Ryan McCallum, From Wounded Warrior to Intelligence Officer

A June 2007 roadside bombing in Iraq changed the life, and career trajectory, of Army National Guardsman Ryan McCallum. Returning to U.S. soil, with a Purple Heart medal received in a bedside ceremony in Baghdad, Ryan had endured terrible injuries, and several surgeries across multiple hospitals, before arriving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

It was during his recuperation at Walter Reed that Ryan learned about Operation Warfighter. Through this program, McCallum was offered an internship with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, an opportunity which took him to the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department, furthering ODNI’s intelligence integration mission.

After completing his internship, Ryan stayed on with ODNI, joining its National Counterterrorism Center, coordinating intelligence between NCTC, other federal partners, state and local law enforcement, fusion centers, academic institutions, and private sector officials. It’s a must-read story of perseverance and dedication.

Via DNI.gov