>> have joined together today to address the critical issues around employment. but first, i want to thank all of you who are currently serving or have served in our military. thank you for volunteering to where our country's uniform and to protect the freedoms that make our country so great. and thank you to your families, too. well everybody join me in giving them a round of applause. [applause] has rightly bush said, our country can never fully repay our veterans, but we ought to try. and because of the support that president and mrs. bush, we here to talk about how to do that. and i think them both for their leadership. today, we brought together leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to discuss where progress has been made in addressing military

employment and where there are still challenges to overcome. we will hear from members of our military and their families. you'll hear about their struggles and their triumphs, as they navigate the transitions to civilian life. we will get a first look at a road map created by the bush institute and hiring our heroes. the roadmap serves as a guide or the men and women of our military as they seek meaningful, long-term employment as civilians. we know that securing military -- meaningful, long-term employment and experiencing a successful transition from military to civilian life, go hand-in-hand. our fellow citizens have answered the call to support our veterans and military families with opportunity. over the past five years, over 2000 businesses were part of the coalitions in this room, hiring our heroes, the hundred thousand job coalition, led by j.p.

morgan chase, blackstone, as well as organizations like bank of america, have committed to hiring veterans. our government partners at the v.a., the department of labor, and the pentagon have made successful employment transitions a top priority by providing new programs, resources, and partnerships. we have seen the emergence of nonprofits like hiring our heroes, american corporate partners, and higher heroes usa, to name just a few. this collective effort is paying off, and we see that in improved hiring and implement rate. while there have been many successes, there are still things to do. it is too early to declare victory. attention,tain the resources, and efforts that we have begun to give this article issue. we must leverage the lessons and best actresses as we address the gaps that remain and better focus our efforts going forward. arell know that a veterans

an experienced and valuable group of individuals. we know that sometimes translating their experience in a way that leads to a job can be challenging. employers often juggle to understand the skills, experiences, strengths, and challenges that they have. this gap in understanding is part of what we call the civilian-military divide. that is why it is important to include military families in our discussion. military spouses are the first lines of support for veterans and are the backbone of the family while their service member is deployed and returning to civilian life. today we will learn about their unique challenges and how their employment is a key component to the family's financial stability and overall wellness. we believe that helping members of the military and their family successfully transition to civilian life is part of our national responsibility. not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is good for our economy and our national security. thank you again for joining us

today and your commitment to providing job opportunities and financial stability to our veterans and military families. i look forward to our conversations i had and to the ongoing works to support the men and women who have volunteered to protect our country. now, it is my pleasure to introduce our partner for today's event, my good friends, the mighty president and ceo of the u.s. chamber of commerce, tom donahue. [applause] >> thank you very much, margaret. good morning ladies and gentlemen. welcome to the chamber and our hall of flags. if you can look up at the ceiling one time, you will see the history of the opening of the western world. if you look at the flags, the flags are the great explorers and we have many of them here with us today. margaret was a very effective leader of the chambers

foundation, that was the home for all that we are doing in hiring our heroes. we had to let her go so that she could go to texas and help the president and it has worked out very well for all of us. the center and its military services has been a strong partner to the u.s. chambers foundation, hiring our heroes. we cannot be prouder of our hiring our heroes program, and all of the good work that it has done and continues to do. it was built around a pretty simple idea. if we can honor the men and women who have served our country by connecting them with good jobs and putting them on fulfilling career paths, we would be doing something highly significant. there was and there remains a real need for these efforts as nearly one million service members transition out of active duty into the civilian workforce in the next year. there is a growing team which

has done a great job in advancing this mission. state and local chambers have rallied to it, helping to drive a nationwide movement. leaders in the private and public sector and businesses of every size have lined up to support this mission. they have given their time, their money, and their commitment to hiring veterans and military spouses. one of our strongest partners is capital one, which has been instrumental in our hiring 500,000 heroes campaign and its success. i am pleased to announce that as of last week, the campaign has reached its goal. over half a million veterans and military spouses have found jobs through this initiative. stay tuned -- [applause] tom: stay tuned, we are going to top it. companies have committed to

