![\"\"](\"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/pressrelease\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2011\/10\/Staff-Sgt-Fowler-WDC-300x200.jpg\" "\\"Staff")
<\/a><\/p>\nWACO<\/strong> \u2013 Staff Sgt. Shad Fowler was on a patrol in Iraq when an IED detonated nearby and changed his life forever.\u00a0 After being medically evacuated, he recovered and remained on active duty.\u00a0 Fowler said that after that, \u201cI ended up deploying two more times to Iraq, and when I came back this time, my body kind of gave out on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Fowler is now going through physical therapy and at the same time participating in an internship program where he works at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Waco Distribution Center, a facility which ships more than $745 million of goods annually to Exchange facilities throughout the central United States.<\/p>\n The Exchange supports wounded or injured warriors by participating in Operation Warfighter.\u00a0 According to the DoD website:\u00a0 \u201cOperation Warfighter (OWF) is a Federal internship program for wounded, ill, and injured Service members.\u00a0The main objective of OWF is to place servicemembers in supportive work settings that positively impact their recuperation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The program provides an opportunity for transitioning Service members to augment their employment readiness as they build their resumes, explore employment interests, develop job skills, experience formal and on-the-job training opportunities as well as gain valuable work experience.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way the program works is troops who are going through treatment get to participate in an internship to learn a marketable skill,\u201d said the Exchange\u2019s Chief of Organizational Development and Recruiting, Chris Haefner. \u201cThe idea is to help prepare them for the time when they leave the service. With the Exchange being a $10 billion-a-year business, we can offer some unique training opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n The Exchange\u2019s Wounded Warrior program is currently operating in two places, but will grow in the future, particularly in locations underserved by other federal agencies.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now at the Exchange our OWF program is in its infancy,\u201d said Haefner. \u201cWe have two locations with fully operational programs: Fort Hood and the Waco Distribution Center.\u00a0 We are planning to expand into several more locations, including:\u00a0 Joint Base San Antonio, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Drum, Fort Riley, and our Newport News Distribution Center.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The Exchange has placed five personnel in the program, all with highly successful results for both sides. The organization works to place personnel in fields they are interested in or that they already have some background in.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe had one person working in our FMO (Field Management Office) and another in our admin office at Fort Hood,\u201d said Haefner. \u201cWe placed another service member, Staff Sgt. David Shaw, in our LP department, which is similar to the work a store detective or security agent would perform.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an opportunity of a lifetime,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cGetting wounded takes something from you and you feel that with a disability, you can\u2019t perform. Operation Warfighter places you in an environment where you can show yourself and others that you can still be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Fowler, who previously served as a battalion motor sergeant with the 1st<\/sup> Cavalry Division, works in the Waco Distribution Center maintenance department inputting records and checking the readiness status on long-haul trucks.\u00a0 He said, \u201cIt\u2019s a very welcoming environment down here.\u00a0 I do recommend this program. It\u2019s a very good program for wounded Soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n What advice would Haefner give to wounded warriors?<\/p>\n \u201cEvery Warrior Transition Brigade or WTB has a transition coordinator in charge of the internship program,\u201d said Haefner. \u201cI would advise all wounded or injured warriors to talk with their coordinator and check out this program.\u00a0 You might just find the job of a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201330 \u2013<\/p>\n The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is a joint command and is directed by a Board of Directors which is responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force through the Service Chiefs of Staff. The Exchange has the dual mission of providing authorized patrons with articles of merchandise and services and generating non-appropriated fund earnings as a supplemental source of funding for military Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Media Notes:\u00a0 <\/strong>For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Lt. Col. Tom Shrader at 214-312-2753 or shraderte@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t