Kortney Clemons    
   
Hire Heroes USA is a proud sponsor of Mr. Kortney Clemons.

Kortney's Bio: After losing a leg in roadside bomb in 2005 while helping a colleague, Mr. Kortney Clemons was the first Iraq war Veteran to qualify for the U.S. Paralympic team and compete at the Beijing Games.

Five days before he was due to be discharged from the Army, on Feb. 21, 2005, 24 year old Clemons, a combat medic in the 1st Cavalry Division, went to help a soldier whose Humvee had been blown off a dirt road outside Baghdad by an insurgent's bomb. He was preparing the wounded soldier for an evacuation when another bomb exploded and killed three other nearby medics and devastatingly injured Clemons' right leg above the knee.

"I crawled to the other side of the road where my friends were, and they covered me up," Clemons said. "I was sitting, talking to them, and they were trying to keep me alert." Doctors severed Clemons' right leg from the mid-thigh down. He was later transported to an Army rehabilitation center in San Antonio, and then fitted with a natural-looking, flesh-tone prosthetic that allows him to walk on his own with a limp. "It was like starting all over. It was like a new beginning for me," Clemons said. "I can do what anyone else does, it just takes a little more time."

Six months later Clemons began running with a prosthetic limb, insisting he went through a period of "re-introducing myself to myself".  Yet Clemons insists he searched his soul for the reasons that God would want to take his leg, and found solace in sprinting.  "I came to the realisation that he did this for a reason. He wanted me to make something more of myself. I had to lose my leg to find the real me." A few months after that uplifting first run he claimed the US national Paralympic title in the 100m sprint. He failed to win a medal in Beijing, but the single amputee continues to improve.  The native of Little Rock, Mississippi, has always loved sports. Before joining the Army, he played junior college football and in spite of being 5ft10 and 145lbs, was a formidable defensive back. He has shown the same inspiration as a Paralympian.

Clemons insists he is "living proof that you can accomplish anything".
 

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Hired Heroes: Erik and Kristen Shaw, US Army

In February of 2008, Erik Shaw presented himself to Hire Heroes USA for career placement assistance. An unemployed U.S. Army veteran wounded in combat, Erik had served as a scout and sniper team leader and Bradley commander with the Elite 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment in Iraq, participating in the liberation of Tal Afar, the last Al-Qaeda stronghold in Iraq. Erik's dilemma was his inability to find work in proximity to his wife Kristen's new job as a graphic designer. Having first met in Korea while both were members of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division, the Shaws were at this time living in Shady Side, MD.

HHUSA, through its partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), was able to arrange for Erik to interview for a position within UPMC's IT sector. Erik succeeded in landing the job, beginning work on April 1st in Pittsburgh and also beginning a trying period of commuting home to Shady Side on weekends to visit his wife and daughter.

Fortune smiled upon the Shaw's on July 7th, when HHUSA and UPMC were able to identify a graphic design position within UPMC's Physician Services Division for Kristen. Erik, Kristen and their daughter, Kayla, are currently settled happily in Erik's hometown of Pittsburgh, content in their new careers and working for an outstanding and compassionate organization - a truly happy ending for the Shaw family!

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Hired Hero:  Jerry Cortinas, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army

Jerry Cortinas joined the Army in May of 1995. After serving over three years, he decided to turn his passion and love for the military into a career. In October 1998, Jerry joined the Army's elite Special Forces division. His decision and dedication to serve sent him on numerous deployments over the next few years, including tours in Peru, Ecuador and Columbia. In January 2004, while deployed to Afghanistan with the 7th Special Forces group, Jerry was severely wounded during combat operations.

Jerry officially retired as a Staff Sergeant from the United States Army in October of 2004. It took several months for his discharge paperwork to be processed, leaving him without a job and without a paycheck until the following January. Married with two young children, Jerry fervently sought employment to support his family. He attempted working at a local boot camp for teens, but found the transition from an extremely active military career into a civilian career as an amputee tumultuous. A highly trained career soldier, Jerry had difficulty finding a job that matched his qualifications and interests.

In January 2008, Jerry came in contact with Hire Heroes USA through the Department of Defense Army Wounded Warrior Program. After speaking with the HHUSA team, Jerry felt confident that he was being steered in the right direction. When asked about his experience working with HHUSA, Jerry replied, "The Hire Heroes USA team understood what kind of job I wanted and they understood my qualifications and circumstance. With my military background, I knew that I had the qualifications to do something that would benefit me and my family."  With the assistance of HHUSA, Jerry was hired by ICI Oregon, a defense contractor, in February of this year.

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Hired Hero: Lolita Manghram

Lolita Manghram, is the Meetings Registration Manager at MedAssets’ corporate office in metro Atlanta is a veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

As a fitness specialist and a food service specialist in the United States Air Force, Manghram experienced severe nerve damage in her hands during deployment. She was discharged from the Air Force in 2004 and she was deemed disabled by the Veterans Administration.

Manghram learned about the Hire Heroes USA program while enrolled in the work-study program through the Veterans Administration and was inspired by the experiences of Justin Callahan, a disabled Operation Enduring Freedom veteran who inspired the development of Hire Heroes USA.

Manghram is now adjusting to civilian life and her career at MedAssets. She is thankful for the help she received through the Hire Heroes USA program, which has given her hope that anything is possible.