improvised explosive device blast. Before deploying, he started a limousine business with three friends and, though the business became defunct while he was serving in Iraq , he is interested in starting it again.

• Charles Blackwell, 45, from Marietta , Ga. , is an Army medic who served in Iraq and wants to develop an institute to help the homeless.

• Frank Garren, 33, from Auburn , Ill. , is a sergeant in the Army who survived an improvised explosive device attack in Iraq and seeks to start a tactical solutions business.

• Jim Wilkes, 31, from Potsdam , N.Y. , is an Army first lieutenant who founded an organization to provide counseling to combat veterans.

            Through experiential workshops and lessons from entrepreneurship faculty, these veterans and other EBV participants are learning how to write business plans, raise capital, attract customers, and determine what type of marketing is most effective for their business model, whether or not they need to hire employees, and how to take their business venture to the next level. The program - including travel, lodging and meals - is free to all participating veterans through the private giving of individuals and corporations.

The first phase of EBV began July 17 and prepared participants for the onsite training through online learning modules and discussion groups.

            The Dept. of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises is ranked among the top entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report, Entrepreneurship Magazine, and The Princeton Review. EBV is offered in collaboration with Syracuse University ’s Burton Blatt Institute, which seeks to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities (whitman.syr.edu, bbi.syr.edu, whitman.syr.edu/eee/veterans).