The why, who, and what behind this Website: Able Veterans:

Why did I create AbleVeterans.com?: The name of this Website “Able Veterans” was chosen because so-called “disabled veterans” are actually quite able to do many things. Not just for themselves, but for employers and customers as well.

So please focus on what they are able to do.

If you are an employer please consider recruiting able veterans. They’ve proven themselves at least once before and will prove to you that with some training and guidance that they are able to perform for your organization as well.

If you are aware of job-related sites and resources that will help us in our cause to find opportunities for Able Veterans please contact us using the contact form on the site.

If you know of an Able Veteran turned entrepreneur, please send us details and we will give them exposure on our Website at no cost to them.

Who am I?: My name is David Coakley and I grew up an “Army Brat”. Not so much because I was a brat, but more because my father was in the US Army. I was born (a long time ago) at Fort Benning Georgia where my mom & dad were stationed during his Army Ranger training.

Like most military families we liked moving around a lot.

• When I was 1 we headed off to K-Town (Kaiserslautern) Germany where we lived for a few years.
• When I was 5 we moved to Northern Virginia where my dad worked at the Pentagon involved in military intelligence.
• Five years later, while I was in the sixth grade, we packed up and headed back to Germany. This time we lived in Munich Germany down in the southern region near Austria and the Alps. What I remember most is that we had no TV, no NFL football, and no cartoons on the weekends. But… looking back those were some of the best years we had as kids, or at least for me they were. Because we had no TV, cartoons, foul movies, etc… all we could do was go outside and PLAY! Or catch a movie on base for 10 cents.
• We were in Munich during the 1972 Olympics and I just happened to be at the village the day after the terrorists took the Israeli wrestlers hostage. I was 12 at the time and didn’t “get it”, but I remember a lot of very sad people riding the “S-bahn” (subway) that afternoon. It was my first experience with terrorism and I’ll never forget the ride home that day.
• When I was 13 we returned to our home VA.

Not to bore you with my medical history, but it’s an important ingredient of who I am and how I came to launch this site.

• Less then 2 years after returning to the states I developed a large lump on my index finger that turned out to be hemangioma, which is a tumor. The surgery to remove this large lump was performed at Walter Reed General Hospital in Maryland in May of 1974. That experience was one I’ll never forget despite only being there for 4 days and 3 nights. I was the only civilian, and a young one at that, in the large room that held 30-50 people. No walls, not-so-great food, and a lot of soldiers.
• During that hospital stay I watched and listened to a lot of things. Mostly what I recall is the good cheer of the soldiers during the day and several episodes of soldiers talking or shouting in their sleep.
• The ICU after my surgery was horrible. Another room this time with perhaps 20 or so soldiers post-surgery. Constant moans and screams. Horrible experience and I just couldn’t get out of there soon enough.
• This hospital experience (I assume) led to my passion for war movies and anything soldier or combat related. Having witnessed one the uglier results of war I guess I feel obligated to understand what these men and women go through during battle.

Many years later on September 11th 2001 my cousin Kenny Lewis and his wife Jennifer, flight attendants,  were on American Airlines flight #77 that was flown into the Pentagon. Our family is still grieving their deaths. The thousands of young men and women who were motivated to join the military in part because of 9-11 have my undying respect and gratitude. They and all of the other soldiers and veterans deserve yours as well.

These experiences have led me here to Able Veterans. I suppose it’s my way of trying to help out those soldiers and others like them that have done so much for me, my family, my friends, and fellow countrymen.

What can I do?: Thus far in my limited spare time I work on the site, and tweet (http://twitter.com/AbleVeterans), to share resources with Able Veterans and their families. I find, and sometimes write, articles about available resources, organizations, or other topics I believe are interesting and relevant. If you have anything to offer, suggestions, articles, links, encouragement, please do so. You can use the contact form or email me at david at ableveterans.com. Someday I may go for it and turn Able Veterans into a non-profit and build this into something truly valuable to able veterans. If you are interested in that possibility please get in touch. Dreaming of ways to make a difference is never a bad thing.

Thank you for visiting Able Veterans!

Sincerely,

David Coakley