President Obama on Veterans Day called on companies to help the 200,000 servicemen and women who transition back to civilian life each year, particularly when it comes to offering them jobs.
“Our tributes today will also ring hollow if we don’t provide our veterans with the jobs and opportunities that you need when you come home,” Obama said on Wednesday, speaking at the annual Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2575923
“But this can’t just be a job for government; we all have a role to play,” he said. While he noted that the veteran unemployment rate is just 3.9 percent, below the nationwide rate, he said companies should take steps to hire vets, who are “some of the most talented, driven, capable people on Earth.”
“Think about the leadership that they’ve learned, 20-somethings leading platoons into life-or-death situation, their ability to adapt to changing and unpredictable situations,” he said. “They can perform under pressure. They’ve learned how to work on teams, how to stay committed to a mission, how to solve seemingly intractable problems — they get stuff done.”
Obama noted how many of their skills easily translate into civilian jobs.
“If you can save a life on the battlefield, you can save a life in an ambulance,” he said. “If you can oversee a convoy or millions of dollars of assets in a conflict zone, you sure can help manage a company’s supply chain. If you want to get the job done, hire a vet.”
He also discussed the Department of Veterans Affairs’ progress on reducing wait times for appointments and processing disability claims.
“[W]e’ve made historic investments to boost the VA budget, expand benefits, offer more mental healthcare and improve care for our wounded warriors … still, the unacceptable problems that we’ve seen, like long wait times, and some veterans not getting the timely care that they need,” Obama said.
“And my message to every single veteran, to veterans all across this country, is that I am still not satisfied,” he said, pledging to continue to dedicate resources and contribute to public-private partnerships to revamp the VA, make the GI bill accessible, find veterans jobs and end homelessness among the country’s veteran population.
