OPERATION DURENG

2024 Veteran Mission

Jay Dureng enlisted in the United States Army, where he served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, assigned to the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas.

Jay served overseas during combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He completed three tours of duty, before completing his contract with the Army in 2020. Jay returned home and embarked on the challenging process of transitioning from military to civilian life.

But after serving as an artillery crew member for more than a decade, Jay’s civilian career options were limited. After reaching out to the Division of Veteran Services, Jay was referred to Veterans Rebuilding Life. He immediately registered for Project 360º and was assigned a veteran mentor, who helped him access education benefits, and enroll in a yellow-ribbon certified school.

“Veterans Rebuilding Life is a very supportive organization. People that are really on the ground floor, doing the hard work.”

—Jason Dureng, Army Veteran

Within days of meeting Veterans Rebuilding Life, Jay was enrolled as a full-time student at Fullstack Academy, an accredited web development institute, that supports veterans like Jay, through the Vet-Tech initiative.

On his first day of class, Jay’s mentor presented him with a new laptop, and scheduled private tutoring sessions on his behalf, to ensure academic success. Jay recently completed his first semester of school, and will continue his full-time studies in the fall. Today, Jay remains an active member and supporter of Veterans Rebuilding Life.

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