But that’s the story of Randy Tharp.

A wounded warrior of two tours of duty in Iraq, he’s also had two tours of duty as a federal civilian employee before heading to the Five9Group.

Federal Drive Host Tom Temin interviewed Tharp about his transition from active duty service member to civilian IT professional.

Tom Temin: What made you decide to join the military and serve the country during the Iraq War?

Randy Tharp: I saw the war on TV and felt this desire and guilt come over me that I should be serving my country instead of sitting in a dorm room. So I left and served for about seven years in the Army, as a sniper and a squad leader. It’s a very difficult job. Very few people make it to that level. I think there’s a 50 percent dropout rate. So it’s an honorable position and one I took very seriously.

TT: When did you leave the Armed Forces and return to the U.S.?

RT: In 2007, the vehicle I was riding in was hit by an IED [Improvised Explosive Device]. I received a traumatic brain injury, a displaced spine and suffered from PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] from that. They were all non-visible wounds, which makes transitioning to the real world a little bit harder, because people can’t see the extent of your injuries from the outside.

TT: How did you go from sniper into the government IT world?

RT: I was at Walter Reed for about two years serving as a squad leader there, getting fixed up and ready for my transition out. Not knowing anything about the IT world, the White House Office of E-Government saw my resume in a database and called me in for an interview.

TT: And you got the job?

RT: Yes. It was very intimidating, but my wife finally talked me into [taking the job]. I started there in OMB [Office of Management and Budget]. I actually found myself pretty passionate about what they’re doing. Being in a room full of really intelligent people trying to make a difference across the whole federal landscape was amazing to me.

TT: What channels and projects were you working on?

RT: I helped start the IT program manager rotation program, and I helped a lot with the tech stats of reviewing agency budgets and failing projects. I really began to learn across the government why projects failed, and that was very fascinating to me. I got to meet a lot of the CIOs. From there, that understanding and relationship spurred by IT career.

TT: What was it like looking at those projects from more of a human perspective, rather than a IT one?

RT: I thought that gave me a big advantage, because I didn’t have any of those intimate feelings about this is the way it’s always been done, so that’s what we’re comfortable with. It was very well received [by CIOs]. Working with policy analysts, they’re very open to the help.

TT: While at OMB, you also started a non-profit?

RT: It’s called VETSports, and we’re helping veterans across the country like myself when they get out. They find that camaraderie again through sports. We’ve been able to grow as a national organization, and we have 540 vets a week in 40 states now. Through that, I was able to be recognized under Forbes 30 under 30.

TT: Where did you go after OMB?

RT: I was at SRA International. Then I went to GSA and worked on helping DHS with all their telecom under the Networx contract, trying to get them the right deals. It was almost like being a broker between big IT industries.

TT: Tell us about the Five9Group.

RT: It’s a small business. I wasn’t looking for a job when I was at GSA, but they approached me and found something in me that they thought would help their company. They have a large presence in DHS.

TT: How have your skills in your sharpshooter days helped you now?

RT: Being a sniper in the Army really shows you how impactful a single person can be to a whole team. So with the mindset of, “This is my mission, and I need to do it really well and tie my mission’s success to the entire Army’s success.” Within even the IT community, people get bogged down in their day to day. But if you can take what you’re doing and be passionate about it and tie it to the overall mission and get people together on the same path forward, you really get to create a lot of success that way.

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