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.