Mission:

The Veterans Curation Program (VCP) provides veterans and disabled veterans with tangible work skills and experience through the rehabilitation and preservation of archaeological collections owned or administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Background:
In October 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Center of Expertise for Curation and Management of Archeological Collections, St. Louis District, began a groundbreaking new project, the Veterans Curation Program (VCP). This program employs and trains Iraq and Afghanistan returnees along with Vietnam era veterans in archaeological curation processing under the management of the Corps of Engineers and Brockington and Associates, Inc. In total, three laboratories have opened: Augusta, Georgia (October 2009), St. Louis, Missouri (December 2009), and Washington, D.C. (January 2010). The Corps has allocated $3.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009) funding in support of the Nation’s returning veterans, while advancing the public stewardship of federally owned archeological collections.

Jobs and Training for Veterans:
The VCP provides veterans with an opportunity to receive competitive pay while learning new job skills through technical training in a peer-to-peer veterans’ environment.
Veterans acquire skills, including:

 Computer database management
 Records management
 Photographic and scanning technologies
 Knowledge of archaeology & history
 Processing & curation of archaeological collections
 Microsoft Office® software proficiency
 Vocabulary & writing skills
 Increased interpersonal communication skills
  
The work products developed in archaeological curation readily translate to entry level skill sets for the museum, forensics, administrative, and records management fields. Jobs at the VCP are tailored to fit the capabilities of the disabled veterans, and rolling employment offers on-the-job training and work to more veterans.

The Veterans Curation Program, working in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal, State, and local agencies and organizations, will assist VCP participants in job preparation and placement.

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, speaking at the Augusta public opening stated, “No group of people has done more to forge our national identity throughout history than the veterans who have served and sacrificed for the nation.” This is a very special project for extraordinary people, those who have served our country with honor. They deserve the best we can offer.