By Mary Camacho, Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center Public Affairs

CRANE, Ind. (NNS) -- Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) and its partners established the Crane Learning and Employment Center (CLEC) for Veterans with Disabilities April 17 and now the first group of veterans are enrolled in the program.

In 2006, Larry McRoberts, NSWC Crane radar maintenance manager, was in a meeting when he had an inspirational idea -- what can NSWC Crane do to honor disabled veterans? How can we train them to effectively reenter the workforce, place them in compatible jobs, and help them develop the life skills they need to adapt when returning home from a war zone or being discharged?

Nearly 800 miles away, Marine Staff Sgt. Robert L. Cable, a 13-year veteran, received news that unexpectedly cut his career short. A malignant tumor was found in his frontal lobe, a diagnosis that resulted in a medical discharge and the end of his career as a weapons maintenance expert.

So it was through McRoberts' desire to create a program to assist disabled veterans transitioning from military to civilian life that the two eventually met.

With the approval of NSWC Crane leadership and support from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the Lilly Endowment, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)and other organizations, McRoberts' idea led to the establishment of CLEC for Veterans with Disabilities.

Cable is the first of five veterans enrolled in the pilot program. The other four are: Cody Walton, U.S. Army, Small Arms Weapons; Jason Wichlatz, U.S. Marine Corps, Airborne Electronic Warfare Defensive Systems Division; Thomas Bobbs, U.S. Navy, Expeditionary Electronic Warfare Systems Division; and Sonny Jackson, U.S. Army, Radar Technologies Division.

As the Director of Veterans Programs for NSWC Crane Division, McRoberts visits military bases throughout the country talking to 'wounded warriors' returning from Iraq and disabled veterans transitioning to civilian life. On one of his trips to Camp Lejeune, McRoberts met Cable, who was undergoing therapy following an operation to remove the tumor.

"As soon as I heard about this program, I knew it was for me," said Cable. "This program is a wonderful opportunity to complete a degree and also provide cross-training and continue my career."

During surgery, doctors were only able to remove 95 percent of Cable's tumor. The other five percent was located in the area of the brain that controls speech. Rather than risk a permanent disability, the remaining tumor was left intact and treated with medication and he was 100 percent medically retired from the Marine Corps on Oct. 31, 2007.

While a Marine at Camp Lejeune, Cable wrote SOP's for the anti-terrorism battalion and maintained and repaired weapons.

"I knew a lot about first echelon maintenance, which is the lowest part of maintenance allowed at the armorer level, so this is where my area of expertise was."

However, after getting out of the military, his job options were limited. This is where CLEC separates itself from other agencies designated to assist veterans.

"The main difference between our program and others is that the CLEC program assists each applicant through the process once they are placed in the program," said McRoberts. "They are not just given a telephone number and sent on their way. In CLEC, they are walked through each step with an actual person helping them."

Other government programs can be lengthy and bureaucratic, but CLEC is different because there are multiple groups and agencies all working together.

This one-on-one approach is where CLEC Program Director Jim Schonberger, and his staff became the link between NSWC Crane and Cable. Schonberger, an employee of Crane Technology, Inc. (CTI) and Summer Gray, administrative officer, coordinated the event including finding housing for Cable and his wife May.

Victoria Baker, program coordinator, drove Cable and his wife to the VA hospital benefits office in Indianapolis to get enrolled into Chapter 31, the VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program.

"Bob had never been to Indiana," said McRoberts. "So CLEC moved his family to Indiana, found him a house and helped with his basic expenses as he transitioned out of the military, to a new job and new state."

All pilot program participants will be offered job placement with NSWC Crane, while simultaneously attending college to complete degrees. CLEC found Cable a job in the NSWC Crane Special Missions Center's Operations Forces Weapons Maintenance and Overhaul activity where he taps into the skills he learned in the Marine Corps -- rebuilding and overhauling small arms like M16s.

Each applicant is assigned a mentor. Cable's mentor is Andy Bickley. He showed Cable what went on with the line and how it operated.

Mentors will be from all areas of NSWC Crane and will include a wide range of experience from line workers to the corporate level. This additional mentoring is another way to help the applicant transition through the program and prepare them for future management positions at NSWC Crane.

Having Cable's knowledge in his field is an advantage to his division.

"By hiring vets, it gets me the people who have experience in small arms and who will continue to learn, grow and eventually lead others," said Gary Mesarosh, Cable's supervisor.

Schonberger added that Cable's previous hands-on experience with NSWC Crane's products and systems will make him an invaluable member of the NSWC Crane workforce.

"NSWC Crane is in the business of supporting the warfighter, so veterans should adapt well to Crane's atmosphere and mission, and they'll be welcomed with open arms from a community that serves the military with pride and commitment," said Schonberger.

Cable is enrolled in Vincennes University working toward a two-year degree as a Mechanical Engineering Technician. The VA pays his tuition and CLEC pays his salary at NSWC Crane. As Cable progresses through the school and the program, he will have an opportunity to receive pay raises up to the GS-9 level.

"I am so grateful for this program because I came from a small town in upstate N.Y. and went directly into the Marines," Cable said.

He was forward-deployed twice to Iraq and embarked with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, an infantry battalion at Camp Lejeune.

"Now at Crane, I'm back to a small-town environment, but still doing the work I enjoy. I can continue on in giving back to support the warfighter," said Cable.

"The establishment of this center is a win-win for everyone involved. Our veterans will get the assistance they so readily deserve, NSWC Crane will receive highly skilled, knowledgeable employees with experience in the field, and we'll set the bar for the rest of the nation to follow in providing training for re-entry of our veterans into the workforce," added McRoberts.

For more news from Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, visit www.navy.mil/local/crane/.