Wounded veterans enlisted to fight child exploitation online

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- America's wounded warriors can still serve their country through a program created by the Department of Homeland Security. They can help crack down on sex crimes against children.

Oskar Zepeda served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a highly trained Special Operations soldier. It was his dream job: fighting and protecting his country. But in 2011, a suicide bomber took Zepeda off of the battlefield.

"He had a grenade, pulled the pin, blew himself up," said Zepeda.

Zepeda was also hit and suffered multiple injuries to his right arm and leg.

"I knew that my career was done. And that was probably the hardest thing for me because that's all I knew and that's all I loved to do," said Zepeda.

Zepeda and other wounded warriors are now getting a second chance to fight -- against a different enemy.

"A lot of criminal behavior has just proliferated with the use of the Internet. And child exploitation is the same," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Claude Arnold.

The Human Exploitation Rescue Operative, or HERO Corps program, uses private donations to train wounded warriors in computer forensics.

"With this training they've transitioned and they're doing very important work to make sure we can make cases against child predators," said Arnold.

Oskar Zepeda is one of 14 wounded warriors who graduated from the program. Zepeda now works as a full-time computer forensics analyst for ICE Homeland Security Operations. The job has allowed him to continue to do what he does best: protect and serve

"I do it with everything that I can, just like I did in the military," said Zepeda. "And at the end of the day I go home and I'm very satisfied with what I do."

The HERO Corps is looking to expand the program to include as many as 200 veterans in the next five years.