Servicemembers dedicate a significant portion of their lives to the military. No matter the time spent in service, the level of commitment is deep and lasting. Leaving the military for a civilian life after service can be intimidating to anyone. After years of getting orders and following strict regimens, the new freedoms may be a bit overwhelming. AFBA has listed a few areas former servicemembers can strive for when they enter civilian life.
Pursue education
With the benefits from the GI Bill and the number of scholarships available to veterans, a higher education degree is more attainable than ever before. Many campuses also have veteran student associations to help former servicemembers achieve academic success and make a smooth transition. Higher education and certifications can make the process of obtaining a civilian degree a little easier.
Start a career
If education isn't for you, then you could always begin your civilian career. Many veterans centers offer career counseling and resume help to assist you with translating the skills you developed in the military to civilian skills. The VA and other sites also have job boards for places that are interested in hiring veterans. A career is one of the best ways to find your place in civilian society.
Focus on finances
Among the things that will change in your transition to life after service are your finances. Be sure to talk to your exit counselor about the difference in taxes, establishing a retirement place, transferring benefits and budgeting for a new income.
Help other veterans
One of the most rewarding things you can do after service is use your new free time to assist others who are in the same boat as you. Volunteer to offer advice to other veterans making the transition or form a support group so you can all help each other through the ups and downs of civilian life. Most veterans say the hardest part of the switch is the feeling of isolation. You can be the one to make a veteran feel welcome in civilian life.
The military opens a lot of doors for its servicemembers, and these opportunities continue when they leave to enter life after service. Veterans and retired servicemembers can use the skills they learned during service to establish rich, fulfilling lives for themselves outside the military. You can always check your local veterans association for more civilian opportunities.
As part of the federal government's campaign to honor those who served and to highlight the efforts made to support them on Veterans Day, officials from multiple agencies have come forward today to discuss areas where progress has been made and to address those places where more is still needed.
White House officials have pointed to decreased backlog in the Department of Veterans Affairs, significant gains made in eradicating veteran homelessness – the New York Times reported that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is set to announce that his state, along with Connecticut and cities like Syracuse and Las Vegas, has ended veteran homelessness – and the fact that veterans can now get in-state tuition at colleges all around the country regardless of where they live, as definitive achievements made in the last few years.
Kristie Canegallo, deputy chief of staff for implementation at the White House, told the Department of Defense that progress had been made in health care, benefits and job opportunities as part of President Barack Obama's plan to help veterans. The Veterans Administration, she said, has received more staff, bigger payrolls to include more working hours, and is more engaged with local communities nationwide to better deliver care for men and women in their life after service. Ms. Canegallo acknowledged there was still a long way to go, particularly in paring down the bureaucracy in the VA. She hoped that Congress would "rationalize these programs" to increase the VA's efficiency going forward.
There is still plenty of work to be done, but veterans are finally receiving the attention they're due. Whether its the national crusade to end veteran homelessness or the fact that, since the post-9/11 GI Bill was instituted in 2009, almost $58 billion in education benefits has been extended to veterans, it seems that the country is fully behind its men and women in uniform.
On the eve of Veteran's Day, the Senate passed an $80 billion spending bill which increases funds for veterans' programs and military base construction projects. The Associated Press reported that the measure, which was delayed for months by fierce negotiations over the federal budget, is the first spending bill the Senate has passed all year.
The bill received unanimous support in a 93-0 vote. It will now proceed into House-Senate negotiations and probably join 11 additional spending bills as part of a massive $1.1 trillion budget vehicle. An extra $2 billion was added to the bill as part of the bipartisan budget agreement agreed to last month by President Obama and leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill. The Veterans Administration's budget for medical services, many of them covered under veterans insurance, was increased to $51 billion.
The measure was one of two military-related bills that went through the Senate on Tuesday. A revised National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) worth $607 billion passed in a 91-3 vote, according to The Hill. President Obama had originally vetoed the bill over concerns about new war funds, but it seems unlikely that the new bill, even with its language barring the transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay – a campaign promise of the President's – will meet the same fate.
