VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A class of 13 veterans are being transformed into leaders with public speaker skills so their ability to overcome hardships can have a ripple effect in communities nationwide.
Jason Redman, a well known name in this area is not only a combat wounded Navy SEAL, but a staunch military advocate. He is running this course for the next 12 days to mold these men and women into leaders who can speak to schools and businesses about adaptation, leadership and how to take life experiences and use them for good.
All branches of the military are represented in one room as the veterans talk about their injuries and how surviving and overcoming the recovery has changed their life and made them who they are today.
Many of the vets have lost limbs, some have traumatic brain injuries, but all of them have lived through a terrible experience just to turn around and make the most of it.
Some of the combat wounded veterans have done public speaking in the past and have given back to the military community in other ways but the goal with this course is leadership in all things. "I want you to be leaders, I want you to lead yourself, lead others and lead always. Our country needs more leaders," said Redman.
The room was filled with amazing combat stories and survival, hardships and triumph and the atmosphere was one of pure determination.
Redman told News 3 he hopes this course can train these individuals to speak to the civilian world as a leader so they can use these experiences and learn from them; how to work together and stay motivated to accomplish the mission no matter what it is.
As the founder of Combat Wounded Coalition, Redman uses his non-profit to fund this course and plans to hold more sessions in the future.
