For Herrera, the relationships he’s developed – particularly with his mentor Rodney Kobayashi, a retired Army major general and IRS territory manager, and with Linda Ortiz, a manager who serves as a kind of IRS/Army liaison for the program – have been among the best things about participating in the program. “Rodney Kobayashi has helped me tremendously with this journey,” he says. “And Ms. Ortiz has been more than helpful. She gives us more attention than we deserve, I think. She’s pretty dedicated to her job.”

One of the most surprising things about the program for Goodier, he says, was learning about the variety of job titles within the organization. “Everybody has the mindset that the IRS is just a bunch of suits and that you have to know accounting to work here,” he says. “But there are so many different branches of the IRS that you don’t have to do just one thing.”

The Future Looks Bright
The Warrior Intern Program is a small part of the IRS’ overall veteran recruitment program, which is part of a government-wide initiative to increase hiring and retention of veterans throughout all federal bureaus. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, committed to making the IRS an “employer of choice” for veterans, has thrown the full weight of the agency behind the program, providing support from the IRS Human Capital Office, the IRS Recruitment Office, the Austin Employment Office, and the Wage & Investment Division in Austin.

The IRS has its own training program for managers in hiring, using existing hiring flexibilities to create veteran-specific opportunities in areas such as contract management, investigations, physical security, training support, and program analysis. “Our goal,” says Hollimon, “is to provide a career, not just a job, with the potential for upward mobility.” To date, the IRS has been remarkably successful in attracting military veterans; in 2009, veterans represented about 10 percent of the IRS’ new employees.

Service members who want to find out more about the program, says Hollimon, should tell the case manager in their Warrior Transition Unit. “I definitely would want everyone to come to the IRS program,” he says, “but many different agencies will be starting, if they have not already started, a Wounded Warrior Internship Program opportunity.”

Hollimon says the Austin Pilot of the IRS’ Warrior Intern Program has been a promising start, drawing interest from case managers and other service members. Three of the interns have already “graduated” from the program – two of whom, upon the completion of their medical discharges, have begun their new careers with the IRS.

Given the success of the Austin Pilot, the IRS is planning a second phase, to be initiated in June 2010, with up to 10 interns at the IRS’ San Antonio, Texas, facilities. “We’re very excited about the success of this program,” says Hollimon. “If we’re able to make it a permanent program, we will expand incrementally across the nation. Our intent is to properly match each wounded warrior with training positions that enable them to become competitive for full-time employment. The best approach would be to model the Austin and San Antonio programs deliberately and incrementally.”

To date, Herrera is undecided on his future – though he considers the program, along with his service, to have made him much more marketable to potential employers, he’s not sure whether he’ll end up in the public or private sector. “I know that the IRS is a great organization, and I would love to be part of it,” he says. “With that said, I am an infantry soldier with a lot of leadership and technical skills. I know there are a lot more agencies out there that would love to put my skills to work.”

Goodier, on the other hand, has specific plans: to move to the Dallas, Texas, area and work in the IRS’ Farmers Branch Finance Department to work with its equal employment opportunity program to promote equality and diversity.

“The program is going great,” he says. “It has taught me many new skills, and has given me new insight on how to cope and adapt to the civilian world. The people I’m working with in the Warrior Transition Unit have been great in helping all of us. I do plan on making the IRS my new career and continuing to serve my country – just in a different role.”