Veterans are finally getting the employment they deserve, and it's coming from a variety of industries.
In April, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the Joining Forces initiative, a new commitment with the private sector to train or hire 90,000 veterans and military spouses. The initiative's focus is on the energy, tech and transportation industries, which are most in need of the kind of highly proficient skills veterans bring to the table. According to Forbes, nearly half of the commitments were to train veterans for lucrative careers in high-tech employment with the support of educators and employers nationwide.
Those commitments, along with legislation passed in the last few years, have been making a positive impact. Forbes, citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics' September jobs data, reported that the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans had fallen to the lowest level ever recorded since the federal government began to track that population of veterans. The unemployment rate for veterans is actually slightly lower than it is for unemployed non-veterans.
A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 38 percent of employers will be eagerly recruiting veterans well into 2016. That is a dramatic improvement over the 27 percent recorded in 2013 and the 33 percent of employers actively hiring veterans in 2014. Forty-seven percent of employers reported that they had hired a veteran within the last year.
Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder's chief human resource officer, said that "Over the past few years companies have focused heavily on marketing their veteran hiring initiatives, which was necessary and has paid off." However, Ms. Haefner cautioned that "employers may still not understand the skills veterans had in the military, which may land them in positions that don't use all their skills and not get them the higher salary levels that they deserve."
About one-third of employed veterans surveyed by CareerBuilder reported that they were underemployed, whereas 65 percent said they were satisfied with the jobs they'd earned in their life after military service.
Finding a new job can be a challenge for anyone. For veterans in the process of transitioning back into civilian life, finding a use for their military skills can prove especially daunting. The thought of trying to communicate to a civilian employer the extent of their training and its application to their company's mission is enough to fill any job candidate with concern. Recent data from The Wall Street Journal found that job prospects for veterans between 18 and 24 years old are some of the harshest in the country – and that makes nailing a job interview all the more essential.
Tony Palm, a recruiter for both federal agencies and private corporations, told U.S. News & World Report that "The vast majority – read nearly all – veterans and transitioning warfighters have never interviewed for a job. So while figuring out the other components of a job search, the whole idea of sitting for an interview can make the most battle-hardened warrior tremble." But the interview process doesn't have to be a hard one. Veterans know that one of the most crucial aspects of victory is thorough preparation. When it comes to job interviews, the approach is no different.
To help veterans succeed in landing a new job, here are some essential tips:
Gather intelligence. That's the advice Steve Gera, a former Marine Corps officer interviewed by U.S. News, has for candidates. Or in other words, do your research. Spend all the time you can leading up to the interview researching the company's culture (its mission statement, its values and guiding principles), its organizational structure, its history and its most recent earnings report. Consolidate the information in a way you can easily understand and then memorize it. You would never go into a fight blind. Nor should you go into an interview uninformed.
Be able to describe your skills in everyday language. As many veterans know, civilians without time in the armed forces can have a hard time understanding the acronym-filled jargon that is so ingrained into members of the military. The language disconnect can be so great that Roy Gibson, a retired Senior Master Sgt. in the U.S. Air Force, told Business News Daily that more than 70 percent of hiring managers struggle to grasp veterans' skills based solely on their resumes. So when it comes writing your resume and sitting down for an interview, translate military speak in a way that a civilian could easily understand. For example, instead of just saying that you were an NCO, explain that you were a sergeant with responsibilities equivalent to that of a manager.
Contact a veteran who has already transitioned. While you were on duty it was your fellow serviceman or woman who you relied on most. Now, in your life after service, you should turn to them once again for backup. Contacting a fellow veteran who has successfully transitioned into the civilian work force means they can not only help you to understand the job search process, but can even hold practice interviews for you based on their own experiences. If you can come to think of it as training meant to hone your abilities, you're on the right track.