hiring another 200,000 veterans and spouses. it is a remarkable milestone, but the truth is, this has never really been a hard sell. when employers do the math, they see that hiring these heroes is not only the right thing to do for our country, it is a smart thing to do for their business. so, we are going to keep the momentum going, we look forward to working with all of you into making this a much bigger program in the future. ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special guest today. to help us kick off our program. president george w. bush is a leading champion for this generation of american heroes. as commander-in-chief, he supported our troops and their families in ways large and small. in private, and in public. and continuing to honor and support those who have served our country remains a central

part of his life after the white house, both for him and for mrs. bush. please join me in welcoming the 43rd president of the united states, the honorable george w. bush. [applause] president bush: thank you. thank you very much. thank you very much, tom. it is nice to be back here, kind of. [laughter] president bush: i am very proud to join the efforts with the u.s. chamber and especially to be able to honor their hiring our heroes program, which you just heard has been effective. it takes a lot to lure me back to the this swamp. being a grandparent is pretty comfortable.

our grandchild is the smartest grandchild in america. [laughter] president bush: supporting our veterans is really important. i am honored to be back here to do so. i know the secretary of labor will be here pretty soon, and i want to thank him for coming. i want to thank jim nicholson, the former secretary of the veterans affairs, key member of my cabinet for being here. admiral winfield, the u.s. navy, vice chairman of the joint chiefs. and you for your service. i want to thank the active-duty members and veterans were here. if you would stand up, i need to look at you. there you go. [applause] president bush: thank you all. of course, you heard from margaret, so we poached margaret

from the chamber. prior to that, she was the secretary of education and did a really good job. she is helping us at the bush center, at the campus at smu in dallas, texas, to foster smart policy and to take action to help change people's lives. it is what i think the post-presidency ought to be about. like margaret, laura and i, and who you will hear from shortly, are still passionate about education reform. i ran for governor for texas, because of education, i remember calling my mother -- i said, mother, i want to run against ann richards. i believe so strongly in education reform. she said, you are not going to win. gee, mom. [applause] president bush: so at the bush

center, we defend accountability in our public schools, and we are helping principals become the leaders that they should be. we believe that women will lead the freedom movement in the middle east. i believe strongly that freedom is a universal right. i believe freedom is the only way for peace. and i believe that women will lead the movement. therefore, we are helping women in tunisia and egypt become leaders to help change the societies for the sake of peace. we are working with presidential libraries, there are some good assets down in our part of the world called presidential libraries. lbj's, 41's, 42's, and 43's. that would be dad, clinton, and me, along with lyndon johnson. we launched a presidential leadership scholars program. here's what we do, we take talented professionals from all

over the country, all walks of life, all fields of work, and we develop a curriculum that will sharpen their leadership skills by using case studies at each presidential library. those who have served in our military have a special knack for leadership. and a special place in my heart. i'm asked a lot, do miss being president? i miss some things about being president. i miss having a shower on an airplane. [laughter] president bush: i miss the pastry chef. [laughter] president bush: i miss the people with whom i served. i do not miss much else. i am comfortable in my life. but, there is one thing that i miss, and that is looking in the eyes of the men and women who volunteered to serve our country. i miss being the commander-in-chief of our great nation. and so, i have decided to dedicate the rest of my life to

helping our veterans. to helping those with whom i was honored to serve. after 9/11 -- as a vietnam era guy, it is really startling to think back about the response by our country after 9/11, when millions volunteered. and now they're coming home. and they are trying to reenter society. over the next five years, one million brave men and women will complete their military service and return to civilian life, and the question is -- can we help them? in a meaningful way? they face challenges really different from the battlefield. some feel misunderstood or underappreciated. too many -- desperately so. they struggle to find the right kind of help for their specific situation. and they rate even higher than the rest of the country,

post-9/11 that have difficulty finding meaningful careers. the bush institute military service initiative is helping americans better understand our veterans, more effectively support our veterans, and take advantage of the opportunity to employ our veterans. that is our mission. it is led by army colonel miguel howell, and a special operator whom we will hear from later on. as well as the help by a marine, matt and i am pleased to report , that they get along pretty well. [laughter] president bush: i want to thank those of you who have helped miguel and matt get our program started. one such sage, a dear friend of mine is general pete pace, the 16th chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the chairman of our advisory committee. fortunately, he is one of these kinds of guys who does not believe in retirement. once a marine, always a marine.

