My Experiences with Veterans Green Corps

Posted on 07. Jul, 2009 by admin in Participant Blogs

On the morning of the 22nd of June, myself and seven other OIF/OEF Veterans embarked on a trail clearing hitch in the back country forest of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. In 10 days we hiked 70 lb packs over 34 miles of nearly abandoned woods, all the while leaving no trace of our temporal presence. Days began as early as 5 am and after 10 or so hours of cross-cut sawing, drain construction and general trail maintenance, I had little difficulty falling asleep with the sun.

There is something I find rewarding about an early to bed – early to rise, day of hard work. In addition, the Veterans I am lucky enough to serve with, bare the knowledge, functionality, and cohesion of a professional crew with decades of combined experience. We have three more similar hitches leading into the end of August, and I am looking forward to the wealth of knowledge to be attained from such a diverse yet united group of individuals.

On August 24th Veterans Green Corps will be launching its 13-week, Fire Fuels Reduction Program. The program’s overview will include fire fuels reduction & mitigation, noxious tree removal, and forestry and wildfire education projects on Colorado Public lands. Work will include: wild land urban interface thinning; beetle-kill Juniper thinning; Russian Olive and Tamarisk removal; and habitat enhancement thinning projects. Members will receive firefighting and power equipment national standard S-212 and 130/190 certifications.

I need to express thanks and admiration for the dedicated folks at the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) in conjunction with Veterans Green Jobs for the outstanding opportunities they’ve made available to myself and my fellow Veterans.

If you are a current era Veteran looking for a challenge, and could use some work, don’t hesitate to check the web site and fill out an application.

-Ray Curry
USMC OIF Veteran
Veterans Green Jobs Energy Efficiency Professional