As veterans advance through the process, it's important they keep in mind that perfecting their job interview performance requires trial and error. They likely aren't going to excel the very first time around, so keeping a positive mindset and refusing to quit are the keys to success. With an informed strategy, the right language skills and a support network of other veterans, civilian employment is within reach.
For decades veteran homelessness has been a real and persistent problem in the U.S. There didn't seem to be a solution, but that is no longer the case. All around the country, veterans are breaking the cycle and winning the fight. Stars and Stripes reported that a national effort to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 was pushed by the Zero: 2016 campaign, organized by the nonprofit Community Solutions, and by President Barack Obama's administration. The White House first announced the initiative in 2009, and has been steadily working toward the goal since.
Connecticut was the first state to end chronic veteran homelessness, but others are following suit. Houston, New Orleans and other cities have also achieved the goal, and some states, like Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, are nearing the mark. In Rhode Island, for example, one Vietnam veteran who was without a home for two years, and who spent time after that living out of a six-man room in a shelter, now has a modern one-bedroom apartment outfitted with new furniture and a TV, plus a rental voucher and a monthly allotment for rent and utilities.
About 50,000 veterans were still homeless by early 2014. That was down 33 percent from where the homeless rate stood in 2009, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mr. Thompson, a veteran, told the Gazette that the cycle of homelessness "is easy to break. The guys just don't want to do it. The pride sets in." Even in their life after service, those who wore the uniform know how much self-reliance matters. But encouraging veterans to ask for help is absolutely essential to ending veteran homelessness. One of the Veteran Administration's greatest challenges is convincing former servicemembers that seeking help to get their lives back on track isn't a form of weakness – it's a sign of strength.
As Nov. 11 approaches, Americans prepare for Veterans Day in the U.S. Parades will be thrown, barbecues will be hosted and families with gather to honor those who served and are currently still serving. In the U.S., Veterans Day is a time when civilians show their gratitude for the former servicemembers who fought for their country, but how do countries around the world celebrate their veterans? Let's take a look at Veterans Day celebrations from across the globe.
United Kingdom
The U.K. celebrates their Veterans Day on Nov. 11, also. However, the region calls their remembrance Armistice Day. Citizens across the kingdom place red poppies in town square and on doorways to signify their commemoration for the Armed Forces. The Royal British Legion also distributes red poppies for people to wear. According to Tech Times, the U.K. also enacts a two-minute moment of silence on Armistice Day for all the area's fallen soldiers.
France
This bordering country of the U.K. also celebrated Armistice Day on Nov. 11. In 2014, the French President unveiled the "Ring of Remembrance," a large, bronzed stainless steel monument that lists the names of roughly 580,000 servicemembers who died during World War I, as reported by Tech Times. People gather to lay wreaths on the monument and honor those who fought.
Canada
America's northerly neighbor follows the footsteps of the U.K. and France. On Nov. 11, red poppies are distributed to wear or make into wreaths. Parades and celebrations mark the commemoration of soldiers that fought for the commonwealths of the U.K.
Belgium
Another country that celebrates Armistice Day is Belgium. This region is host to one of the world's largest veteran celebrations. Every year on Nov. 11, Belgium holds the Last Post Ceremony. Tech Times reported that this ceremony was inspired by the bugle call that the British Armed Forces uses to signify the end of the day. The Belgium government places red poppies on Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, and a squad of buglers plays the Last Post song in memoriam of veterans who has passed.
As you can see, Americans are not alone in their respect for the men and women who serve their countries. Veterans are people who should be celebrated in some way in every country. The next time you are raising your flag or laying a wreath, think about the people across the world who are doing the same thing in honor of their country's former servicemembers.
With Veteran's Day right around the corner, now is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the most livable places in the country for those who served. Wallet Hub, the online financial resource for consumers and small businesses, recently conducted a study of some of the best cities for military veterans. They used 18 different metrics to determine which cities were most accommodating to those searching for a home for their life after service.
