From Battlefield to Boardroom
Iraq veteran continues his fight for freedom, acquiring earned benefits and care with the help of DAV.
“My father was in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII, and then helped document the Holocaust for Eisenhower’s HQ,” says Adam Taichi Kraft. “My maternal grandfather served in the Japanese Imperial Guard (Mounted Imperial Protection) during the same war.”
Though Kraft’s grandfathers served on opposite sides during World War II, both men encouraged Kraft to pursue a life of service to carry on the family’s legacy.
“They were both NCOs, and both encouraged me to attend a federal service academy with bias towards one in particular,” says Kraft. “My Japanese grandfather golfed with a USMA cap for decades!”
After high school, Kraft attended the Marion Military Institute, then on to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in May 2000. He volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army Chemical Corp, which allowed him to serve with 1-63 Armor, Headquarters 1st Infantry Division , V Corps, and eventually 1st Brigate Combat Team (504 Parachute Infantry Regiment) 82nd Airborne Division. Kraft deployed twice to Iraq and on multiple additional overseas tours.
After his service, DAV helped him navigate the process of acquiring the necessary treatments and earned benefits related to his service-connected illnesses and injuries.
“I have severe respiratory problems,” says Kraft. “I also had complicating pain from surgeries performed to further diagnose and then correct injuries. I am grateful for DAV in helping me navigate through my multiple medical treatments prior to, and after, my eventual medical retirement out of the Warrior Transition Program.”
For Kraft, DAV provided both assurance and outcomes throughout their assistance to him in acquiring the benefits he’d earned—benefits critical to so many veterans.
“Without DAV, I would not have known how to go through the VA system and Tricare to receive my life-saving devices that assist me to breathe, and have some semblance of normalcy so I could be employable and provide for my wife and young twins.”
Kraft credits DAV for helping him get on his feet, find employment and recover. Today, Kraft is the CEO of a start-up security and corporate intelligence company, conducting business around the world.
“The company I run, and the companies I hold board seats on, are all dedicated to giving back and helping DAV continue their mission so others may get assistance, returning broken from the battlefield and entering the boardroom, to continue the fight for freedom,” says Kraft.
