Gulf Coast needs your skills - Military Careers, Second Careers - Air Force Times

Gulf Coast needs your skills

The future of the Gulf Coast region of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and the historic city of New Orleans, is in the hands of its people.

And the better the people, the better the region’s chances of rebuilding after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

But many of the region’s residents — an estimated 50 to 60 percent of New Orleans’ pre-Katrina inhabitants — still haven’t returned.

That means more work needs to be done than there are people around to do it. And for troops about to leave the service, it means plenty of jobs available that can do a lot of good for a lot of people.

New Orleans needs good workers, particularly in the fields of policing and health care, Mayor C. Ray Nagin told a Senate committee earlier this year. Construction jobs are plentiful.

“If you get people to come back and invest, come back and contribute sweat equity, it can really affect the direction of the city,” said Narayan Sastry, associate professor of population studies at the University of Michigan and adjunct senior social scientist for the Rand Corp., a nonprofit research group that is studying post-hurricane New Orleans.

After years of serving your country in the armed forces — often in conditions far more austere than the Gulf South — the right job for you might be with the Gulf Coast’s rebuilding forces.

So if you’re looking to continue serving your country while you figure out what’s next in your life, even a short-term job in the Gulf Coast region can make a difference.

Just ask reservist Twyla Johnson and veterans Billy Sevin and David Molaison.

Reservist to rebuilder

Johnson, 27, an Army Reserve specialist serving as a paralegal specialist with the 461st Adjutant General Company, returned to her hometown of Houma, La., in August. She was pursuing a master’s degree and teaching certification from Mercer University in Atlanta when Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005.

Johnson put her education on hold to work as an AmeriCorps VISTA participant assigned to Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity in her home region, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in southern Louisiana.

Habitat for Humanity builds houses to sell to selected families at no profit, financed by affordable loans. Families must contribute “sweat equity” in the form of help with construction.

Johnson’s job involved meeting with families who’d applied to the program, evaluating their standards of living and helping to determine who was selected to receive a Habitat for Humanity house.

“I spend a lot of time with the families,” Johnson said. “It has actually been really rewarding. They tell you their stories. They’re always feeding us.”

Johnson described a newlywed couple, displaced by the storm, who visited their new Habitat house for the first time during its dedication.

“They walked into the house, and every room they went into, they cried,” Johnson said. “They thought it was so nice.”

Johnson will take away more from her Habitat for Humanity experience than the monthly stipend and education grant she’s entitled to as an AmeriCorps VISTA participant. She’s also made professional connections during her service, getting to know people from all around the U.S. and Canada, from across the professional spectrum.

“It’s a good way to help and still think about what you want to do later,” Johnson said.

Veteran and volunteer

Sevin, a Bayou Area Habitat volunteer, served in the mortar section of an Army rifle platoon from 1954 to 1956. He didn’t join Habitat for Humanity until nearly a half-century later, and he wishes he hadn’t waited so long.

Sevin, who now is a member of the Habitat affiliate’s board of directors, hasn’t been to New Orleans since the hurricanes, but he’s seen the damage in other low-lying areas of southern Louisiana.

“It would turn your stomach to see how some of these houses were destroyed,” he said.

Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity built eight houses in 2005. In 2006, the number grew to 71, including a substantial part of a new subdivision in Gray, La.; the houses went up along Bon Jovi Boulevard, named for rock singer Jon Bon Jovi — one of the neighborhood’s benefactors along with TV personality Oprah Winfrey’s Oprah’s Angel Network. A 26-home neighborhood near Galliano, La., will follow, and the group expects to build another 75 hurricane houses in its next fiscal year.

“I just think it’s an experience anyone would enjoy — and come out better for it, especially someone who is starting out on a new part of their life,” Sevin said. “My only regret is I didn’t do it 10 or 15 years earlier.”

More than anything, Sevin said he’s enjoyed getting to know the many hundreds of Habitat for Humanity volunteers who have passed through Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes since 2005.

