Dear Friends and Partners,

I am honored to be writing to you as the new Executive Director of the Wall Street Warfighters Foundation (WSWF). I was one of the first warfighters to join this great program. The course continues to evolve and mature, to better serve the men and women who join WSWF. We have partnered with the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund to help Marines and sailors who want careers in the financial services industry. I am excited to report that we are ready for the next class to start in September!

Drexel Hamilton, a service-disabled veteran owned financial services firm, provides a home for the WSWF and is the broker-dealer that sponsors our candidates to get their financial industry licenses. We simply could not have done it without their help!  Other partners who provided tremendous assistance to our initial class include: American Century, Base Technologies, Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Marlin & Associates, Merrill Lynch, NASDAQ OMX Group, R.E. Harper Associates, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA)’s Securities Industry Institute, and the Securities Training Corporation.

Congratulations to George Holmes, my fellow graduate from the first WSWF course, who has passed all of his required tests and is looking forward to starting work in the Philadelphia area following surgery to treat his war injuries. As for me, I was honored to receive a call from General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.), our Chairman, asking me to head up the WSWF. We all wish Joel Canfield, the previous Executive Director, great success while working on his masters degree abroad.

One of our new candidates is Jason Leisey, a Pennsylvania National Guard member who was injured by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. “I know there is no obstacle in my future that could slow me down or prevent me from reaching the objectives that I have set for myself,” Jason explained.  He has demonstrated his commitment to this philosophy by graduating with honors from Millersville University in Pennsylvania, with a degree in finance.

For more than six years, our men and women in uniform have been engaged in wars halfway around the world. More than 4,000 of these brave souls have paid the ultimate sacrifice, while thousands of others have suffered injuries which will affect the rest of their lives. Returning warfighters face the tough job of reintegrating themselves into the civilian world. One of the most difficult challenges for these wounded warfighters is finding their place in the world of work. I believe the Wall Street Warfighters Foundation can help meet this challenge, one veteran and one career at a time. Please consider contributing to our foundation as we continue this worthwhile mission.

Sincerely,
John P. Jones
Executive Director
Wall Street Warfighters Foundation