Jarod Myers
Wounded Warrior Fellow Jarod Myers
works as a veteran’s caseworker in the
District office of Rep. John Carter.
After a deployment to Iraq, Army Corporal Jarod Myers found himself at a medical installment in Germany, angry, dejected and feeling alone in the world. He knew there were many other soldiers who felt the same way, so the infantryman decided to do something about it.
“I petitioned my superiors and asked to start a new program,” Myers said. “I basically became a caseworker for people that really didn’t have anyone to talk to — to wounded soldiers who didn’t feel comfortable talking to someone who hadn’t been there.”
In addition to counseling soldiers, airmen and Marines, Myers made flight arrangements for families to visit their loved ones in Germany.
Before Myers started the program, he said, little emotional support was offered to soldiers who often spent months recovering at the base. “You could tell that they needed to talk to someone. I knew it was important for these guys to learn how to cope,” he said.
Talking to his fellow soldiers also helped Myers, 24, bounce back from a profound depression, he said.
“It was very therapeutic for me too. I just told them, ‘This is what I’m dealing with and maybe we can help each other.’”
Nine months after he founded the program, Myers was medically discharged from the Army. Soon after, he moved back to his native Indiana and worked at a prosthetics company.
But he didn’t know what his next step would be.
He married and moved to Texas, where he began searching for a “bigger” opportunity and, through the Veterans Affairs (VA) website, discovered the Wounded Warrior Program.
Shortly after he applied Myers was accepted into the program and hired as a veteran’s caseworker in the office of Rep. John Carter.
“I feel like I’ve really come full circle,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for me and I’ll also be able to help some of the guys navigate the often difficult VA’s system. Serving the Fort Hood area will be an added privilege as the drawdown brings an increased number of currently-deployed soldiers back to the Army’s largest facility.”
Myers is currently pursuing a degree in sociology at Austin Community College.
“I know I can’t change everything, but I think I can make a difference,” he said.
