Ollie North exposes this shame on our nation. While members of the Senate are talking about amnesty and increasing the likelihood of additional illegal aliens.

While preparing a documentary on the medical treatment our wounded warriors receive, a representative of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) told me that while health care and rehabilitation for those who have been injured has vastly improved since the Vietnam era — the “real scandal is how many veterans of this war are unemployed.” I initially thought he was referring to those who had been injured by enemy fire — but he quickly educated me: “You don’t have to be wounded in action to be ‘unemployable.’ Just to have served in this war makes it tougher to get a job.”

snip….It turns out that veterans’ unemployment is a two-fold problem. First, there are those — about 180,000 of them this year, according to the Department of Defense — who complete their service contracts and with Honorable Discharges in hand — enter the job market.

The second group of unemployed “Global War on Terror (GWOT) Vets” are among the 542,000 National Guard and reserve troops called up since Sept. 11, 2001 and fired — illegally, in many cases — by employers more concerned with service to self than serving the country.

snip……In recognition that the problem is getting worse, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Labor have begun a program to link veterans with job openings. The website www.hirevetsfirst.gov offers employers a place to post “help wanted” notices and provides useful advice for job-hunting vets. Unfortunately, too few vets and employers know about the site, and promotion is almost non-existent.

Townhall.com :: Columns :: “Hire a Hero” by Oliver North - Mar 31, 2006

If you are able, help to promote awareness of this site both to employers and Veterans of the GWOT. Hire Vets First