Dan Newberry: Transitioning From Military To Civilian Life, Employment After The Battlefield

By Patti Katter | August 30, 2021 |

Join Patti Katter with Dan Newberry as they talk about military veterans transitioning to civilian life. Dan had a hard time adjusting to civilian life and even reached the point of almost being homeless. However, the hardship he went through inspired him to help veterans after serving the military and advocate for their cause. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in this episode:

Expectations and reality of life after military service Employment issues that concern veterans turned civilians It takes direction, purpose, and motivation to get out of the grind Influences that triggered Dan to join the military How to champion civilian life even with PTSD And so much more!~

About Dan Newberry:

Dan Newberry is a South Milwaukee native and joined the United States Army as an Indirect Fire Infantryman. He served over eight years and two Combat deployments to Operation Iraqi Freedom. On June 28th, 2005, he was awarded the Purple Heart. He continued his career and deployed again to Iraq from May 2007 to August 2008 to take part in what has been named “The Surge.” Throughout Dan’s career, he has achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and received numerous awards and accommodations.

In August of 2016, he went on to start an annual 22-mile walk and developed 22Fitness. 22Fitness is a free fitness class open to the entire community dedicated to those that struggle with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. In November of 2017, he was brought on as the Manager of Operations for the Commercial Recycling Division For Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Chicago. For the next two years, he continued his mental health advocacy, took part, and spoke at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention out of the Darkness Walk. He went to the State Capital to influence our leaders to take a more active approach to mental healthcare reform.

In December of 2018, Dan was appointed Executive Director of Lift For The 22, a national nonprofit (501c3) designed to connect the veteran community, aid in the transition to civilian life, and reduce veteran suicide. Since 2015, they have partnered with over 500 fitness facilities nationwide. Lift For The 22 believes that through fitness, camaraderie, and peer-to-peer support, we can help end the suicide epidemic and ease the transition to civilian life.

In May of 2019, he was the recipient of the American Red Cross Braveheart Award for his dedication to the Veteran Community and his work in suicide prevention. In addition, in June 2019, Dan was invited to Washington D.C. to discuss alternative treatment methods for PTSD within the veteran community with members of Congress.

In June of 2020, he was hired as the Co-Director of The Veterans Business Outreach Center at WWBIC, overseeing Wisconsin and Minnesota. In November of 2020, Dan was recognized by the Milwaukee Biz Times as one of Milwaukee’s notable Veteran Executives and received a certificate of Congressional Recognition for his connections to the Veteran community.