Inspired by Tuesday's Huffington Post Game Changers Awards and the success stories of some of my fellow Game Changers, I woke up Wednesday eager for progress in the veterans' employment movement. For once, I didn't have to wait very long.
"We ask our men and women in uniform to leave their careers, leave their families, and risk their lives to fight for our country," President Obama said in Virginia, speaking about the veterans' jobs initiatives that are a part of his proposed American Jobs Act. "The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home."
The President is right on the mark. We live in an era of yellow ribbon patriotism, with plenty of talk about helping those that protect us, but very little action. In rough economic water like these, no one's going to get a job handed to them, not even a vet. But it's always struck me as odd that the very people that can help a company bounce back -- new veterans are motivated, technologically savvy and independent -- are the ones most struggling to find work.
This is why IAVA started our Combat To Career Program. We launched it at the start of the year in Washington with our annual grassroots membership advocacy event, Storm The Hill. And now, months later, it's really starting to show its impact on the ground in communities nationwide. Earlier this month during Fleet Week, IAVA hosted our first Smart Job Fair in San Francisco. It's an innovative and high-touch approach to providing employment support to some folks who really deserve it. Over 150 Iraq and Afghanistan vets from all over the West Coast directly connected with companies committed to hiring them, and we provided them with the tools, resources and support they need to help them in their job search.
And forward-looking companies like jcpenney already understand what young vets can offer, and are setting a trend by committing to hire them, strengthening their ranks for decades to come.
But jcpenney decided that hiring vets isn't enough. Today, they unveiled a joint program with IAVA called 'Welcome Heroes', which provides over $1 million in free certificates for new veterans to purchase business attire and apparel at their local jcpenney or at jcp.com. IAVA members across the country can visit TheRucksack.org now to enter to win their certificate. Over six thousand service members and vets will be eligible for the $200 gift certificates. It's a great example of a private/nonprofit partnership that will make a difference. And it also happens to be pretty damn cool.
The 'Welcome Heroes' campaign features real IAVA Member Veterans--not models (although they look as good as the pros). These men and women represent all branches of the U.S. military, and are in various stages of their transition from combat to career. One of these young heroes is Tyler Tannahill, who deployed to Afghanistan with the Marine Corps to Iraq twice. He and his unit went on countless counter-IED patrols, raids for weapons caches, and diligently trained up the local Iraqi Police force. Tyler was responsible for hundreds of thousands dollars worth of equipment, not to mention the lives and safety of the Marines on his left and right. If you are hiring right now, he's the kind of guy you want on your team. When he graduates from Kansas State University in a couple years after using the New GI Bill, Tyler deserves a job worthy of his potential and capabilities.
It's up to the rest of us to ensure that's the case for Tyler, and hundreds of thousands of other men and women returning from war. Professional clothing is a great start for ending new vet unemployment. But it's only a start.
We also need government to play its part and make it easier for businesses to hire vets. With twenty-three days until Veterans Day, Senator Reid has the opportunity to bring the much-needed Hiring Heroes Act to the Senate floor for a vote. And all of Congress must work together to pass tax incentives for employing vets. These are ideas that should cross partisan lines--even in times like these.
If American business and government leaders follow jcpenney's lead, this era of yellow ribbon patriotism can give way to the era of practical patriotism. And practical patriotism means a rejuvenated (and well-dressed) America.
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Marian Wright Edelman: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Stupid
Vets who have been maimed and wounded deserve our sympathy and support as they return to civilian life. They were lied to; they were led to believe that they were acting in service to the nation, helping to make it safe.
We all know now that this recruiting rhetoric has been a lie; has been ever since Viet Nam. So the more is the pity for those who fell for it and received harm.
But it is our government and our policies that put them in harm's way.
I am waiting for our veterans to begin to express outrage--much more than mere indignation. Outrage that they were used in corrupt, immoral military adventures...and were misled into believing that this was the patriotic thing to do.
There must be hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been abused in this way by our government. When will we hear from them?
Even the slaves at Rome revolted.
So I disagree with giving a preference to any one group. Picture someone out of work for a year applying for the same job as a veteran on his first day out.
There is a tax break for the employer to hire the veteran as opposed to the guy who's been out of work much longer. If people were still being drafted I could see it.
So, and I understand that this has been done and tried in varying ways, what would happen if these million of Americans decided to begin anew by staying connected but more so setting up a group that each paid into to build jobs for Military and their families. Instead of being out of work what would happen if they began making work because they understand that by joining together the are a real force to be reckoned with. You have the money, leadership and hands now you need a leader to direct this large forceful army into the future.
