Photo by C. Todd Lopez Kim Goffar, with the Office of Personnel Management, assists Staff Sgt. Natasha Dickenson in developing a resume on the federal jobs website, usajobs.gov, in the resume lab at the Heal, Help, Hire conference Sept. 22-27, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — About 250 injured or ill Soldiers participated in a workshop last week to prepare themselves for either retention in the Army or transition to the civilian world.

The "Heal, Help, Hire" or "H-3" training workshop as it is called, was held for the third time Sept. 22 to 27, hosted by the Installation Management Command, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Attendees at the training site included Soldiers who are presently in the Medical Evaluation Board process from injuries, illnesses or conditions sustained in the Global War on Terrorism. At the workshop, Soldiers learned about the benefits, entitlements, accommodations and opportunities available to them as they transition.

What all the Soldiers had in common was the need to prepare for a change — from where they are, to where they can choose to go. Some Soldiers —after going before an Army medical board that will determine next steps and options — perhaps will go into a different career field/MOS, back to their unit or transition out of the active Army.

The H-3 conference has been designed to poise and prepare both groups for the changes and choices afforded to them, officials said.

"Our objective is to provide access and opportunity for training, knowledge and resources [they need] to make fully informed decisions — said Michael Lariosa, the H-3 program manager."

"The Army wants to assist Soldiers with their transition. If that means becoming a veteran, civilian employee or being retained in the Army in another occupation with assistive technology and retraining — we will make sure that happens by ensuring they receive the appropriate process and point of contacts."

During the H-3 conference, Soldiers and their spouses attended workshops conducted by subject matter experts and representatives from private sector, federal agencies, resource and service providers to learn about benefits, education, medical treatment and jobplacement assistance.

"[The speakers] put out a lot of information we were not getting elsewhere," said Staff Sgt. Kandi Temple, who is currently assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Hunter Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Ga. They provided a lot of inspiration, too, she said. "Every Soldier in a WTU should be able to come to one of these [conferences]."

Temple, a former member of the 30th Military Police Battalion's Criminal Investigation Division, suffers from progressive damage to her body, the result, she said, of marching with a rucksack on her back that contained as much as half her bodyweight. She won't be staying in the Army, but will try to get into civilian law enforcement. She'll no longer be able to do detective work, but would like to be an instructor and is using her time in the WTU to prepare for that transition.

"I've used my time in the WTU to finish two degrees I started working on before I joined the military," she said, adding that the WTU Cadre supports her efforts to prepare herself for the day she's no longer in the active Army. "If I wanted to go to the local police department, my squad leader encourages me to do that, because it'll help me when I get out of the Army."

Spc. Michelle Frasier was part of the Special Troops Battalion for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga. Her husband, also a Soldier, is currently in Iraq. She is now also part of the WTU at Hunter Army Airfield because of physical conditions involving her feet.

"I've gone before the [medical evaluation] board to get my job changed. I'll be a mentalhealth specialist in the Army, said Frasier, who plans to complete coursework toward that goal and then seek a commission.

She said the H-3 conference provides great support and opportunities both to Soldiers, who will eventually become civilians, and to those who will stay in the service.

"The networking here is phenomenal," she said. Many Soldiers, who are preparing to leave the service and didn't know what to do next, will now know what their next steps must be. "When I get to be an noncommissioned officer, I'll be able to help those Soldiers."

The H-3 conference included a resume lab that helps Soldiers convert the military language they use to describe their Army jobs into language a commercial company's human-resources manager could understand, said Naomi Lynch, chief of the Army Career and Alumni Program Office at headquarters, Installation Management Command.

"How do you take the job of a forward scout and turn that into civilian terms?" asked Lynch. She had earlier helped a Soldier do just that. "He said he'd go out and make sure other Soldiers were safe, and that he'd report where the enemy was.

Well, that's a great opportunity if you're thinking of working for Border Patrol or looking at intern positions at the FBI or other federal security forces. He said he'd never thought of that.

Lynch said it is important for Soldiers in transition to give them credit for what they contributed to the Army. Oftentimes, she said, Soldiers simply consider what they do as "doing their job." But really, she said, what they have done for the Army translates into civilian terms, and in order to do that, Soldiers must learn to be comfortable taking credit for serving their country.

Soldiers at the H-3 conference were also able to participate in the "transition resource center," where representatives of 45 various federal agencies, civilian companies, assistive-technology companies, healthcare providers, universities and schools provided Soldiers with information about their options in the civilian world.

"It looks like a job fair, but it's much more than that," Lariosa said.