Bellevue Native Among First Graduates of Veterans' Program

Bellevue native Bob Lunke, who spent 30 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, is among the county's first graduates of a program to help prepare military veterans for civilian jobs.

Lunke was among the first group of graduates in King County's Heroes Employment Reintegration Opportunity (HERO) Program, which places military veterans in six-month paid internships in various departments in King County.

Voters authorized the King County Veterans and Human Services Levy, which partially pays for the program.

Lunke was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and entered the Army ROTC at the University of Washington in 1980. Lunke served 30 years in the Reserve and retired in 2010, according to the county. He served four tours of duty in South Korea and two tours in Iraq, according to the county.

Lunke, who is originally from Bellevue, now lives in West Seattle. He interned with the Department of Community and Human Services, Community Services Division.

Bellevue's representatives on the King County Council praised the program and encouraged private businesses and other entities to take part in offering internships to veterans.

"Congratulations to the graduates of a program that helps our returning veterans successfully compete for jobs," Council Vice Chair Jane Hague said, according to the county press release. "It has the potential to be an example for implementation by other public and private entities."

"When I drafted this legislation, I never could have envisioned how successful the Veteran Internship program would be in assisting these heroes make the transition into the civilian workforce," Councilmember Reagan Dunn, the prime sponsor of the ordinance creating the HERO Program, said, according to the press release. "We have now all seen first-hand the success of this program and I look forward to its continued growth. I encourage other public and private entities to look into implementing this program in their own organization."