[4] After he graduated from Yale, he served for two years as a first lieutenant with the United States Air Force.
[1] He returned to the United States in 1975 and volunteered for the International Rescue Committee for a month.
[2] In 1975, DeVecchi became the coordinator of the Indochinese Refugee Resettlement Program for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
[1] As president, DeVecchi started many initiatives and emergency relief programs for more than 28 countries, including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
[2] Under his leadership, the IRC won the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $1 million.
[1] He was appointed Adjunct Senior Fellow for Refugees and the Displaced at the Council on Foreign Relations in 1997.
[1] He also served on the FilmAid Advisory Council and Refugees International, becoming a director emeriti.