general, it is good to see you. our war started with this realization, support for our troops since 9/11 has been overwhelming, but we really have not asked many important questions. light, who are the veterans? what do they need? so, in an effort to better know our veterans and understand how to help them, the bush center partnered with the institute of veterans and military families at syracuse university. we completed one of the most coprehensive studies conducted on post-9/11 veterans. we learned some hopeful things. 82% of the post-9/11 veterans said they would recommend military service to someone considering signing up. when asked if they are proud of their service, 94% said yes. there were some troubling statistics. 84% of the veterans say that the american public has little

awareness of the challenges facing them and their families. it turns out that most americans agree. 71% of americans said they do not understand the problems facing our veterans. we call this the civilian-military divide. one lesson of our research is that the divide is exacerbated by public perceptions that the veteran is either a hero or to be pitied. most veterans do not consider themselves heroes or victims. they see themselves as americans who took on a tough job and did it well. they do not want lavish celebrations or expressions of condolences. it never hurts to say thanks, but that is really not the point. what most veterans want is to have their service understood and appreciated for what it is, a formative experience in their lives and a source of skills and values that prepare them to succeed in civilian life.

americans in uniform, when they came back from vietnam, were treated shabbily. opinions about that war or not -- the treatment of our veterans was disgraceful. a shameful period. since 9/11 there has been a healthy debate on the war on terror as there should be, but americans put their political views aside and strongly support our troops. and veterans. more than 45,000 nonprofit organizations in our country have a mission at least partly related to serving veterans. that's a big number. it is a great testament to our country, strong support for our veterans. but, it can be overwhelming for newly returned veterans looking for help. and, while these organizations have good intentions, some

deliver better results than others. so, at the bush institute has undertaken a project to help understand the effectiveness of these ngos. we study data including members -- numbers of veterans served and the quality and consistency of outcomes produced. to help refine our analysis, we conducted case studies on some of the leading and most effective organizations. we have released toolkits that organizations and funders can use to achieve higher standards and match good intentions with good results. our study of veterans reveal that post-9/11 veterans face even higher rates of unemployment than their civilian counterparts. and that is a top concern. most of the affected veterans serving nonprofits have recognized and are responding to that priority. in addition to the chambers hiring our heroes program, ably led by eric eversole, we are joined today by higher the heroes usa, and america corporate partners.

i want to thank you for all that you are doing. you'll hear from them later. the unemployment problem is especially intense for younger veterans, veterans with combat experience, enlisted veterans without a four-year degree or certification, minorities, and women. and sadly, the costs of unemployment are not only an issue. studies show that veterans without any job are more susceptible to other problems like depression, addiction, homelessness. and suicide. we have studied and analyzed the most significant barriers to veteran employment. one problem is that veterans and employers both have a hard time translating military experience. there is a language barrier. say a person applies for a job and on the form it says skill set and he said sniper. likely, the vice president of

human relations is going to say, we do not need one this year. [laughter] president bush: had that person put on the application form, that i have had a lot of experience dealing with pressure, that i'm a team player. i am loyal to a cause greater than self. i understand how to follow instructions. i'm a responsible citizen. that vice president, more likely, would say, that is the kind of person that we want working for us. i have employed a lot of people, some argue, too many during my time. but what i've learned is that skills are teachable, but what matters most is the character of the human being. the values, the work ethic. and that sense of personal responsibility and this is what

