Paul Grasso: In Perspective
— In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I am a Vietnam veteran, so I might be biased. But I think veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era are suffering disproportionately — even in a lousy economy.
They are at the "pointy end of the spear" protecting America from terrorists. They are reservists and volunteers, men and women who serve their country in some of the most inhospitable places on earth. They leave their families, their wives and husbands, their girlfriends and boyfriends, their jobs or their schools to do what so many have done before them — take up a weapon and stand between us and those who would do us harm.
Fortunately, if we've learned any lesson from Vietnam, it's that we shouldn't confuse the war with the warrior. And we've learned the lesson well. The country holds members of the armed forces today in much higher esteem than were their Vietnam veteran counterparts.
Unfortunately, it's when they are no longer on active duty that the problems begin. Every year, approximately 300,000 men and women are discharged from active duty and return to civilian life. The transition isn't always easy. One of the hardest parts of the transition is simply finding a job, finding one that has benefits and pays a livable wage is almost impossible. Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Labor released data indicating that the unemployment rate among Iraqi and Afghan veterans exceeds that of their civilian counterparts by about 5 percent.
At 21 percent, the unemployment rate for younger veterans, those ages 18-24, is even higher.
These numbers paint a much different picture than what you see in the recruiting ads on television where there seems to be a seamless transition between military and civilian life.
So why are veterans having a more difficult time finding work than their civilian counterparts? I know from experience that, among other things, serving in the military teaches a broad range of skills, including adaptability, teamwork and mission-focus. Veterans know what it means to show up, show up on time and show up ready to work. They are all attributes employers say they value, yet the unemployment rate among Iraqi and Afghan era veterans is higher than their civilian counterparts.
It appears that Iraqi and Afghan Era veterans face three obstacles.
One obstacle is the stigma associated with psychological injuries and mental-health treatment — real or perceived. Many fear the stereotyping of returning veterans may limit their employment opportunities. Those of us old enough to remember may recall the stereotyping of Vietnam combat veterans as "drug crazed baby killers." As the Argentinean author and journalist Jose Narosky so aptly stated, "In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." They all come back changed; the vast majority return stronger for the experience.
Another obstacle returning veterans face in their employment search is simply explaining their military experience to a civilian employer. According to a survey by Military.com, "61 percent of employers do not believe they have a complete understandings of the qualifications ex-service members offer," and more than three-quarters of veterans entering the civilian workforce reported "an inability to translate effectively their military skills to civilian terms."
And their skills are not insubstantial. Many work with high-end electronics, others operate or maintain expensive equipment and others provide high-quality medical treatment under the harshest of conditions. Veterans need assistance to "demilitarize" their experiences and their resumes.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle, however, is that many employers worry about reemploying National Guardsmen and Reservists because of their unprecedented mobilization rates. Unlike in the Vietnam War where you only served one tour, Iraqi and Afghan veterans have the "honor" of possibly serving multiple tours. The incidence of redeployment is so high that many National Guardsmen and Reservists have simply re-enlisted because they believe they won't be able to find an employer willing to hire or rehire them.
The data show that veterans aren't being re-employed in great numbers by their former companies in spite of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). USERRA exists to protect National Guardsmen and Reservists called to active duty. Basically, USERRA provides that returning veterans are to be "reemployed in the job that they would have attained had they not been absent for military service."
The act seems straightforward but, according to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), "tens of thousands of reservists returning from combat are not being promptly reemployed, or when reemployed they are not receiving the pay, pensions, health-care coverage and other benefits to which they are entitled."
An unfortunate aspect of the law is that the burden is on the veteran to prove that he/she lost their job because of their military service. Most simply give up.
So, what can be done? Absent taking the patchwork quilt of benefits currently available to veterans through various agencies and departments and creating a single program overseen by one agency, which would make the most sense, Congress should endorse the proposals supported by IAVA, the VFW and American Legion. According to these groups, Congress should:
▶ Fully restore funding to the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), which provides critical USERRA protections for deploying Guard and Reservists.
▶ Grant Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to veterans who enroll in apprenticeships, on the job training and vocational programs. The GI Bill shouldn't be only for those who enroll in two or four-year colleges.
▶ Allow service-disabled veterans the option to use their education benefits and vocational rehabilitation services concurrently.
▶ Extend the tax credit in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which incentivizes hiring Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, beyond 2010.
▶ Improve and fund job placement programs for veterans.
▶ Create civil and criminal penalties for employers who knowingly violate USERRA protections.
It's the least we can do for those who have done, and are doing, so much. If you don't think they deserve it, I suggest you walk a mile in their boots.
As U.S. Senator Patty Murray stated so articulately, "Caring for our veterans is the duty of a grateful nation." By providing veterans with a comprehensive set of reintegration tools, we can renew America's social contract with its veterans and help create a new generation of American leaders.
Paul Grasso is the executive director of the North Country Workforce Investment Board, the county's designated workforce development planning agency, and the North Country Workforce Partnership Inc. He has more than 20 years experience developing workforce programs in both the United States and Europe.
