On April 12, 2004, a mortar landed inside a building defended by Douglas Hayenga’s platoon. Eight people, including Douglas, were injured in the attack, and four others were killed. Shrapnel tore into the right side of Douglas’ body, shattering his right tibia and severing the radial nerve in his right arm. After 23 surgeries and a little over 2 years of recovery, the doctors at the Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego were able to save Douglas’ leg.

Upon his discharge from the hospital, Douglas’ wife urged him to pursue his degree while he was recovering. Within a year, he had completed his associate’s degree and had begun work on his bachelor’s. It was at this point that he was offered a position with Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Systems sector as a Technical Writer at its Rancho Bernardo facility. Douglas accepted the position, and he is currently applying the skills he gained while working on his bachelor’s degree to the development of technical publications and training for the Global Hawk Aircraft.

Douglas says that Northrop Grumman is a wonderful place to work, and he is especially pleased that he can continue to fight the war on terrorism by working on cutting-edge technology to support our troops on the battlefield. We value having Douglas as part of our Northrop Grumman family and thank him for his exemplary service to our country.