PROTECT, a children's lobbying group fighting against child pornography, is recruiting a new brand of heroes - wounded war veterans, according to MSN News.
According to federal officials, the children's lobbying group pitched the idea to incorporate wounded service members transitioning out of the military, or already separated, for free to run after child pornographers, the report said.
The war veterans would undergo 11 weeks of intensive computer and legal training before they get assigned to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office.
"They built their career upon fighting for this country and keeping citizens of this country safe," ICE Special Agent Patrick Redling told MSN News. "What better way to get somebody already with that mindset into a program where it's another battlefield, very similar, but you're keeping our children safe. You're taking predators off the street."
For example, Oskar Zepeda, 29, is part of a 17-member class of veterans trained in computer forensics and sent to ICE field offices. But he isn't paid, and there's no guarantee that he'll have a full-time job when his one-year stint with ICE ends.
Amid low financial considerations, Zepeda and others find purpose in their new mission.
"I love challenges. And I have a family of my own," Zepeda said. "I feel I'm still serving my country and protecting my family at the same time."
Zepeda's military career was cut short by a hand grenade and the 25 operations that followed.
Another example, Shannon Krieger, who was in the Army and is now assigned to ICE's field office in New Orleans, said that she's been looking forward to doing something like this.
"This was a new fight I could sink my teeth into. That's what really I was looking for," Krieger said. "I wasn't just going to take a job so I can have a paycheck."
The veterans are not getting paid by ICE, but majority of those on the team are receiving disability compensation. Many also get a monthly stipend from the Department of Veterans Affairs for educational expenses.
In exchange for their services at ICE, they're gaining expertise in computer forensics, a skill that's in high demand with law enforcement agencies.
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