C.O. Vets Welcome ‘Hiring Our Heroes’ Effort

Not being able to find a job, among the thousands of other Americans struggling to find work, is not the homecoming many veterans expected after fighting for our country. But Wednesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and NBC Universal launched an initiative to help them, with job fairs similar to one planned in Redmond in June.

The movement is called “Hiring Our Heroes” and it aims to help unemployed vets and their spouses find work though job fairs across the nation.

Nearly 2,000 veterans are unemployed right here in Central Oregon. Veteran’s service officials say such job fairs serve as a valuable connection between vets and employers.

The first five veterans job fairs were held Wednesday in cities from New York to Chicago.

Last year the U.S. Chamber helped put 9,000 vets to work. They hope to quadruple that number this year.

“We have 1 million men and women in uniform that are going to leave the service in the next five years. If we don’t do something about this now, we’re heading for a train wreck,” said Kevin Schmiegel, executive director of Hiring Our Heroes.

This initiative is good news to the ears of High Desert veterans and those helping them transition back to civilian life.

“I was in the Air Force for 21 years,” said Jay Morrison of Redmond.

Many vets like Morrison are well-qualified for the workforce, but are struggling along with thousands of Americans in this tough job market.

After getting out of the Air Force, he found a job with Cessna — until they shut down.

“In the military, it’s all about the team and it’s not about ‘I, I, I’,” Morrison said Wednesday. “Once you’re in the civilian job market, you have to build yourself up, and that’s something we’re not used to.”

Morrison opted to take advantage of the GI Bill and go back to school while on the job hunt.

Stacy Gunderson, disabled veterans representative for Central Oregon Worksource, has been working with Morrison and others like him. She says the biggest challenge many veterans are facing is that they sell themselves short.

“Veterans are capable of so much more than they give themselves credit for, and so its really hard for them to sell themselves,” said Gunderson.

“In the military, we’re taught to not do that,” said Gunderson. “We’re taught to work as a team and do what we’re told.”

Self esteem and personal issues can also be low among veterans, driving some of them to experience homelessness.

Officials at Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, or COVO, say they just got a grant to work with homeless vets and have so far placed nine in jobs.

Nonetheless, local veteran outreach officials and vets alike say the “Hiring Our Heroes” initiative is an incredible opportunity to allow vets, their spouses, and employers to meet face to face.

“I still drive my wife crazy ’til this day,” said Morrison. “I still have to be somewhere 15 minutes early. Within the military, you weren’t late.”

“There is more to a veteran than say, they fixed an airplane for 20 years or they were a rifle man for 20 years. We’re great leaders, hard workers,” said Morrison.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has two job fairs planned for Oregon later this year, including one on June 26th at the American Legion in Redmond.

For more information on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Hiring Our Heroes” initiative, national job fairs, dates and locations: http://www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes.