ABILITYONE: DELIVERING FOR THE ARMY


I love my work. I love the people I work with.”


the Program Executive Office for Soldier, AbilityOne agencies inspect legacy bullet- proof vests; remove, cut down and sew the soft armor ballistic inserts; and inte- grate them into the new Modular Scalable Vest (MSV). By repurposing the ballistic inserts, the Army was able to reuse exist- ing item inventory and reduce waste and contracted for 76,500 MSV units rather than buying new tactical vests.


PERSONAL IMPACTS Te AbilityOne Program offers extraor- dinary benefits to veterans, employees and the warfighters they support. James McGarity was sworn into the National Guard three days before 9/11. Shortly after infantry training, he was in a devastating car accident that resulted in cervical and other fractures, a lacerated liver and head injuries. Doctors placed him in a medi- cally induced coma for 75 days.


Following extensive rehabilitation, he found work at Peckham, headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. After his first position learning to sew uniforms for the


110 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2024


“Even though I’m not in the military anymore, I still am helping Soldiers.


Army, he progressed through several job roles and now works at Peckham’s largest warehouse, loading and unloading mili- tary equipment and fabrics while training to move into management. “Even though I’m not in the military anymore, I still am helping Soldiers,” McGarity said. “So, I’m still doing my part, which I think is great. I love my work. I love the people I work with. Tere are people with severe disabilities. Peckham gives those people a purpose.”


After hundreds of combat missions as a platoon sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division,Master Sgt. Jeff Mittman (USA, Ret.) was on a Baghdad highway in 2005 when a projectile struck his vehicle. It caused severe head and facial trauma and took away his eyesight. Retiring after 21 years and four combat tours, he underwent more than 40 reconstructive surgeries.


Mittman credits the NIB with helping to save his life. “When I got hurt on the battlefield, products produced by NIB agencies saved my life—from the gloves they treated me with, to the bandages they used to stop the bleeding, to components of the very helmet I was wearing on my head. Without those agencies, I would not be here.”


Today, Mittman is president and CEO of Bosma Enterprises in Indianapolis, one of the largest disability service organizations in the Midwest and the largest employer and the only comprehensive service provider in the state for people who are blind. As a member of the NIB board of directors, Mittman is one of more than 500 veterans working at NIB and its asso- ciated nonprofit agencies.


CONCLUSION The AbilityOne Program creates far- reaching value for the Army and offers meaningful and potentially life-changing


PAYING IT BACK


Army veteran James McGarity found meaningful employment at Peckham through the AbilityOne Program. (Photo by Jack Schabert, Peckham )


CONTINUING TO SERVE


Army veteran Jeff Mittman continues a career of service after leaving the military as president and CEO of Bosma Enterprises and on the NIB board of directors. (Photo courtesy of NIB)


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