Elmhurst social worker became soldier to help vets

/ IRVING DeJOHN /NEW YORK DAILY

Carla Giglio, a Touro College student who went to U.S. Navy boot camp to be all she could be, is studying to become a social worker.

For returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, getting back to normal will take a few good men — and one determined Queens woman.

Elmhurst native Carla Giglio is part of a specialized social work program at the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work that focuses on helping former soldiers.

But rather than using only textbooks and lectures — Giglio decided the only way she could all that she can be was by enlisting in the U.S. Navy Reserve program.

“If I’m going to work with vets, I might as well be one,” said Giglio, 38. “It’s a different culture, it’s a different mindset.”

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Giglio — who was twice the age of some of her counterparts — spent seven months in Illinois getting orders barked at her and having her physical and mental toughness tested.

“I was old, the drill instructors would call me, ‘Grandma,’” she recalled. “You’re constantly in uniform. You’re constantly at attention. It was rough.”

Giglio, now a Petty Officer 3rd Class, credits the discipline learned during the grueling boot camp for her near-perfect 3.9 GPA.

“I don’t give myself the luxury of procrastination,” she said.

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Giglio was able to secure a coveted internship at the Northport VA Medical Center in Long Island, where she is counseling returning troops.

“There’s a commitment there that’s going to translate into her work with clients,” said Melissa Earle, an associate dean at Touro College.

When Giglio graduates in 2014, she will be part of the inaugural class to graduate with the specialized military-social work degree.

That fresh group of service providers will face the difficult task of helping an influx of veterans from two wars. Vets, for example, are often hesitant to seek treatment.

For better or worse, Earle knows her graduates are in this battle for the long haul.

“We’ll be unpacking the impact of these wars for at least 30 years,” she said.

idejohn@nydailynews.com

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