Irvine, California topped Wallet Hub's selection. Scottsdale, Arizona; Raleigh, North Carolina; Orlando, Florida and Gilbert, Arizona rounded out the top five. Cities in California and Texas made up the majority of the other top contenders.
The two primary categories which determined each city's rank were Economic Wellness – measured by factors such as the percentage of jobs which required military-related skills, veteran unemployment compared with that of the general population, job and income growth, as well as housing affordability – and Environment, Education & Health, which included assessments of veteran population size, the number of nearby VA-friendly facilities accepting veterans life insurance and the crime rate.
There are more than 21 million veterans currently residing in the U.S. as of October 2015, and of those, about 422,000 are unemployed. The rate of inter-generational veteran unemployment dropped to an all-time low of 4.2 percent in August, the Military Times reported, and although the rate crept up to 4.3 percent in September, that figure was still the second-lowest ever recorded. In September 2014, 6.2 percent of post-9/11 veterans were unemployed. Today the rate is 5 percent, about on par with the national average. Veterans were hit hard by the recession – 15.2 percent were unemployed in January 2011 – but they, along with the country, have since fought their way back.
Most people do not recognize the name Harry Colmery, but The American Legion is trying to change that. The organization plans to commemorate the man who has been called the "unsung hero of American Veterans" by building a memorial park in Topeka, Kansas.
So, who exactly was Harry W. Colmery? After moving to Topeka from his home state of Pennsylvania, Colmery spent his early years in Kansas practicing law. However, in April 1917, he joined the Army Air Service during World War I. Upon discharge from the military, Colmery made it his mission to advocate for the fair treatment of veterans and servicemembers, according to the Topeka-Capital Journal. He joined the American Legion and was quickly promoted within the organization. The news source reported that in 1936, Colmery was elected the national commander of the American Legion.
That same year, hundreds of veterans who had not yet received their service benefits marched on Washington, D.C. Their action inspired Colmery to write the first draft of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. Colmery's act would later become known at the GI Bills of Rights, which would guarantee education and other benefits to the nation's servicemembers. Some even argue that Colmery's proposal helped build a middle class in the country and helped avoid a major post-war recession. Because Colmery had such a lasting impact on the country, the American Legion, the organization Colmery was so dedicated to, is organizing a memorial park in his honor.
"Every person I feel in this United States has benefited either directly or indirectly from his efforts in making sure that bill went through Congress, like myself, I had a GI Bill to buy my first home," Raymond Vail, the director of American Legion's Department of Kansas extension, told WIBW.com.
The group has stated that the park will be a block away from the Topeka Capital Building and will house a statue of Colmery. Fundraising for the project began in April, and so far the American Legion has collected $264,000. The Topeka-Capital Journal reported that the total cost of the park and the statue is estimated at about $320,000, including future upkeep.
The organizers of the project told the news source they hope to break ground and complete the park within the next year. City officials believe that the memorial will draw visitors to Topeka and will educate them on the life and service of Harry W. Colmery.
Two years ago when Leigh and Mike Harting opened 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, Florida, they wanted to find a way to give back to the veterans in the community. Mike's father, Bruce, served in the military during the Vietnam War and was the inspiration for their patriotic goals.
As this year's Veterans Day approached, the Hartings had an idea. The couple decided to put the stories of veterans on their beer cans.
"Every veteran has an amazing personal story," Leigh told News 10. "We want to be able to bring those to life and say thank you to our veterans."
Their initial launch was based on Bruce's Vietnam experiences, according to the news source. The Hartings named the beer "Tango Yankee," took a painting that had been done for Bruce by one of his fellow servicemembers and made it the image on the can, and wrote "Thank you for your service" along the bottom. On the back of the can, the couple wrote a small dedication to their veteran and listed his rank, honors and time of service.
According to News 10, the couple intends to do a new series of the can every year and feature a different veteran. The cans are available in St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas starting on Nov. 9. All purchases will benefit the Navy Seals Foundation.