Colorado Fire Vets Corps Goes National

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Fighting a war and fighting a fire are two jobs that have a lot in common. That’s the idea behind a Durango effort to help unemployed vets find work. Army veteran Lew Sovocool was one of the first participants. After going through the program he got a job fighting wildfires across the west as a hotshot with the Forest Service. Now, five other states have set up similar programs. CPR’s Zachary Barr speaks with Sovocool and Harry Bruell. Bruell is president and CEO of the Southwest Conservation Corps, which started the effort.

[Photo: Southwest Conservation Corps. Lew Sovocol is second from right in the back row.]