Vets/Military Resources

The unemployment news and headlines stand as daily reminders of one of the economy’s greatest challenge. And yet one group of Americans are unemployed today at a rate three times that of the national average. Who are they? Ex-cons? High School Dropouts? Heroin Addicts? Guess again – they are men and women, honorably discharged, from The US Armed Forces.

The statistics are clear and the results are potentially devastating, not only to the soldiers in question, but to every American who relies upon the protection of a volunteer Armed Force. Not only are the unemployment rates for RSS (Recently Separated Servicemen) at or over 20%, perhaps more shocking is the higher percentage of RSS who wind up with a job whose wages are under the poverty line. We’re breaking a fundamental promise to the men and women who serve this country, and if we don’t fix it, we’re going to have more than a big problem.

A shortage of tradesmen is bad. A shortage of soldiers is worse.

While They’re Cleaning Up Over There, Who’s Cleaning Up Over Here?

Yard work. Never cared for it.

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Maybe it’s because I grew up in a giant yard in the middle of a forest? Or maybe it’s because the chores never seemed to end? Or maybe it’s because my father embraced a pointless but unwavering commitment to landscaping and curb appeal? Beats me. I can only tell you that my brothers and I were drafted into this eternal conflict at an early age, with what one might call a conspicuous lack of basic training.

128-copy Armed with a vast array of modern weaponry, we were sent out every weekend to confront a determined foe. Acres of grass that refused to stop growing, weeds that laid siege to the perimeter of my parent’s farmhouse, and magical trees that needed to be pruned every few hours. We were doomed to fail of course, and overwhelmed by the futility of it all, which is why I now live in a condo. So then, why did I have so much fun last month, laboring for 10 hours in the back yard of a total stranger? Mostly, because the stranger was this guy – Sgt. Peter Mavropolous.

Peter came back from Iraq a few weeks ago from his second tour, and found his property an overgrown shambles. The knucklehead who had agreed to maintain his modest home while he was away had flaked out, and after two years of neglect, Peter’s yard slowly morphed into a condemned lot. (Can you imagine? I mean seriously – what kind of slacker agrees to look after a soldiers property and then lets it go all to hell while his buddy is off getting shot at in a foreign land?) Happily, a group of volunteers materialized, and spent their Saturday restoring Sgt. Peter’s place back into the home it looked like when he left two years earlier. Read More...

Post 9/11 G.I. Bill Offers Vets New Tuition Benefits

As a nation we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our veterans and active duty military personal. The sacrifices they have made to defend our country and protect our freedoms are immeasurable. Beyond our bountiful appreciation, there are practical benefits that can and should be shared with these noble heroes. One of the most expansive and beneficial programs is the G.I. Bill. This program has been helping vets for over sixty years. And now a new Post 9/11 G.I. Bill has been enacted to offer a new generation of service men and women tuition payments and training opportunities.
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