our veterans bring. this is what we are -- all of us in this room -- are going to help our employers understand. when a resume says united states military, to me, it says that you can count on the applicant to be loyal, disciplined, a team player, and a proven leader. across our country, businesses are recognizing that hiring the heroes and hiring the veterans is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. part of our mission at the bush center is to call attention to those folks. many companies -- innovative programs. some of them are here. by the way, we are not only talking about veterans, we're talking about their spouses, as well. i want to give a shout out to 7-eleven, bank of america, blackstone, ge, jcpenney, jpmorgan, chase, prudential, uber, and walmart. there are a lot of companies, no question about it. these are the ones that come to our attention with innovative

programs that are more than just a program, they are actually providing work that lasts. and we thank them for that. bank of america-merrill lynch is a company that understands hiring veterans is more than a moral imperative. it is good for the bottom line. i want to talk about sergeant kyle white. he took advantage of the g.i. bill, graduating with a degree in finance from unc-charlotte. he got hired by merrill lynch as a product specialist. i do know that means. anyway, what he calls himself is a product sergeant. every day at the office he brings to bear when he calls the back of skills that he learned in the military. i met him down in dallas. he came by -- you might have heard of him, about him, he's a medal of honor winner. he is one of these men who put

his life ahead of -- put his life on the line to save his buddies. he talked to me about the challenges he faced transitioning. he had what was then diagnosed as ptsd. the symptoms of post-traumatic stress can be tough on veterans and their families. another problem is there is a stigma attached with pts. partly because it is mislabeled a disorder. and partly because many people are not aware of the treatment options some veterans offering from post-traumatic stress are reluctant to seek help. as a result of his misunderstanding, pts is another barrier to employment. and something that we are trying to help the employers understand. to make the results on the job front even better.

most doctors will tell you, post-traumatic stress is not a disorder. it is an injury that can result in the experience of battle. it is treatable. and the military and medical communities have made progress in developing effective ways to deal with pts, so therefore, at the bush center, we are starting effort to drop the "d." to help people better understand that we are talking about an injury. we want to make sure that the veterans retrieving -- receiving treatment are not viewed as damaged goods. they are not mentally shattered. people who got hurt. employers would not hesitate to hire a talented employee getting treatment for high blood pressure. or recovering from a broken arm. they should not hesitate to hire a veteran being treated for pts.

one of the leaders of this area, correctly, he was the head of the army when i was president. he is a good man and he is our advisor and he has made it his mission to spread the word about the science behind pts and the medical treatment that veterans can receive. at the bush center, we work with pioneering programs like the clinics and the national intrepid center of excellence, and others, to address challenges caused by pts. our goal is to eliminate the invisible wounds of war as barriers to employment. and empower our veterans to realize that their full potential and therefore empower our country. to help veterans overcome the obstacles to employment and find the resources they need and navigate complicated paths to meaningful civilian careers, today we are releasing the

veteran employment transition roadmap. or as the military would say, vet roadmap. we developed it in partnership with hiring our heroes and deloitte, and starting this morning, veterans can download it for free at bushcenter.org. the roadmap will be walked through later and it breaks down the job search into three clear phases. it outlines essential steps and provides that it resources designed to help veterans succeed and lead as civilians. our veterans have taken on the toughest tasks imaginable. and now, it is our turn to continue to help. laura and i are thrilled to be here. we thank you for your efforts. there is no doubt in my mind that we can succeed. god bless. [applause]