Nothing new. In good or bad times very few Vets have civilian jobs training. It would probably be asking too much for those college for profit people would give them a break.
by-passing Congress. The obstructionist Republicans block job creation efforts and
yet have no plan of their own. How every Republican in their caucus can vote the same
way shows how tight the control of the party by the leadership is; not a single member
is allowed to think for him or herself.
THEN here comes the Black Caucus, Womens Lib , Alternative Sex, Vets (benefit should be established before you serve the way it use to be)
What is left tax cuts creating less revenue and more debt.
Tax Cuts to the Supply Side and more relative tax on the workers
$1000 to the workers for $5000 in higher prices and $500,000 to the rich to buy more Crony Capitalism and jet around the world on tax payer subsidies Airplanes or their personal jet with tax payer subsidise Oil prices
Just wait till Green Energy and Energy Independence (foreign owned here at home) get full swing. Energy Prices will soar and Cheap Crude will cost more but sold for much more.
Supply and Demand is so simple even for the least educated. Without balance and free competition, negotiation you HAVE THIS
That's All Folk's. It won't change until to workers quits working and the bullets really start flying.
Easy to get rid of JFK, RFK, MLK, Saddam, Gadaffi. Trying doing it to the Public. Well, yes, it is happening in Africa, South America, Burning the Jungles and Forests of the 3rd World.
Sorry Animals, I don't give a damn about the public let them fend for themselve on their Self Motivation or desire to love a politician instead of DEMAND justice
We need to stop East Indians from being rented by IBM for big buck and 3 year exclisive contracts and hire our highly talented IT unemployed and those Children we educated in IT for the last 40 years but did not give them a job with no experience
Unlike the East Indian who don't speak English and have to be told what to do and do nothing of what they are not told to do
America know the Work Ethics. The responsibility for doing what you are paid to do
It is a long way back and the slide won't be over for a long time.
But Legal Justice could fix taxes, unfair labor laws, low wages, job losses (mergers and acquisition and break up of too big to fail), Think Tank influience on Congress, Budget and Miitary Foreign Policy (no execution without trials or Unprovoked War -even if no troops used)
Drones are not free and injustice will cost us HOME LAND INSECURITY
So business has to hire, raise wages or buy more goods and services to LOWER their Tax Burden.
It worked for every President 1776. Only Harding, Coolige, Hoover and Bush2 and Obama have been to ignorant or Crony Capitalistic to do otherwise.
Don't get me wrong as a Pentagon GI and wife in the CIA in 1966. I would like JFK would have. DESTROY the CIA and fire them all. I would not put the Military in charge of the CIA or the CIA in charge of the Military. NO WAY NO HOW.
So you are thrilled we are out of IRAQ and into Lybia, Syria and IRAN. It will not even stop then.
Too mush CASH as Henry Ford and IKE warrened us and the world
We have a world economic crisses we don't have a JOB crisis. The economic crisis is that the rich Stock Traders are OWNING the world. The bush ownership society (social ownership by the few and privatization of profit and nationalization of DEBT and TAXES on the worker to prevent cash to change it all ) no jobs, no salaries and lots of taxes on the workers
We need to TAX the rich, just like Reagan, Bush1 and Clinton did.
That is the only way to take the POWER from the Crony Capitalist, politicians, stock traders and bussinessmen
It is corrution of war and injustice which is the FAIR and EQUAL treatment under the law for all not a few
The Dictators are the only countries raising the income per capita, education index, human index and health index. In the entire world.
Why the West is systematically executing and installing the 1920 and 1948 ownership of the Oil and Business for west. ALL over AGAIN
1)what are the chances of R's actually supporting this?....I mean,they claim to be the only people who actually care about the troops,PLUS,we all know how much they LOVE tax cuts,so this should be able to get done quickly,w/no debate,right?
2)if R's DONT support this,will the media-y'know,this "liberal media" I keep hearing so much about-actually hold them accountable,forcing them to explain why not?
The fact is,cons. love to demagogue,insisting that anyone who opposes any war is somehow not properly supporting our troops.Anyone who would dare to question the wisdom of sending more and more 18 yr olds to go die for unclear and/or dishonest reasons doesnt want to "win" or whatever....
yet,regardless of how these wars conclude,D's and progressives have consistently fought to make returning soldiers lives better upon return,while cons. tend to care much less once they arent dressed in fatigues.
And if a soldier happens to be gay?....well,forget it.They proved that when they booed Stephen Hill at one of their debates.
It was Bush, Cheney and McCain who voted against the Veteran benefit package!
They started this illegal war for profit, they have each made $10's of millions off of it as well from Halliburton and the Carlyle Group.
Both should be indicted, and imprisoned for treason, incompetence, and greed.