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January 12, 2006

Hire Vets First

I just received an email from the Marine Corps that included this:

The return to civilian life for U. S. Soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan is full of pitfalls, with an unemployment rate three times the national average. The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics says that for the first three quarters of 2005, nearly 15 percent of veterans aged 20 -24 are jobless -- three times the national average.

According to the website VeteransToday, published by veterans, the high unemployment rate is "partly because most service members seriously injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are in their early stages of their military careers and possess limited transferable job skills or very little civilian work experience."

Some 200,000 persons leave active military service each year. The government wants to convince U.S. employers to hire them. To tackle the problem, the U.S. government launched a series of initiatives to come to their aid. The U.S. Veterans Administration created in October a project titled, "Fulfilling the Commitment -- Coming Home to Work", a public-private effort so they "will have employment opportunities when they return home from the war on terrorism. The young men and women who protect our way of life need to know that they will have the opportunity to work and to take care of their families once they are discharged from military service," sand James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs.

The Department of Labor announced a six-month public relations campaign aimed at veterans returning to work in civilian life. The Veterans Administration also plans a web page, REALifelines, especially for veterans wounded in combat.

Job fairs for veterans are also being organized. One of them was attended by thousands of vets. One of the organizations at the Veterans Job Fair and Career Expo in New York, the National Hire Veterans Committee, encourages employers to recruit veterans on its website, www.HireVetsFirst.gov telling employers, "Your organization depends on reliable, resilient human capital. Veterans of America's armed forces have the skills, training and character to meet your toughest challenges for today and tomorrow. That's why the President's National Hire Veterans Committee wants you to know that hiring veterans is not just goodwill. It's good business."

Here's the site for those of you out there who'd like to hire a vet: HireVetsFirst

For what it's worth, when I left the Marine Corps in May of 2004, I was unemployed until September of 04, when I started my current job. I wasn't injured, have a BA, etc. And it still took me awhile. Mainly cause I had a very particular focus, I think.

On the other hand, if I hadn't been unemployed, I might never have discovered the blogosphere.

Posted by Chester at January 12, 2006 10:44 PM

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Comments

Great link! Thanks for posting that. I have also posted it on my site.

Great to see you blogging again!

Posted by: Glenn at January 15, 2006 11:23 AM

I had a similar experience when I got out in 1973, after 9 years of service in the Navy as a Nuclear Reactor Operator (also trained as an electronics technician in the Radar specialty.)

By that time, any hopes of finding work in the nuclear industry were gone (thanks to the anti-nuke forces). I spent several months unemployed and even had to work as a day-laborer picking fruit. After 6 months, I finally got a job as a Radar Tech with the FAA where I stayed until I retired.

But I never forget tough times between my honorable discharge and my first job 6 months later. Employers should always hire vets first.

Posted by: Michael at January 16, 2006 3:49 PM