>> now, a look at job opportunities for veterans of recent wars. former first lady, laura bush spoke at a summit organized by the u.s. chamber of commerce in washington. she addressed the challenges faced by spouses of military veterans. we will also air from a congressional medal of honor recipient. this is just under 1002 hrs. mike: i guess i will say first, it is a little humbling and honestly intimidating to follow

president bush, but our job is to spend just 10 minutes talking about the collective and collaborative action that has brought us to today. a recap of where we have been relative to employment, and what may lie ahead -- challenges and opportunities both for our transitioning service members and their families, but also for the employer community that has been so supportive of this effort. only because you expect it from me, do i have a graph with a bunch of data and things behind me, but i'm not going to talk to that and only use it as a way to suggest that we really have accomplished an awful lot over the last 5-7 years, in particular. the efforts of the private sector and our partners in the public sector have made a

significant impact on the vocational situation of veterans. we have learned a lot in the context of doing this work. through the coalitions that we have mentioned and the president mentioned, 100,000 jobs mission, the coalition here, and i -- because the president did list off some employers who have made remarkable contributions, it gives me an out not to be able to mention any employers by name and therefore not get in trouble later on. only to say that probably at no point in our history since world war ii has the private sector stepped up in such a meaningful way to support the vocational transition of our servicemembers. collectively, as a community, we deserve an awful lot of credit for that. we have built tools, put them into action, and we will hear more about some of those today.

to move this effort and agenda forward. when we put up data like i have here, it always begs the question -- and it has recently -- in the context of what is next for the community, is there an employment challenge? is there an employment crisis relative to our nation's veterans? i will suggest, very delicately, so as not to offend -- because these questions do sometimes make for good dueling op-eds -- at the end of the day, i actually think the questions themselves are little bit of a red herring. the only answer that matters to questions like that are the ones that you get when you are standing in front of a veteran who has done everything that they need to do to position themselves for post-service employment. and they tell you whether or not they have been successful. ultimately, that is the only answer that really matters.

we can, as i learned, torture this data to death in a way that tells any story that we wanted to tell. hopefully, part of what we are going to do, and as i transition, we are going to a place where we are asking more nuanced and prospective questions. one of the pitfalls, one of the things that seem to get us in trouble a little bit as we focus on putting our inherently constrained resources to the first, best use, serving the vocational challenges of veterans -- is that we tend to paint this community with one single brush. we do not acknowledge the heterogeneity that exists across this community. i will give you an example of how you can frame that question maybe a little differently relative to the implementation

-- employment challenges that some cohorts of this community may or may not face. what you see on this graph are two lines: the dark line represents a longitudinal view all the way back to 2000. the employment gap between post-9/11 veterans, ages 20-24, and their civilian counterparts. what you see on the light blue line is the employment gap between post-9/11 veterans, ages 34 and above, relative to their civilian counterparts. what i would suggest -- and i could build 25 of these, 30 of these -- as i slice and dice up the veteran community, but as i talked to really smart economists around the country about how we should be thinking

about focusing our efforts moving forward. this idea of identifying and then acting on this idea of an employment gap relative to civilian demographic counterparts. whether it is a function of ethnicity and gender or age -- skill, industry, etc. at the end of the day, the value proposition relative to volunteering for military service is one such that you are better off on the way out. every military recruiting effort or initiative is based around that value proposition. here, for example, is one group that it appears we are not delivering on that value proposition. there are lots of reasons to explain this and some are inherent in simply the -- these people are. that data does highlight that

persistently, over the course of the last 10-12 years, there has been an employment gap between that particular population and their civilian counterparts. i used this one, and i'm already over, aren't i? i use this one because i wanted to share this chart. is there cause for sustained action for us moving forward? there are the projection separations. these are dod numbers over the next five years, and look at the cohort that is going to be separating in the highest numbers. the idea here is that whether or not we have this discussion about, is there and -- employment challenge and crisis? what really matters most is that we are asking a different set of questions moving forward so that we can focus our resources to

serve the need where the need is greatest. what we have learned -- here's a quick summary as a way to transition this. as we think about our research and the surveys of thought leaders that we have conducted, surveys of veterans, at the end of the day, really, the path forward is about institutionalizing the focus, more upstream of transition, on this idea of a collective and collaborative effort between the public and private sectors. this initiative and these coalitions and this work really got off the ground as a function of dealing with an immediate crisis, but as we talk and have conversations about the future of the military force, which secretary carter is having now -- this idea of a more purposeful partnership between the private sector becomes central to actually enacting that vision. but we need better data. the reality is that we do not have great visibility into that

