School didn’t deliver, wounded Marines say

[unhappycamper]

School didn’t deliver, wounded Marines say
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 6, 2009 17:24:33 EST

SAN DIEGO — A film-training and job-placement program created for wounded Marines and corpsmen by a foundation with Hollywood connections looked like a sweet deal when the first class graduated last year.

But some participants say Wounded Marine Careers Foundation Inc. fell short on its promise of a free, 10-week training program with guaranteed employment and membership in a key Hollywood union.

Instead, some claim the private, nonprofit foundation charged the Department of Veterans Affairs for $88,000 in vocational rehabilitation benefits for some students, but didn’t deliver on a variety of promises.

Now, one former Marine has filed a nearly $300,000 civil suit against the group, and some graduates are weighing their options.

Wounded Marine Careers Foundation was established in 2007 by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Kevin Lombard and his wife Judith Paixao to teach filmmaking skills — including photography, editing and audio — to disabled veterans, with costs expected to be covered by donations and other fundraising. The goal “was to do a seamless transition for them into the work force,” Paixao said.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/03/marine_schoolsuit_030609w/%2e