Veterans are lining up for a different kind of bootcamp. This one is helping them adjust to civilian life with a plan for their futures in hand.
Connecticut veteran Rafael Castro has had trouble adjusting since returning from Iraq ten years ago. Castro lives with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was laid off from his job last spring. The Army Reserve veteran’s life changed for the better when met Mike Zacchea, a former Marine and director of the University of Connecticut’s entrepreneurship bootcamp for veterans with disabilities. The program provides veterans with business training and homework. It includes a 10-day bootcamp in which students have to form a business plan. Castro told the Record-Journal the course was tough but gave him a new outlook.
“I can’t say it enough, that program has given me a lot in a short period of time,” Castro said.
Since the bootcamp, Castro bought an old building which he plans to turn into a deli with the catchphrase “heroes for heroes.”
The program provides participants with one year of mentorship after graduation to ensure they achieve their goals.
“Just as in the military, everyone helped each other and got through it,” he said. “I met some people that are going to be part of my life for the rest of my life.”
(H/T Record-Journal)