Making sure vets have jobs is a team effort

SHAWNE K. WICKHAM

Concord – Young veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to be unemployed than their civilian peers, federal statistics reveal.

But here in New Hampshire, the unemployment rate for veterans mirrors that of non-veterans, and state officials credit intense efforts to reach out to returning service men and women. There are state agencies, veterans service organizations, nonprofit groups and legislators all focusing on the employment needs of those who have served their country.

The average annual unemployment rate nationally for "Gulf War-era II" veterans aged 20 to 24 in 2007 was 11.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares to a rate of 8.1 percent for non-veterans in the same age group.

The unemployment rate for Gulf War II veterans of all ages nationally was 6.1 percent in 2007; for non-veterans, it was 4.4 percent.

According to BLS statistics, the unemployment rate for New Hampshire veterans of all ages in 2007 was just 3 percent -- which was actually lower than the rate for non-veterans (3.3 percent). The 2006 rate for all veterans here was 3.7 percent.

Richard Brothers, commissioner of New Hampshire Employment Security, said the state takes its responsibility to those who serve "very seriously."

"Veterans go to the front of the line every time in New Hampshire," he said.

NHES offices have veterans counselors -- themselves veterans -- who do assessments, offer resume and job training advice, and connect veterans with other support services. The agency also personally contacts every returning service member.

"Any reserve unit or National Guard unit that comes back into the state, even if it's Christmas Eve at two in the morning, we have someone from our department meet them when that plane lands," Brothers said. "The main thing is we don't allow people to fall through the cracks."

Brothers, a Marine Corps veteran, calls it "a national disgrace" that some young veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are having difficulty finding work. "To not be able to get a job after you put your life on the line for your country ... it's outrageous," he said.

Allan Enario is the veterans employment representative in the NHES office in Somersworth. A Navy veteran, he once was a client of the program; now he helps other veterans take advantage of job search, vocational and support services.

"Veterans are a great resource as employees," he said. "They've got the commitment, they've got the loyalty, and they've got the experience. And if an employer is wiling to give them a chance, you can reap rewards tenfold."

Legislative help

State Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, chairs the new Veterans Employment Commission the Legislature created last year. Its goal, she said, is "to figure out whether the state is doing everything it can, in its most coordinated and efficient way, to help veterans find employment -- not just find a job but have a satisfactory job."

?Training programs help veterans translate skills to civilian jobs

They'll also look at whether there's any legislation needed to ease the transition to civilian life, Hassan said. For instance, there may be ways to give self-employed veterans tax breaks or unemployment benefits while they restart their businesses.

And finally, the commission will look at enlisting nonprofit organizations to help veterans with such issues as post-traumatic stress, physical injuries and family troubles.

Some New Hampshire companies actively recruit workers with military experience. Maj. Matthew Kennedy, a Massachusetts National Guard helicopter pilot who served in Kuwait, is a program manager with BAE Systems Inc. (COURTESY PHOTO)

Hassan believes one reason New Hampshire seems to be doing a better job at getting veterans back to work is the fact that veterans represent 10 percent of the state's population. "Veterans are never far from our minds because most of us know somebody who's a veteran."

The state's small size also helps, Hassan said. "We are very used to picking up the phone and trying to change things if what's been presented to us doesn't seem to be working."

Federal programs

Federal agencies also play a role in helping vets find jobs.

Rob Weeks is the program manager for the Compensated Work Therapy program at the V.A. Medical Center in Manchester. He said many young veterans who went into the military right from high school often worry that they don't have civilian job experience to fill their resumes.

"They just need to understand how to translate what they've learned in the military."

The CWT program brings in support services, such as substance abuse counseling, legal and financial help, and vocational training to help overcome barriers to employment, Weeks said. He's also planning a Web site that can link "veteran-friendly" employers with veterans looking for jobs.

Ernest Loomis is chairman of the Department of Defense's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program. He finds many employers here see the value in hiring citizen soldiers, whose leadership skills and character traits are assets in the civilian workplace.

"These young men and women are truly our best and brightest," he said.

Veteran veterans

And it's not just new veterans who are getting help through these sorts of programs.

George Horne of Farmington had worked for Collins & Aikman for 35 years when the company closed its doors last summer. At the age of 61, Horne found himself in his local unemployment office, where he was surprised to learn his status as an Air Force veteran earned him special attention.

"It was nice they had somebody that dealt with the veterans," he said. "Before, they always asked you if you were or not, but it didn't seem to matter any."

Horne is now taking courses online in personal computer repair and hopes to find work in that field.

For some employers, hiring a vet is a natural fit.

David Gray is a recruiter at BAE Systems. When he retired as a Navy commander 11 years ago, he said, "I was looking for the same sense of professional camaraderie and commitment I had enjoyed in the Navy. And it's here in spades."

The company created a veterans employment team in 2006 to reach out to service members.

Matthew Kennedy, a program manager at BAE Systems, was deployed to Kuwait with his Massachusetts Army National Guard unit for 16 months beginning in August 2005.

For Kennedy, a Black Hawk pilot and operations officer, it was a chance to see up close how his civilian work on BAE's common missile warning system was taking care of the troops in the Gulf. "It was really a neat kind of arrangement, where I was sort of an Army person as well as a BAE person. I was able to help both sides."

The experience, he said, made the BAE motto hit home: "We protect those who protect us."

Online, visit: nh.gov/nhes/veterans; and esgr.net.

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It's great that BAE is giving these kids jobs. I had to move out of state to get my current job. I've been working in manufacturing positions for the past 25 years, but companies like BAE will not even consider me, when they can hire these kids at half the cost.

They supply the weapons that keep the perpetual war our government has declared on the world running. Kudo's to them for hiring the kids that survive the position of cannon fodder.

- bkmcclarty, Antrim, NH

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