“They’re great people. That’s been the biggest pleasure I’ve had since joining Habitat is getting to know these people. They’re special people,” Sevin said. “They’re totally unselfish people.”

Construction workers welcome

Molaison, a New Orleans native, returned to his hometown in 2003 after leaving the Army, in which he served as a chemical officer with the 44th Medical Command. He chose to live in New Orleans to be near family.

The former major described conditions in New Orleans when he returned home after Hurricane Katrina to find about $10,000 in wind damage to his home.

“It was like the field, you know,” Molaison said. “We didn’t have power for about another month. It was no hardship for me. I read books and ate MREs. ... You protect what you have and eat. That was all you could do.”

The insurance office Molaison hoped to work for before Katrina never reopened, so he took a temporary job at a U.S. passport office and acted as an extra in two movies filmed in New Orleans — “Déjà Vu” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” He went to work for Stone and Glazing Consulting in December 2006, inspecting glass panels on a downtown high-rise.

“It’s the first time I’ve been impressed by civilian co-workers,” he said, only half-joking.

Molaison describes New Orleans as “inconsistent.” Some blocks look normal. In other places, businesses are still boarded up, “Closed due to Katrina.”

As for the business district where he works, “You can’t tell that anything happened down here.”

Molaison describes a “pioneer spirit” among the people who live and work in New Orleans now.

“There are a lot of good people here that are staying. They know the city was unique and that it can be that again,” Molaison said. “Good workers and good people with leadership skills are definitely welcome here.”

With Associated Press reports.

Protect and serve Big Easy

The New Orleans Police Department needs a few hundred more officers to fill out its ranks. That means hot job prospects for former military members interested in law enforcement careers.

New Orleans needs to recruit about 300 more people for its police force to reach a full complement of about 1,700 staff members, said Police Officer Sabrina Richardson, a department spokeswoman.

About 300 Louisiana National Guard soldiers are assigned to patrol largely abandoned New Orleans neighborhoods as part of Task Force Gator, supplementing the police department’s efforts to control crime.

There are about 1,375 officers on the force now, but in testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs on Jan. 29, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin acknowledged the department is losing about 17 officers a month, “double the attrition rate before Katrina.”

New Orleans pays its police officers during their time at the academy, Richardson said. Recruits earn a starting salary of $30,732, which they receive through five months of police academy training, four months of field training and their first year as an officer, a probationary period. Recruits must have earned a high-school diploma or its equivalent.

After the probationary year, recruits earn the rank of Police Officer I, and their salaries rise to $33,111.

Housing assistance is possible through the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation.

To learn more about joining the New Orleans Police Department, call (888) 667-3937; information includes a videotape about what it’s like to be a New Orleans police officer. Or call the foundation at (504) 558-9944.

With Associated Press reports.

Medical professionals needed

Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care has had to raise pay to maintain acceptable staffing levels in New Orleans’ competitive health care market.

Pay for entry-level jobs at the 128-bed long-term care facility used to be between $6 and $8 per hour, but it’s risen to between $8 and $11 per hour, said Administrator Wendy LoCoco.

There is a need for workers across the New Orleans health care industry, especially for paramedics, nurses, X-ray technicians and mental health professionals, LoCoco said.

“We have hospitals open, yes, but those hospitals aren’t open to capacity,” she said. “If you came out of the military and you were a nurse, the odds that you could come here with that expertise and get a job — those are great.”

Dr. Kevin Stephens Sr., director of the New Orleans Health Department, welcomes former service members who want to move to New Orleans and go to work or earn a degree for a new medical career.

“I love military people because they are very disciplined and very well-trained,” Stephens said. “This is a great opportunity for starting a career. ... I could use doctors, nurses — you name it.”

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is administering a $15 million federal grant aimed at drawing physicians and other medical professionals to the New Orleans area.

