Ron Drach, a combat wounded war veteran, has been chosen to serve a 3-year term on the Amputee Coalition’s Board of Directors. The Coalition notes that Drach is slated to begin his term immediately.
Kendra Calhoun, president, CEO, Amputee Coalition, articulates the organization’s honor in welcoming Drach to the board, “He brings a wealth of personal and professional experience both as a combat wounded retired Army infantryman and as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on employment issues affecting persons living with disabilities,” Calhoun says.
Following the loss of his leg resulting from combat wounds in Vietnam, Drach left the military in 1967 with a Purple Hear and began working to assist other veterans with disabilities. After two and a half years with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Drach joined the staff of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in 1970. Drach became the organization’s national employment director in 1975, reportedly providing input into America’s response to the needs of veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, racial and gender discrimination, and other socio-economic issues. According to a Coalition news release, Drach has also appeared before congressional committees, offering his expertise and recommendations for legislative change.
After his stead at the DAV, Drach served on the Labor Department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). The Coalition adds that most recently, he was employed as director of government and legislative affairs. Drach’s responsibilities included working with congressional staff, the Department’s Office of the Solicitor, and others within the Department of Labor on all legislative employment issues that affect the Departments of Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Defense.
The release reports that Drach has also served on the governing boards of the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and others. Drach volunteered as a team leader for the US Paralympics Sitting Volleyball Team in the 2000 International Paralympics Competition in Sydney, Australia. He is immediate past President of the Wounded Warrior Project Board of Directors, and continues as a member of that Board and was appointed by the Secretary of Defense to serve on Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Recovering Warrior Task Force.
Source: Amputee Coalition
