Changing the World - Booz Allen Hamilton
Changing the World - Booz Allen Hamilton
Changing the World - Booz Allen Hamilton
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Bob Seitz /<br />
Helping Wounded<br />
Soldiers<br />
56<br />
>Bob Seitz, a senior associate in McLean,<br />
Virginia, served in <strong>the</strong> US Army’s 101st<br />
Airborne Division in <strong>the</strong> Vietnam War four decades<br />
ago, and he still feels a strong affinity with his unit.<br />
Seitz, a wounded veteran, turned this sentiment into<br />
a vital service. Since 2003, he has visited Walter<br />
Reed Army Hospital several times a month to lift <strong>the</strong><br />
spirits of gravely injured soldiers from <strong>the</strong> 101st Airborne<br />
who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has<br />
also reached out to o<strong>the</strong>r 101st Airborne Division<br />
veterans and created <strong>the</strong> 101st Airborne Division<br />
Visitation Program, a nonprofit organization.<br />
For his devotion to <strong>the</strong>se soldiers, Seitz was<br />
awarded <strong>Booz</strong> <strong>Allen</strong>’s 2008 Involvement and Impact<br />
Award, <strong>the</strong> firm’s highest recognition of staff members’<br />
commitment to community service.<br />
“When <strong>the</strong>se young men and women arrive at<br />
Walter Reed, <strong>the</strong>y need to know that o<strong>the</strong>r veterans<br />
care about <strong>the</strong>m and <strong>the</strong>ir recovery,” says Seitz.<br />
First, he gives <strong>the</strong> wounded soldiers 101st Airborne<br />
Division gifts, such as unit hats, T-shirts, and<br />
regimental flags and pins, “which lets <strong>the</strong>m know<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are still part of <strong>the</strong> unit,” says Seitz. Support<br />
for <strong>the</strong>ir families is also provided, with such items<br />
as toys, books, and games for visiting children. The<br />
Army flies in immediate family members, and Seitz<br />
helps find funding for <strong>the</strong> travel costs of o<strong>the</strong>r relatives<br />
who want to visit.<br />
<strong>Booz</strong> <strong>Allen</strong> backs Seitz’s efforts with Volunteer<br />
Service Grants. Worth up to $750 a year, <strong>the</strong><br />
grants go directly to nonprofit groups with which <strong>the</strong><br />
firm’s employees are involved. “Thanking a soldier<br />
is not enough,” says Seitz. “<strong>Booz</strong> <strong>Allen</strong> has helped<br />
us fulfill our commitment to our soldiers and <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
families who have so selflessly served our nation.”