November 2011 - Navy
By Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
U.S. Department Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Nearly three million men and women have
volunteered to serve in our armed forces since
the attacks of 11 September 2001. These Soldiers,
Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen
left their families and risked their lives to fight for our freedoms
overseas. They should not have to fight for a job when
they come home.
That is why the President has championed the American
Jobs Act, and why the Congress should pass his plan with
urgent speed. It will help our Veterans, who are just back
from war, find a job. And it will give strength and stability
to American families and communities.
For our Veterans and their families, this is essential. This
September 11 Generation has been a formidable force for
good––driving the Taliban from the battlefield in 2002,
capturing Saddam Hussein, routing al Qaeda from its sanctuaries,
delivering justice to Osama bin Laden, bringing an
end to Anwar al-Awlaki’s terrorist rant, and training Iraqi
and Afghan forces to defend their own countries. They remain
clear-eyed, dedicated, and disciplined in their service. They
are skilled leaders, and a decade of war has not bowed them.
But, too often, they face a daunting task in finding a job once
they leave the military. Right now, more than 870,000 young
Veterans are unemployed. During the next five years, as
troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan, another one million
Veterans are likely to leave the armed forces and look for
jobs here at home.
To help them transition, the American Jobs Act would
create up to a $5,600 Returning Heroes Tax Credit for small
businesses that hire Veterans who have been out of work for
more than six months. The American Jobs Act also includes
an increase in the existing Wounded Warriors Tax Credit of
up to $9,600 per Veteran for firms that hire Veterans, who
have service-connected disabilities and who have been
unemployed for a long time.
Each year, Veterans start more than 100,000 small businesses,
and another 300,000 Veterans choose self-employment.
The American Jobs Act would provide critical assistance
not only to these Veteran-owned small businesses but also
to every small business in America, cutting their taxes and
providing an incentive to expand their workforce and
increase the wages of their employees.
Veterans hire Veterans, so VA is following the President’s
lead by expanding opportunities for Veteran-owned small
businesses. In August, VA conducted our National Veteran-owned
Small Business Exposition. This training conference
provided an unprecedented opportunity for Veteran small
business owners to build capacity, grow their businesses, and
connect directly with VA procurement decision-makers. More
than 4,100 people attended, approximately 1,600 of whom
represented either Veteran-owned or service-disabled,
Veteran-owned small businesses.
The men and women of the 9/11 Generation have already
learned to work together in diverse teams to achieve difficult
objectives. They have also disciplined themselves to forego
their own comfort and safety for the sake of others...and
bear the scars to prove it. All they need now is the training,
education, and credentials to successfully transition to the
civilian workforce or pursue higher education.
We salute our Veterans when they come home and thank
them for their sacrifices for our Nation. But they have earned
more than a kind word of appreciation.
Honoring our sacred trust with our Veterans means doing
all we can to help them find work when they come home.
They should never feel that the American Dream they defended
is out of reach for them or their families. The American Jobs
Act will help Veterans find meaningful employment, continue
contributing to their communities, and aid in our economic
recovery. Congress should not delay in approving it.
About the author, General Eric Shinseki is President Barack
Obama’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs. General Shinseki is a
former Army Chief of Staff and 38-year Army veteran who
served two combat tours in Vietnam. He is the first Asian
American to lead the department and only the third Asian
American ever appointed to a Cabinet post.
(For his complete biography, please go to Web site
http://ericshinseki.org/?s=biography&submit. x=44&submit.
y=20)