Eric DeJonge wasn’t ringing in the New Year in 2005 with resolutions and champagne. He was trying to figure out how to start his life over.

On New Year’s Day, while serving his 19th year in the United States Army in Iraq, DeJonge was injured by a roadside bomb. The blast blinded him in his right eye. He received medical retirement soon after and returned home to Winston-Salem, N.C.

‘As soon as I got back home to my construction business, I knew things couldn’t be the same,’ DeJonge, 39, said. ‘Having only one eye made things unsafe, so I knew I had to find a different niche for myself.

Russell Otway, a 28-year-old veteran from Miami, faced his own obstacles in trying to find a job after an injury during a seven month tour in Iraq in 2004.

‘A lot of people just weren’t calling me back,’ Otway said. ‘I think employers see injury as a liability, or it causes them to not be able to perform 100 percent. Of course it’s illegal to discriminate, so instead they just go through the motions and don’t hire you.’

Assimilating back into society after returning from duty can be difficult for all veterans, not just injured ones. Military lifestyle differs vastly from civilian lifestyle, and the adjustment can be the most difficult thing.

To help vets find their niche, Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management started a program called ‘Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities.’ The course assists veterans with developing into successful entrepreneurs

The program ran from Aug. 11-19, and another session is planned for the spring or summer of 2008.

Finding employment is problematic for disabled veterans across the country. Once some veterans return from duty, they find they are now unable to perform certain jobs and face subtle prejudices from employers.

‘It made sense to start this program,’ said Mike Haynie, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship, who coordinated the program. ‘There are a large number of vets coming back with injuries, and not a lot of people are helping them out.’

The 20 students ranged in age from 20 to 50. They represented 14 states and Puerto Rico and all branches of the military.

Whitman offered the program free of charge, paying for the students’ flights, meals and accommodations through $300,000 of donations, Haynie said.

The rigorous course featured different business classes and taught skills such as employee management, how to market correctly and how to make a business plan.

Otway created Veterans Energy Solutions, an energy consulting firm in Miami. DeJonge started a cable company that deals primarily with fiber optics. He’s also working on a nonprofit company that helps disabled veterans.

‘The class gave me more focus,’ Otway said. ‘The other day I was playing around with some of the tools we learned in class, and I changed my business plan into something I originally thought wouldn’t pan out.’

In order to be admitted to the program, prospective students went through an application process that was as thorough as regular college applications.

The Whitman School flew in top business professors from universities around the nation, from Florida State University to Baylor University in Texas to teach alongside SU professors.

Randy Blass, a management professor at Florida State and former director of personnel of the management department at the U.S. Air Force Academy, traveled to SU to teach one three-hour class on human resources.

‘All the students were smart, inquisitive and full of ideas,’ Blass said. ‘Disabilities cause people to look at employment with a different perspective. This entrepreneurship program created flexibility and gave the students the confidence and motivation they needed to succeed on their own.’

During the nine-day course, the students quickly bonded and became friends with one another.

‘The staff and professors were really surprised at how quickly we gelled together,’ Otway said. ‘But as soon as we met, it was like we’d known each other forever. It’s not uncommon for people that serve in the military. We share common bonds and experiences.’

Blass agreed, saying he had never seen such a charged energy in a classroom.

‘I’m going crazy with ideas,’ DeJonge said. ‘The class reinvigorated my motivation; people are like ‘dude, calm down.’ This class gave me the business tools and motivation to make a long-lasting business.’

Since only 20 students could be accepted into the program, Haynie wanted to make sure that those 20 were especially passionate about following through with their business goals.

Ellie O’Neill, a senior entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major, helped Haynie market and coordinate the boot camp and worked with the prospective students from the application process until they arrived at Syracuse.

O’Neill had an immediate connection with the program. Three years ago, a spinal cord injury left her paralyzed from the waist down.

‘I can’t think of a group of people who were more deserving,’ O’Neill said. ‘They were passionate and really wanted to pursue their entrepreneurial dream. The experience was just as rewarding for me as it was for them.’

Haynie and Blass still receive e-mails from the students, consulting with them about their current businesses or plans and giving advice and guidance.

‘I genuinely believe this program was life-changing for these people,’ Haynie said. ‘They’re accomplishing things not only in business, but they have a new outlook on life, they’re passionate about what they’re doing.’

Published on September 12, 2007 at 12:00 pm