Amanda Sullivan

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (May 19, 2022) More than 250 transitioning service members, veterans and their family members attended a career summit hosted by the Fort Leonard Wood Transition Assistance Program team May 12 at Nutter Field House.

Attendees had the opportunity to receive resume assistance, learn interview techniques and participate in networking classes on what industries are looking for in transitioning service members and how to make lasting connections, said TAP Manager Walter Harris.

Additionally, Harris said 80 vendors were on hand to speak with job seekers, with about 72,000 cumulative jobs available to them nationwide.

Not knowing what is on the other side of a military career can be intimidating, Harris added, but he hopes some left with a sense of relief.

“Transitioning is a significant time in a Soldier’s career,” he said. “It’s an unknown, so hopefully some of the stress can be alleviated if a service member leaves here with a follow-on interview or job opportunity.”

One of the Soldiers in attendance was Capt. Craig Harrell, assistant operations officer at the 169th Engineer Battalion, who is transitioning after six years of service. He has an idea of what his next career will look like, but attended the summit to learn more about the options available to him — something he said is difficult to focus on when you’re active duty.

“Events like this are extremely beneficial because, as Soldiers, we work a lot and are focused on our military career, and on military actions that don’t apply to the civilian world,” he said. “When we go out and try to get a job (after transitioning), there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainty.”

For Harrell, the networking opportunity and chance to talk to others who have stood in his boots were the biggest benefits for him.

“A great portion of the individuals here are veterans, so they have the knowledge and experience of having already been through the issues we deal with while transitioning,” he said. “I hope I can take their knowledge and experience and apply it to my own transition.”

As a retired Army officer himself, Harris said he knows the value of a smooth transition process for service members and their families.

“We owe it to them to provide opportunities, so they can be successful,” he said. “Not only for them, but so they can provide support for their families as they transition — that’s very important.”

For more information on upcoming events, or the TAP program itself, call 573.596.0175.

Pvt. Evelynn Francis, Company F, 3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment, discusses future career options with Army and Air Force Exchange Service recruiters during a career summit organized by the Fort Leonard Wood Transition Assistance Program May 12 at Nutter Field House. Eighty-two vendors participated with more than 70,000 available positions. (Photo by Amanda Sullivan, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office)
More than 80 vendors stand ready to recruit transitioning service members during a career summit May 12 at Nutter Field House, hosted by the Fort Leonard Wood Transition Assistance Program. (Photo by Amanda Sullivan, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office)

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission