By Staff
As Veterans Day approaches, a lot will be said about honoring the men and women who have served our country. It’s time to put some of that talk into action.
The local office of the Employment Security Commission has the names of over 100 veterans who are looking for jobs or at least better jobs.
Jerry Cobb, the local veterans-employment coordinator, said that between July 2006 and September 2007, 235 veterans sought help from the agency. Of that, 111 found employment. The others are still waiting. We hope they don’t wait long.
There are local industries that are heeding the call to help those who have defended us. Cobb said Stanadyne has set up an apprenticeship program that allows veterans to earn paychecks while the government funds their education. Impressions, he said, is looking at the program, and Fountain Powerboats and Carver Machine Works are thinking about it, too. Those are some heavy hitters in the Washington job market, and it’s a positive thing to see they want to help veterans.
Some military occupations, such as truck driving, transfer almost easily to civilian life, Cobb said. Others do require some training, but the benefits are worth it.
Hiring a veteran isn’t simply patriotic, according to Bob Nardelli, chairman and president of The Home Depot. It makes good business sense.
Cobb said local industries have seen the same thing. Fountain, he said, hired a Navy veteran as a security guard. The man’s training had been in electronics, and Fountain quickly promoted him.
The hirevetsfirst.gov Web site offers some other reasons to consider veterans:
When you consider it all, it would appear hiring veterans should be a no-brainer.