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Local Congressman Hires Injured Vet As Special Aide

By David Madden

CHERRY HILL, N.J., (CBS) --  A program to put wounded U.S. veterans into jobs helping fellow veterans is gaining support within the halls of Congress.

This past week, a South Jersey congressman added an aide to his staff whose job it is to help veterans get all the help they need, and earned, from their government.

More than 150 men and women who have gone through the Wounded Warrior Project are now working in congressional offices. Among them, Clementon native Adam Klein, who just got his Masters in social work from Rutgers.

How he got here is a story in itself. A military vaccine, not a bullet, brought him down.

"It actually made me a quadriplegic, Klien told KYW Newsradio. "So for the better part of 10 years I've been recovering where, actually, I wasn't able to walk. I had to be in a wheelchair for a couple years. I've been through every stage of disability."

Today, he's working as an aide to Congressman Donald Norcross.

"My main role is going to be facilitating and assisting fellow veterans with resources and any type of issues they might have," Klein said.

Those issues could range from a wound on the battlefield to a drug habit following their service to their country.

He'll also interact with local veterans at various events to listen to their needs and come up with ways to address them.

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