upstream pipeline in such a way that it allows nonprofits and private sector employers to position resources appropriately to support that vocational transition. it is also important to acknowledge that both the labor market and the demographics represented by this population is changing pretty dramatically over time. the population of veterans, or servicemembers leaving the military in 2007 relative to today is an entirely different population. we have to build -- therefore -- dynamic models of intervention. programs that can be adapted and evolve over time to serve that changing demographic. also to be aligned with changing labor market demands. ultimately, finally, my transition -- is to suggest that we have to start asking different questions. we have to start moving the level of analysis from a high level, national effort, where we

are looking at veterans as a population to drill into cohorts and set cohorts of the veteran population, importantly, at the local and regional levels. because, at the end of the day, one of the most powerful lessons that we have learned from all of the work that we have done with our partners at the bush center, is where it matters most is local. our servicemembers are returning to their towns, villages, etc. where the economies are local, the social networks are local, the support of services are local. if we do not start asking questions about how we can serve and support at the local level, i think we miss the opportunity to really institutionalize a focus on employment transition over the long-term. with that, i can transition to mark, to actually give him an opportunity to put that call to

action that i just suggested to action. to demonstrate until that we have been building along with -- they have really been building it, and we have been helping them see what to build, that offers the opportunity to really dig in a much deeper way and powerful way, relative to understanding where to focus our resources. with that, mark. mark: thank you. i have a little over one minute to go through four slides. i will do this quickly. >> that is my fault. mark: i will blaze right through this. the president mentioned smart policy. mike mentioned that things need to be at the community level. that is the problem that we began to work with syracuse nine months ago as we began to aggregate the data and hone into a dynamic model that we can evaluate at the local level. you can see there's lots of data here. the purpose here is to put the data to allow us to ask the

probing questions to get at that regional construct. i can go through this later on. this is an aggregation of the data nationally, that can help us better help veteran unemployment down to the county level. it can help us look at the data by gender. by age. by disability status. by education. it allows us to capture all of the data sets, so now we can begin to ask the questions. how do we drill down and look at this information? we start to reorganize our policy, start to reallocate resources from a national level down to a community level. let me give you a quick example. here, we look at two counties, 60 miles apart, in texas.

one is a rural community. one is an urban community. you can see that in the rural community, much higher levels of unemployment. much lower median income. 60 miles away, in an urban community, in harris county, you can see the median income is much higher. you can see the employment is much lower. that does not necessarily give us an answer, but when we talk about, how do we allocate resources and programs, one might ask, is this an issue of transportation? simply making sure that 60 miles apart, how do we put together resources to get those folks in the rural communities to places where the jobs exist, just 50 miles away? it maybe a transportation issue, or maybe a training and skills issue. the president mentioned that you can train skills, of course you can. couldn't we leverage the skills and employment that is 60 miles apart? to give employment opportunities

to those veterans. if we can do this nationally, now, at the county level, we can drill down and look at any one of the number of demographics. begins to inform the conversation, it begins to allow us to appeal that the discussion, and most important, it allows us to target resources and programs to where the greatest need is at the community level. one other piece of the model that we looked at was the highest industries. you'll see this chart really depicts the highest growth industries. in the upper right-hand crowd corner, by growth on the x axis, and on the y axis the total number of jobs available. the size of the bubbles represents the size of the veteran population. you can see in the upper right, in the education and health services, one of the highest growth rates and has the most jobs, but has the smallest number of veterans.

you can see in the lower left, and the federal space, has the greatest number of veterans, but it has the lowest growth rate. so how do we use data to help us target where we can best allocate resources and target our opportunities for veterans? these models allow us to ask questions and answer these and make informed decisions and get -- for policymakers, employers, and community leaders. we are really thrilled and excited to be doing this with syracuse. i will say that it will take a village and more information and certainly other partners. we welcome this and we welcome other partnerships to make this work. thank you much. [applause]

[video] >> i was in denial of how bad it really was. the outer shell of him came back, but everything on the inside was dead. it was like it was just -- >> every day, at least 22 veterans commit suicide. that is almost 8000 a year. a new program could save their lives. >> this is not -- this is broken. that is why you're in that chair. >> he has told me multiple times that if this program does not work, he is going to kill himself. i'm having a hard time right now. >> family situation. it's not working for you.

