“I NEEDED A COMPANY THAT UNDERSTOOD MY SITUATION,” ASSERTS GABRIELLE HOLCOMB, QUALITY SYSTEMS PROFESSIONAL AT SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES. BUT BEFORE JOINING SANDIA SHE SPENT 18 MONTHS AS A U.S. ARMY RESERVIST IN IRAQ WHERE SHE WAS EXPOSED TO VARIOUS EXPLOSIONS AND SUSTAINED MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS AND CASES OF WHIPLASH.

 

Consequently, Holcomb began experiencing symptoms indicative of traumatic brain injury. However, she didn’t receive a formal diagnosis until she returned to the U.S. and assumed a civilian lifestyle.

 

“I had no short-term memory. I became frustrated and mad more easily. I also had debilitating headaches,” she explains. “I just wasn’t the same person.”

 

However, dealing with the chronic condition didn’t derail Holcomb from reaching her goals. In the Army Reserve she primarily focused on assignments coordinating civilian services along with military operations.

 

“I helped with government interagency procedures for national and regional emergencies. That could mean evacuations, assigning civilian/ military plans and support, reconstruction activities, or national disaster emergency assistance. [There] was also fostering and maintaining dialogue with other [agencies],” Holcomb explains.

 

After fulfilling her commitment, she returned to school to study nondestructive testing. “It’s technology used in a variety of work, including evaluating materials without damaging them, such as detecting defects,” she notes.

 

Then she spent several years working in the petroleum industry. “I was doing different types of quality- control processes, then measures and proof-testing calibrations,” Holcomb says. “I also began helping to develop products with quality assurance engineers.”

 

But over time Holcomb realized she could benefit from greater support and understanding of her military experience, her health concerns and her growing engineering know-how. She began to explore other opportunities.

 

“I heard about Sandia National Laboratories and its Wounded Warrior Career Development Program (WWCP), and that attracted me,” recalls Holcomb. “I also saw the organization offered many opportunities for growth.”

 

Created in 2010, WWCP is a multipronged initiative to identify, recruit, hire and train disabled veterans. Not only does the program assist veterans with career and skill development, it also assigns mentors and promotes an internal veterans support network.

 

Based in Albuquerque, NM, Sandia partners with government, industry and academic institutions to advance the science and engineering involved with nuclear weapons, defense systems, energy and climate issues, and international and homeland security, including nuclear security.

 

At first Holcomb wasn’t convinced she’d meet WWCP criteria, but as she delved deeper into the details, she knew it offered the fit she desired. Holcomb officially joined Sandia and the WWCP in 2014. In addition to enjoying her daily duties as a quality systems professional - which include coordinating programs and detecting fraudulent and counterfeit items - Holcomb values the personal and professional support she’s received.

 

“I have different mentors: One who helps me with my job specifically, and a veteran mentor who I talk to about the military or adjusting to civilian life,” notes Holcomb.

 

But what she values the most is Sandia’s commitment to making sure WWCP members obtain the services they require. In her case Holcomb has multiple doctor appointments, and managers have extended scheduling flexibility to accommodate them.

 

“We also have what’s called 9/80 schedule, so we get every other Friday off. That’s great for me because it allows me more downtime to regroup and spend more time with my son and family, and that helps me be happier,” she states.