The grants require three-year commitments to provide full-time professional health care services in Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines or St. Bernard parishes. Participants are eligible for one-time, up-front awards of up to $110,000 for physicians, psychiatrists and dentists, with varying lesser amounts for other health care providers.

For an application, or to find out what medical specialties qualify for the program, visit http://www.pcrh.dhh.louisiana.gov.

Physician specialties eligible under the program include:

• Family practice.

• General practice.

• Obstetrics and gynecology.

• Internal medicine.

• Pediatrics.

• General psychiatry.

Other medical and mental-health professionals eligible for grants are:

• Dentists.

• Family practice physician assistants.

• Certified nurse practitioners.

• Certified nurse midwives.

• Registered clinical dental hygienists.

• Licensed professional counselors.

• Marriage and family therapists.

• Licensed clinical social workers.

• Licensed pharmacists.

For an application, visit http://www.pcrh.dhh.louisiana.gov.

Service with AmeriCorps: Volunteering with benefits

Your military experience could make you a good match for a one year assignment with AmeriCorps, which has extended its reach to help with hurricane recovery.

“Leadership ability and the ability to work hard and work well” are qualities AmeriCorps looks for when it chooses people for its programs, said Siobhan Dugan, a spokeswoman for the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps’ parent organization.

AmeriCorps is looking for people to serve the Gulf Coast region in the following capacities:

• Providing intake and referral services for people who are homeless or displaced.

• Developing volunteer centers to ensure volunteers are available to help with communities’ needs.

• Ensuring proper distribution of donated goods.

• Cleaning up debris.

• Building and renovating homes, schools and public facilities.

To learn more about AmeriCorps and benefits including health coverage, the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and stipends for living expenses, or to apply online, visit http://www.americorps.org.

Gulf Coast Job Hunt

Thinking about moving to the Gulf Coast region? The following resources could help.

Regional

• Louisiana Department of Labor

http://www.laworks.net

• Mississippi Department of Employment Security

http://www.mdes.ms.gov

Online

Search by region or occupation on one of these Web sites:

• http://neworleans.employmentguide.com

• http://www.careerbuilder.com

• http://www.craigslist.com

• http://www.hotjobs.com

• http://www.indeed.com

• http://www.monster.com

• http://www.nola.com/jobs

• http://www.simplyhired.com

Military-specific

These Web sites cater specifically to people with military experience.

• http://www.civilianjobs.com

• http://www.vetjobs.com

• http://www.operationheroforhire.com

• http://www.clearancejobs.com

• http://www.taonline.com

Career fairs

• Veterans Job Fair

Baton Rouge Career and Job Center

8:30 a.m.-noon April 5

American Legion Post No. 38

151 S. Wooddale Blvd.

More information: (225) 922-1320

• SalesTrax Career Fair

9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 10

Radisson Hotel New Orleans Airport

2150 Veterans Blvd.

Kenner, La.

• New Orleans Job Fair

10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 18

Clearview Mall

4436 Veterans Memorial Blvd.

Metairie, La.Housing

Housing remains a challenge in some areas of the Gulf Coast, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead. For information on home sales and rentals, visit the following Web sites:

• http://www.apartments.com

• http://www.nola.com/realestate

• http://www.realtor.com

Volunteer here

The following agencies are recruiting volunteers to help with hurricane recovery in the Gulf Coast region. Visit their Web sites to learn more about the organizations and volunteer opportunities.

• American Red Cross

http://www.redcross.org

• Habitat for Humanity

http://www.habitat.org

• Corporation for Supportive Housing

http://www.csh.org

• Chefs for Humanity

http://www.chefsforhumanity.org

• The Salvation Army

http://www.salvationarmy.org

• Catholic Charities USA

http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

• America’s Second Harvest

http://www.secondharvest.org

For volunteer opportunities with a number of organizations, look to one of the following Web sites:• Network for Good

http://networkforgood.org

• VolunteerMatch

http://www.volunteermatch.org