TAMPA, Fla. – Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week in the Bay Area is underway in downtown Tampa, with the Tampa Convention Center and the JW Marriott hosting dozens of plenary sessions.
Read more All-female Flight of Honor gives Florida veterans long-overdue recognition in Washington, D.C.
Wednesday morning will bring indoor and outdoor demonstrations of the latest equipment.
There are also dozens of groups holding information sessions to help active duty and retired special forces members navigate daily life.
Transitioning to civilian life
What they’re saying:
Jessica Baltazar remembers what it was like to realize that she needed a plan.
“How do you find purpose in what you do every day?” Baltazar remembers asking herself.
After six years in the Air Force, including a stint in Kuwait, Baltazar had to figure out how to parlay her military experience.
“So, it’s marketable, so, you can use that versus just kind of closing [the military] door and moving forward,” Baltazar said.
Baltazar is now a national service officer with the Wounded Warrior Project. She is holding information sessions at SOF Week.
Unique challenges
Why you should care:
Baltazar says the problems with transition, from military to civilian, are particularly acute with special operations members.
Read more ‘Rachel Dolezal’ back in spotlight after revealing new career choice
Transitioning military members are often in desperate need of medical care because, according to Baltazar, they tend not to report their injuries.
“They are more concerned about the mission than their bodies sometimes,” Baltazar said. “So, ensuring that they know how to protect themselves for a lifetime more than just their current situation.”
The backstory:
Baltazar is amidst hundreds of speakers, contractors and vendors who are using the platform of SOF Week to reach 25,000 others who are either on active duty or who are interested in doing business with them.
Recurrent Military is one of the organizers and says a pressing concern is linking two generations together, those who fought in the post-9/11 wars, and those who are deploying now to places like Iran.
“It’s really finding a great opportunity to connect with one another through shared experiences and also tell those great stories about their experiences to encourage the next generation to step up in support of their community,” Melissa Bird of Recurrent Military said.
What’s next:
Bird says the demonstrations of the latest equipment, scheduled for Wednesday, are a great entry point for new ideas.
The eye-catching displays often lead to wide-open ears.
“After the withdrawal from Afghanistan, we really saw public interest start to dwindle a little bit in our nation’s military,” Bird said. “But they’re still out there every day serving overseas, serving domestically here in our country.”
Read more Trump drops $10B IRS lawsuit in deal to compensate prosecuted allies
About the Author
