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September 21, 2010
TUCSON - One of Southern Arizona's largest employers, Raytheon Missile Systems, has an unusual program that seeks out wounded warriors to come to work for the company.
For 13 years, Raytheon employee Derek Duplisea was a soldier in the United States Army.
In 2006 he almost died in Iraq.
Duplisea says, "A female suicide bomber walked up on our position. I didn't see her. She came up from behind and detonated herself."
Duplisea holds the helmet he was wearing at that moment and says, "A piece of shrapnel penetrated my helmet here, slowed it down enough where it penetrated my skull and lodged into my brain."
He almost lost an arm and both of his legs were badly injured.
When he realized how badly he was injured, he says, "It was hard to swallow. And right then I had to make that decision to move on with my life. I knew right then I had the biggest challenge ahead of me as a soldier." Duplisea, who retired as an Army Sergeant First Class, moved on at Raytheon Missile Systems.
He works in a program called Operation Phoenix, which seeks out wounded warriors to work for the defense contractor.
Joe Jackson, a Raytheon recruiter, says, "We feel it's the right thing to do. It's good for the country, it's good for the individual and it's good for business." Jackson says veterans bring discipline and leadership to the job and they understand the defense industry.
He says, "One day they are the users of our equipment and the next day, when they make that transition, they become the producers of the same equipment."
Raytheon created its wounded warrior program in 2009. Today four work for the defense giant and 10 others are in the recruitment stage.
Duplisea says, "The biggest way it helps me is I get to go out there and I get to help out other wounded warriors like myself."
He says, "My job in the Army as a Senior NCO, as a Sergeant First Class, was taking care of soldiers. And that is still my job as a wounded warrior liaison with Raytheon."
Raytheon has campuses worldwide. But its wounded warrior program started right here in Tucson. The company also recruits other military veterans.
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