Thousands of veterans are sent home every day from their military pavilions. What most Americans don't understand is that it’s hard for them to become employed once they return home. More than 3% of veterans are unemployed when they are finished serving their time. The government should be responsible for aiding and providing jobs and better health benefits for military veterans in the U.S. after serving their time in the military. These veterans risk their lives on the battlefield, they are qualified to do what they are doing on the field as so on U.S. soil, and the talents and qualifications that these men and women portray can be used to our advantage. My brother who served in the military as a mechanic and had issues finding jobs when he finished serving is a reason why I want to inform American citizens about this problem. Americans need to realize that the government is not providing military veterans with guidance and licenses for when they return home to apply for jobs that suit the knowledge and experiences they have learned.
This goes into questioning and understanding what the government isn’t doing to help our returning soldiers. The reason they are to be blamed is to look at the numbers of how many returning veterans are unemployed. In a CNN article, Patterson supplies us with the numbers stating, “The overall unemployment rate for veterans in October 2011, the most recent figures available, stood at 6.9%. Compare that with the nation’s overall jobless rate: 7.3%”(Patterson, 7). There shouldn’t be a reason that the numbers are that high for people who fight for this country. By providing certifications and benefits for the jobs they are risking their lives for, the unemployment rate wouldn't be this high. Making a system that credits the work that they have learned in the military field and helps apply it to the civilian workforce. With the government's help to assist the qualities that these soldiers have, can make an environment of an efficient workforce. Patterson agrees, “Vets frequently enter the civilian workforce with ready-made skill sets suitable for industries such as safety and security, telecommunications, vehicle operations, road and track maintenance, administration, and management” (Patterson, 2). These men and women are more than qualified to transition themselves, which helps us agree with the idea of providing them with licenses that are necessary for them to continue their work ethics learned in the field.
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Most American citizens know or are related to a military veteran. My brother, Sgt. Deklat Moshy was stationed in Iraq for three years. He worked as a diesel mechanic, fixing nearby vehicles that belonged to the military. After his service, he returned home with no work license to verify that he was qualified to operate on diesel vehicles. His only choice was to return to school and receive the necessary licenses. In a personal interview, he replied, “It’s great that school was paid for, but the time I’m spending on school could have been time for me to make money so that I can start a family.” Although his school was fully paid for, it was time he could have spent working and saving money for his future. Nothing is harder than working and learning everything at a job and not being able to use your experience elsewhere. He knew and the experience but he didn't have any degree or certificate that he could provide at any mechanic to help him receive a job. What the government should have done was provide him with a license in the field he served, so that when he did return to his life he would be qualified to work right away.
These men and women enlist in the military right after high school. When they return and finish serving they are left with no jobs, and little education on how to start their lives. According to the article, Most Veterans Transition Successfully into Civilian Jobs, it states, “Regardless of how skewed the unemployment numbers are, there's no question America's youngest veterans face a tough job market when they transition out of the military. For those who enlisted right out of high school and are embarking on their first job search, deployments can deter their preparation for a civilian career”(par. 19). Providing veterans with licenses for what they have been trained to work for in the military is important so that these soldiers can start working when they return to their lives. This puts them in a position in where they need guidance to help them with job interviews and the requirements. With years of working in the field, they have lost the knowledge of where they should start in search of a job. Providing them with certification will lead them to a path to recognizing the sources that they can use can extremely benefit them.
This is not only an issue from the government it is also within the community that we need not only to prepare for veterans to return home but also to prepare our communities to receive them. The community should expect these military men and women to be looking for jobs when they return, and the community should help them. The communities should also provide screening to veterans, screened for mental health and substance use conditions, physical health problems, and family health. In the article, Helping Veterans Return: Community, Family, and Job, Manderscheid states, “Emerging data support the assertion that returning veterans are experiencing a range of difficulties. An estimated one-third of returning veterans have self-reported symptoms of mental health conditions when they return from overseas. For many, these symptoms are consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety”(par. 8). There is no question that military men and women who return from war go through so much that may affect their lives and ability to work. Helping these veterans with these issues can help them on the right path to finding jobs and helping them start their lives after the military.
Others may argue that the government shouldn’t be responsible for providing jobs or benefits for military veterans in the U.S. because it will cost too much money and it will put the country in more debt. Increasing Services for Veterans Helps Society as a Whole. According to the article, Veterans' Services: Should veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars be offered more benefits and services?, states, “Supporters of expanding the services offered to veterans argue that those services positively impact the economy by contributing to increased levels of education and expertise in the workforce. Supporters characterize veterans' benefits as 'investments,' describing them as financial outlays that will ultimately benefit the economy”(par. 31) Our veterans have a huge benefit on the economy because of their skills in the military, which is why the government should automatically provide veterans with certification license. Not only will it help with unemployment rates it will also help with the country's economy.
Soon the government will have to deal with the increasing number of unemployed veterans in America. It is time for them to deal with the problems that come with the veteran's lives. Seeing my brother struggle after serving 4 years for our country is heartbreaking. Working years in the military seems to mean nothing to us and the experience that comes with it is unseen. These men and women risk their lives every day for us and this country and they deserve any sort of help. Providing these veterans with the necessary tools and guidance can help them in so many ways. A work license and benefits can help them continue their skills from the military to the civilian workforce which saves time and money. Realizing the overall unemployment rate shows the need and attention that these veterans deserve.
Work Cited
- “Helping Veterans Return: Community, Family, and Job.” Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, W.B. Saunders, 28 Mar. 2007, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883941706002913?via=ihub.
- 'Most Veterans Transition Successfully into Civilian Jobs.' Veterans, edited by Dedria Bryfonski, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010686234/OVIC?u=mcc_phoe&sid=OVIC&xid=0a1017c9. Accessed 8 Apr. 2019. Originally published as 'The Real Story Behind Veteran Unemployment Rates:
- Perception vs. Reality,' G.I. Jobs, Apr. 2011
- Patterson, Thom. “Thanks for Your Service, Vets! Now Try Finding a Job.” CNN. Cable News Network, 11 Nov. 2013.
- 'Veterans' Services: Should veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars be offered more benefits and services?' Issues & Controversies, Infobase Learning, 15 Aug. 2011, http://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=2471. Accessed 3 Apr. 2019.
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