NAVAIR’s Wounded Warrior Program Lead Capt. Jim Litsch, left, with Col. David Oeschger of the Army Warrior Transition Command (U.S. Navy photo)
Patuxent River, MD — Two NAVAIR employees received Patriotic Civilian Service Awards at a ceremony here Jan. 13 to honor their commitment to hiring and retaining wounded warriors.
Members from the Army Wounded Warrior Program recognized Sonny Fann and Capt. Jim Litsch of NAVAIR’s Wounded Warrior Program for their passion and commitment to improving the reintegration and quality of life for severely wounded, injured and ill Army veterans and their families.
“They epitomize the Army Wounded Warrior motto, ‘Whatever it takes,’” said Col. David Oeschger, Army Wounded Warrior Program director, Army Warrior Transition Command. “When it comes to employment, it’s not done better than the Navy. And when it comes to the Navy, it’s not done better than NAVAIR. Thank you for your patriotic civilian service; it goes so far.”
Since 2010, NAVAIR has hired more than 1,000 wounded warriors and, in 2014, almost 17 percent of those hired were wounded warriors. Currently, 37 percent of NAVAIR employees are veterans.
NAVAIR also offers several programs and resources for veterans. The Active Duty Intern Program, which trains wounded warriors to excel in entry-level positions as they exit their military careers, is available at all NAVAIR sites with partnerships across all services. NAVAIR also hires through the Naval Acquisition Development Program for Wounded Warriors, a four-year developmental program with rotational assignments and mentoring.
“The lifeblood of our organization is our people,” said NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. David Dunaway. “I’m very proud of the program we’ve developed.”
Litsch, NAVAIR’s Wounded Warrior Program lead, said teamwork is the real force behind the award.
“This award speaks to the hard work of all those at NAVAIR involved in hiring and retaining wounded warriors,” he said.
Both Dunaway and Gary Kurtz, NAVAIR assistant commander, corporate operations and total force, cited several aspects of wounded warriors and veterans that are beneficial to employment at NAVAIR. These include leadership qualities, flexibility to work in teams or alone, strong personal integrity and triumph over adversity, among others.
“They’ve [veterans] defended the core values of our society,” Dunaway said. “We owe them a debt of gratitude.”
Fann, a two-tour Vietnam veteran and NAVAIR’s Wounded Warrior Program outreach coordinator, said the highlight of his career has been helping hire and retain wounded warriors.
“What we do here is uniquely different,” he said. “It saves lives because we are giving hope and opportunity to those who are this close to giving up.”
For more information on NAVAIR’s Wounded Warrior Program, email navairwoundedwarrior@navy.mil