A San Antonio man is using his story to show others that building a life after military service is possible.
SAN ANTONIO — As Veterans Day approaches, one San Antonio man is using his story to show others that building a life after military service is possible.
Robert Washington served in the Navy. He now works as a computer IT field specialist with Goodwill San Antonio.
“It is a great feeling when somebody is trying to work, and they call and something is broken and not working,” Washington said. “They’re frustrated, and you go in there and get it done. You fix it. The smile on their face, it’s like I helped make their day better.”
However, landing a job wasn’t easy. After his time in the Navy, Washington returned home to San Antonio to care for his sick mother. He said finding a stable job was challenging.
“It was just no after no after no,” he said. “You can’t handle a household with odd jobs. You need 40 hours a week.”
Washington said many employers told him he was either overqualified or underqualified. But, his luck changed about 10 years ago when he walked into Goodwill.
“My life would have taken a drastic turn for the worse if it wasn’t for me coming across Goodwill,” he said.
Since then, Washington has worked his way through the organization. Today, he’s part of the computer department. He also serves in a group called Voices of Veterans.
“We started by asking how we could better serve veterans inside the organization,” he said. “From there, it blossomed into better serving veterans in the community.”
The group organizes donation drives and promotes mentorship.
“We just do our best to try and help those who need the help,” Washington said.
For Washington, his job has given him the stability to support his family and the opportunity to inspire others.
“It has given me a path to provide for my family,” he said. “I have a daughter who’s a sophomore in college, a son who’s a high school senior. We just purchased a new home and two new cars.”
Now, he hopes other veterans see his story and believe they can find success, too.
“What my hope is, is that other veterans in the city see a clip like this and know that they can apply here, get a job here, and get taken care of,” Washington said. “We all need a helping hand. There are organizations and people to help, so don’t give up.”
According to Goodwill San Antonio, they currently employ 178 veterans.