An article from the Seattle Times describes how a former Stryker Brigade soldier enrolled in a program to transition veterans to civilian life.
COVINGTON — At a subdivision in Southeast King County, nine people wield shovels, picks and machetes to hack down blackberry thickets that have overgrown a tiny wetland.Hour by hour, they clear more of the brambles, revealing cedar and other native plants that had been enveloped by the thorny bushes.
Every person on this crew is a military veteran, most of whom served in Iraq or Afghanistan. All are hoping to forge new careers through the Veterans Conservation Corps, a state-financed program that helps them tackle two big challenges of civilian life — finding new employment and coping with the psychic battle scars of war.