Veterans given chance at new career

By Jeff O'Brien (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | 4:04 p.m.

Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 345 pounds, newly retired NFL lineman Jonathan Ogden towered over the 1.6-ounce golf ball as it sat on the tee in front of him.

With one mighty swing, he sent the ball rocketing down the fairway — another good drive for the Henderson resident and avid golfer.

Ogden was one of more than 150 participants who hit the links for the “Troops to Teachers Golf Tournament” at TPC Las Vegas on Aug. 29, an event hosted by UNLV’s College of Education.

Also in attendance were professional golfer and UNLV graduate Seema Sadekar, retired Rear Adm. Chris Weaver, U.S. Navy; and retired Lt. Gen. Kevin Byrnes, U.S. Army.

The tournament raised more than $40,000 for the Troops to Teachers and Spouses to Teachers programs — nationwide efforts that were founded by the Department of Defense in 1994 as a way to assist eligible military personnel and their spouses who wish to transition to new careers as public school teachers.

Byrnes feels the programs are critical for military veterans and their families.

“Think about the opportunity it gives a young soldier, sailor, airman or Marine,” he said. “They’ve been sacrificing since 2003 when we got into Iraq. They’ve had the opportunity to lead and understand what character is all about, and they got it under the most trying of circumstances.”

Before applying, veterans must have at least six years of military experience, a college degree and an honorable discharge. If accepted, they receive a $5,000 stipend toward the costs of obtaining a teaching credential.

More than 200 veterans have been hired as teachers in Southern Nevada over the past 10 years, including 56 last year in the Clark County School District.

Myles Judd, an Iraq War veteran who returned from a yearlong tour in Baghdad in June, is now director of the Troops to Teachers program for both the district and the state of Nevada.

Approximately 11,000 veterans have been hired nationwide since 1992, Judd said. Many of those veterans gained leadership skills at a young age and have a strong desire to take those skills into the classroom.

“The Troops to Teachers program has an 86 percent retention rate since it began,” Judd said. “Across the board, the school teacher system has a 25 percent retention rate over the past 10 years.”

The Troops to Teachers Program tends to focus on, but is not limited to, low-income schools where more than 50 percent of students receive low-cost lunches. If a veteran is assigned to a low-income school, he or she receives an additional $5,000 stipend.

Schools throughout Clark County, Judd said, have been experiencing teacher shortages in math, science and special education.

One of the 56 local veterans hired last year through the Troops to Teachers program was Kurt Rice, a Henderson resident who is beginning his second year as an English teacher at Spring Valley High School.

Hailing from Santa Ana, Calif., Rice settled in Henderson in 2006 after a 25-year career in the Air Force.

He spent the first half of his career as a flight line mechanic — spending long hours loading bombs and missiles onto F-15 Eagles and F-111 Aardvarks — before transitioning into the field of military intelligence.

“It was a great experience,” Rice said. “It made me from a little squirrelly kid into a man. All the cliché stuff actually came true. It’s a family that I didn’t want to leave, but I was also excited about going into my new job.”

After only four years in the service, Rice said he already felt a desire to go into education. While in the Air Force, he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Education from the University of Maryland.

“I always knew that I wanted to be a schoolteacher or a librarian when I got out,” he said. “I love to mentor, guide, teach and train.”

On the other hand, retired military personnel — especially former officers — can often take higher-paying jobs.

“It’s not about monetary reward,” Rice said. “If you’ve been successful in the military you can take the corporate route or work for the federal government. But teaching and working with kids is my passion.”

Jeff O’Brien can be reached at 990-8957 or jeff.obrien@hbcpub.com.