Mike Bradley always wanted to be an emergency medical technician. When his brother-in-law, also a medic, told him that he could become one by joining the Army, Bradley decided to enlist in the Armed Forces.

His career in the military, however, was cut short when he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq. After an early medical retirement in 2007, Bradley decided he wanted to try a new career path; he had seen a lot of difficult things in Iraq.

When Bradley left the military, he was very worried about finding a new job. He hadn't interviewed since age 16, and life in the military was a constant 24/7 duty. A career counselor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) helped him update his rsum. While he lacked a college degree, Bradley had leadership and medical experience from his time in the Army, but he didn't exactly know what he wanted to do.

Early on in his employment search, Bradley only received two responses to the dozens of resumes he posted on Internet job boards. So he decided to take a break from the job searching order to address his TBI and his symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Bradley's luck changed when he was introduced to Ryan Kules, a case manager from the Wounded Warrior Project Warriors to Work (WtoW) program. Through the program, individuals recovering from severe injuries are connected with the support and resources they need to build a career in the civilian workforce. Shortly after sharing his rsum with Kules, Bradley received a phone call from a friend he'd met while recovering at WRAMC, and within a week, Bradley was sent a job listing from Halfaker & Associates, a security consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. The position required applicants to work a seven-day shift, followed by seven days off. He wondered if he could handle this position, especially given his TBI and the memory loss he sometimes experiences. Ultimately, he accepted the position and is happily employed there today.

Once connected to the job market through the AW2 program, Bradley's phone continued to ring with job leads. He began to feel marketable and he enjoyed having choices among the many job offerings. He credits AW2 with helping him find his new job and says he would have been lost without its services.

Today, one of the greatest sources of satisfaction for Bradley is the fact that his supervisor at Halfaker & Associates, also a wounded veteran, can relate to his condition. As a result, Bradley isn't afraid of being misunderstood or ostracized if he requests a day off from work because he has a migraine headache. Halfaker & Associates has provided a flexible work schedule to enable Bradley to accommodate such issues which are related to his TBI.

"I was lucky enough to find an employer who understood the importance of educating themselves on PTSD and TBI," says Bradley. "It has really helped me succeed in my job and succeed in the workplace, because there's an understanding there, where my employer understands me and understands the issues that I have to deal with on a daily basis. It's taken a lot of stress off of me."

Bradley also believes employment to be part of his recovery process."I've noticed that my therapy has gotten better since I got my job, he says. "And I truly, truly believe that America's Heroes at Work is a great program that is going to educate employers on the issues that people like me deal with on a daily basis due to traumatic brain injury and PTSD."

While he may be retired from the Army, Bradley is still very much a part of it, both through his current job and his volunteer work with the Salute Military Golf Association. The association helps wounded warriors get back onto the golf course but, more importantly, it helps them improve their quality of life through the rehabilitative benefits of golf.

Bradley has some advice for wounded veterans with TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who are trying to find civilian jobs. "Don't be afraid to go for it," he says, "Because you won't know unless you try." In addition, he encourages soldiers to use the resources available to them, such as the many military and veteran organizations that offer services to wounded veterans.