Employers Should Renew Commitment To Hire Veterans

By Leticia Van de Putte

While loss of life and limb is the price paid by some U.S. servicemen and women as they protect our liberty, other veterans return home relatively healthy, only to struggle with the difficult and sometimes frightening challenge of finding a civilian job.

In fact, a recent study found that joblessness among American warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is about 12.1 percent — or 4 percent higher than our nation’s overall unemployment rate.

“No veteran should have to fight for a job at home after fighting to protect our nation,” said U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis. She has appealed to U.S. employers to “renew their commitment to veterans, because the best way to honor our veterans is to employ them.”

I couldn’t agree more. That is why, as we prepare to commemorate Memorial Day for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, I challenge private sector employers to reaffirm our nation’s longstanding commitment to our veterans by recruiting, hiring and retaining former members of our armed forces.

Businesses would be well-served by the unique combination of experiences veterans gained while serving our country. Veterans who move on to private sector employment consistently demonstrate leadership, teamwork, loyalty and the highly valued ability to adapt to changes in the marketplace.

In addition to being freedom fighters, our armed service members are also personnel managers, finance analysts and work in thousands of other positions important to the success of all non-military, private sector industries.

Technology-related jobs are another great example of employment opportunities for which many returning veterans would be a good fit. The men and women of today’s military have a high rate of exposure to and familiarity with the world’s most advanced technologies, preparing them for the kind of technology-intensive jobs that are driving our economy.

Here in Texas, AT&T recently partnered with the Texas Veterans Commission to identify and recruit veterans to fill more than 600 technical jobs. AT&T sets a solid example that other Texas employers — and employers across the nation — can and must follow.

Given the incredible sacrifices made by our military in defense of our nation, we should all be strong advocates for increasing the employment opportunities made available to those brave individuals.

After all, they served, they sacrificed, and they returned home with the self-affirming strength that comes with overcoming major and often deadly obstacles. You put a few people with those credentials on your team, and you’re going to be amazed by what you get.

The fact that members of our military took and upheld an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, is reason enough for all of us to work together to identify and recruit veterans when looking to fill job openings.

Our veterans should be given the opportunity to get the most out of the country they helped defend. Since our creation as an independent nation nearly 240 years ago, our history is awash with inspiring examples of community-minded businesses opening their stores, factories and offices to the veterans who bravely and selflessly served our country, offering them jobs and an opportunity to rebuild personal lives put on hold in defense of our country.

As Secretary Solis said, the best way to honor our veterans is to employ them. On this Memorial Day – and as more active duty warriors prepare to return home for non-military lives – let’s take up that challenge. Let’s keep the tradition alive by employing our veterans.

 Leticia Van de Putte is a Texas State Senator and past president of the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL).