Absolutely remarkable men — these veterans pivoted from sustaining severe injuries on the battlefield to hunting down child predators for the Department of Homeland Security.
I was blessed and honored to interview these HEROES.
Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency teamed up with the National Association to Protect Children to create an innovative new program, one designed to give our wounded warriors a chance to become heroes once again.
In this case, hero stands for “Human Exploitation Rescue Operatives,” and through the program, that’s exactly what these elite former soldiers become.
“Who better than to give an opportunity to individual soldiers who have proven themselves in battle to come home be trained and to continue to serve the nation?” said Steven Kleppe, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of HSI Investigations in Tampa, Fla.
Once potential heroes are selected, they undergo extensive training at ICE’s elite Cyber Crimes Center, or C3. Then it’s a 10-month internship in a Homeland Security Investigations field office working on actual cases.
And it’s not just saving kids’ lives. The HERO Program has also helped injured vets like Justin Gaertner recover from the horrors of war.
https://youtu.be/t7lVtOygSQs?list=PLklqHoqGwwCxomPYxNqhf9p-61Z1K8Brl
Homeland Security tells us that they expect 200 HEROES trained and equipped to protect children from cyber predators by 2018.
Thank you, gents, for your continued service to our country.