{"id":23103,"date":"2025-10-09T09:53:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T13:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/?page_id=23103"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T19:33:44","slug":"elias-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/veterans-day-25\/elias-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Elias&#8217;s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8cd669b9 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8fe846e4 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);flex-basis:60%\">\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">VETERANS DAY GIVING<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center xs-mb-10 has-color has-border has-border-center has-border-red is-style-h2\" style=\"padding-top:0\">Elias' Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"From the Air Force to Meta: Elias\u2019 Story\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pd8jCw9CnUs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:40%\">\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">Every Gift Makes a Difference.<br>This Veterans Day, Tito\u2019s Doubles the Impact.<\/h6>\n\n\n<div id=\"El4e4hyR_8WyuboDueo0W\" classy=\"721824\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;<em>I would encourage any transitioning military member\/veteran\/military spouse to look into Hire Heroes USA. I had a very positive experience; I genuinely believe that Hire Heroes USA helped me to succeed in getting hired at Meta. I strongly recommend this program to all service members and spouses!<\/em>&#8220;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For Elias, serving in the Air Force was the dream. Leaving it meant finding the courage to chase a new one\u2014and proving that purpose doesn\u2019t end when the mission changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Military service wasn\u2019t just a career path for Elias\u2014it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream. Inspired by his father, a Marine, he grew up focused on serving his country. He entered the Air Force Academy, where he found belonging and began building the foundation for his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>For years, the Air Force gave him everything he wanted: challenge, direction, and a sense of purpose. But after deployment to Iraq in 2023, Elias began to see the tradeoffs more clearly. While he was proud of his service, he was missing time with family, and he found himself questioning what came next. Walking away from his dream was one of the hardest decisions of his life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What worried him most was whether civilian life could ever feel as meaningful. Could he find something equally challenging, equally fulfilling? Or would he spend the rest of his career looking back on the best years of his life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elias chose to move forward\u2014and to prepare for what was next. Through TAP classes, he connected with Hire Heroes USA. With the support of his Transition Specialist, Valerie, he gained tools to translate his specialized skills into a civilian resume and practiced for interviews with confidence. Networking, something that once felt uncomfortable, became the key to opening doors in the tech sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That persistence paid off. Elias is now building a career with Meta, where he has discovered new purpose and possibility. The work excites him in ways he didn\u2019t expect\u2014surrounded by brilliant colleagues, he is once again challenged to learn, grow, and master new skills. For Elias, it feels much like the beginning of his military journey: the thrill of stepping into the unknown, the drive and determination to become an expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back, Elias sees his choice not as leaving a dream behind, but as building a new one. By stepping away from the Air Force, he gained the chance to be present with his family while pursuing a career that challenges him in new ways. Today, he knows his transition didn\u2019t end his mission\u2014it redefined it, giving him a future he is proud to claim.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:49px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VETERANS DAY GIVING Elias&#8217; Story Every Gift Makes a Difference.This Veterans Day, Tito\u2019s Doubles the Impact. &#8220;I would encourage any transitioning military member\/veteran\/military spouse to look into Hire Heroes USA. I had a very positive experience; I genuinely believe that Hire Heroes USA helped me to succeed in getting hired at Meta. I strongly recommend [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":0,"parent":23014,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23103","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23103\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hireheroesusa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}