The United States of America Armed Forces has close to 1.3 million Active Duty members. In November of 2014, the Department of Defense published a paper entitled Enabling Collaborative Support to Reintegrate the Military Family that states, “Around 200,000 service members have separated from the Active Duty each year during the previous few years and this rate is poised to increase. With current projections of force reductions, the volume of separating service members may reach about 250,000 per year for the next five years. Currently, about 1,300 military family members – new veterans, spouses and their children – begin their journey to reintegrate back into local communities each day.” For many of these returning veterans, a transition into civilian life can be very difficult.

Poverty, homelessness, addiction, and high suicide rates are just a few of the challenges faced by American veterans. Many interlinking factors contribute to these tragedies. For some, they entered the military directly out of high school and thus have a limited education to get well paying jobs when they come home. Many are used to a strictly structured military lifestyle and find it hard to adjust to a less rigid environment. They are used to following or giving specific orders, working with sensitive equipment, and risking their lives. When they come home, day to day goings-on can seem trivial compared to that. For many returning home, the negative stigma associated with physical and psychological injuries can be too much to bear.

The Veterans Association has been working tirelessly to improve veteran benefits, health care, and conditions. But with the sheer number of veterans, their efforts are often in vain. Private organizations have been stepping up to ease the burden faced by many veterans. These groups work to provide veterans with homes, physical and psychological health care, education, employment, and the basic skills needed to be sustainable in a civilian environment. Two such organizations based out of Kentucky are the Lady Veterans Connect (LVC) and Dynamic Drone Solution (DDS).

As explained on its website, founded in 2012 by Phyliss Abbot, “Lady Veterans Connect is an organization created to provide high quality, comprehensive services to assist female veterans in transitional support and prevent homelessness.” Since its incorporation, not a single night has passed that the center hasn’t given shelter to a female veteran. The resources provided by LVC go beyond giving safe shelter to female veterans. LVC helps female veterans connect with all the resources they need to succeed. This covers everything from education to healthcare, learning how to pay bills, shop for groceries, and interact with other people. One of the most important things LVC does is to help veterans find gainful employment, something that aligns with the mission of DDS.

DDS was founded by retired United States Marine Dewayne Yarbrough and his wife Sarah LaCour-Yarbrough out of Lexington, KY. “When I finished my service with the U.S. Marines, I wanted to be part of a community again. I wanted to receive that value system many of us desire, doing work with a sense of purpose and contributing to something greater than myself. That’s how I felt when I was with the Marines. In some ways, I wanted that feeling again, but from a civilian perspective.” Dewayne said. He went on to say, “When I was transitioning to civilian life and looking for work, I noticed a need for more opportunities for veterans and awareness of the challenges we may face in transitioning to the civilian workplace. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make a difference in our business community, and I wanted to provide a more impactful, sustainable employment opportunity for veterans.”

When Dewayne finished his service at Camp Pendelton, he was introduced to drones at the Colorado State University. He realized that drones could present a unique employment opportunity for the veteran community. Working with drones is often mission specific, reminiscent of military operations. Drones could give veterans meaningfully purpose while earning an income. Regardless of gender or physical ability, becoming a drone pilot is a viable option for many veterans. With DDS, Dewayne trains veterans to become drone pilots and even helps them connect with future jobs.

At DDS, veterans can enroll in a 4 week program that gives them all the knowledge and preparation needed to become FAA Part 107 licensed drone pilots. The program includes 120 hours of instruction, a minimum of 25 hours flight time, as well as a minimum of 50 takeoffs and landings. At the end of the course, veterans can use DDS’s connections to find jobs using drones in a wide range of sectors including agriculture, security, surveying, inspection, and real estate. But what makes DDS’s program so unique is its cost to participants.

You do not need to be a veteran to enroll in the DDS drone pilot school. But if you are a veteran, the program is free. “They’ve already paid a price on behalf of our country. They’ve already paid their ticket for admission with our company,” Dewayne said. “We sponsor them 100% and we also offer corporate sponsorship to individual companies, small businesses, or corporations that are seeking ways to both show appreciation and make an impact in the lives of our servicemen and women.” This spring Dewayne partnered up with Phyliss to begin preparing residents at LVC to become drone pilots.

After serving in Germany, Lubrina Burton came to LVC to help her transition back into civilian life. She, along with 5 other female veterans, is set to graduate from the DDS drone school on May 28, 2021. She said that she has been grateful for the help LVC provides to veterans. Lubrina explained that when she came home she found herself trying to blend in with society, but it wasn’t until she came to LVC that she truly started to feel comfortable. By being with other veterans with whom she has shared experiences has helped her get back on her feet.

Lubrina went on to say that the training she was getting from Dewayne to become a drone pilot goes beyond setting her up to be financially stable. “For me, it’s a personal fulfillment too,” Lubrina said. “I always loved aviation so if I can’t fly an airplane, this may be the closest I’ll get, then I think I might be happy. For veterans, if it’s just something you’ve always wanted to do, it’s not as intimidating as it may look.” As the drone market continues to grow, thousands of job positions will be created. Positions for drone pilots, developers, repairs, and more are all positions that military personnel has already been trained to tackle. Encouraging veterans to enter the drone workforce is a benefit to the industry and the men and women who spent years serving the country.