>> it was only a five day program, how can a person change in five days? >> 13 soldiers. >> the brotherhood has a lot to do with it. >> the stakes -- everything. >> this is the last -- >> i feel guilty -- >> [indiscernible] >> they literally feel that they are going to die. >> love you, brother. [indiscernible] >> how many men -- >> how many would you guess --? >> somewhere between 80 and 90. >> how many have killed themselves? >> none.

>> we have a lot riding on this. my life is riding on this. [applause] >> thank you, and good morning. so, that clip might lead you to believe that i am going to share a sad story with you this morning. in fact, i will just tell you an honest story, of veterans who struggle with post-traumatic stress and what opportunities lie on the other side of that. also, for us, i started working on this documentary in 2013. i had just left cnn full-time to start a media company called starfish media group. my very first assignment back for cnn was to do a full length documentary on what happens to

veterans and their family members when they return home, but they are struggling with post-traumatic stress. we embedded, for five days, with save a warrior, which is a small organization based out of southern california, that believed that soldiers who were returning home needed tools to specifically heal with some of the issues that they were facing. depression, anxiety, anger, loss. issues that in the past might have been dealt with using prescription drugs. or maybe non-prescription drugs, or alcohol. that, in fact, these tools were teachable. like meditation, understanding , what other people were going through. feeling a connection to other service members. a brotherhood, if you will, of sorts. undergoing challenging experiences. rock climbing, therapy, meditation.

all of these strategies that save a warrior utilized to create connection between 13 guys who had never met before, and yet in many ways, shared a very similar struggle. many of them were frankly suicidal and they cannot figure out how to live in the world. you saw the man in the clip, african-american gentlemen, he jumped through the ropes course. he was speaking very openly with his wife, seen crying -- telling them that if the course did not work, he was going to kill himself. he described it for me, the suicidal feeling, as being in a burning building. he said it is like a building is on fire, and you don't want to jump -- you are you afraid to jump -- but the fire is so intense that you feel like you have no other choice but to jump.

so, in may of 2013, i spent five days embedded with save a warrior and several more days interviewing him and his family and also another gentleman and his family. as you saw in the clip, those five days were very emotional and they were very intense. some days are very miserable and some were thrilling. derek holmes was chosen to be in our documentary because he was exactly the kind of guy who hates to appear in documentaries like this. his disdain for the news media was very, very clear. he tells me that he did not trust that i would not screw up his story, and that he challenged me to run -- unedited -- what he said, because the news media all must gets it wrong about veterans. and probably i cannot manage to get it right. he said, when these stories come on tv, none of us -- any veterans -- watch. they are all bs, but he did not use that word. we do not watch the stories because they are not real.

he challenged us to tell the real story and get it right, and so, we did. i felt we owed it to the 13 men, and in this case it was me, they also do female cohorts -- to follow what happened for good or for bad. for success or for failure, we would just tell their stories. in the end, the program was life-changing. we went in with no preconceived notions. the man at the beginning, who is clearly an alcoholic, drinking several bottles of wine every single day, by the end, he had stopped drinking. he reengaged with his wife and his small children. he has been doing really well ever since. and derek, his anger laid just below the surface also changed, and i learned much more about him. not just his experiences in the work, which he spoke about, but also his goals and his hopes and his dreams for his life after the service. i learned that his dream was to be a photographer.

with a little bit of shoving at times, i got to see some of his work, instead of questioning him, we got to see what he was shooting for us. i learned that he enjoyed -- as i discovered with many people who suffer from ptsd -- enjoy hiding behind a camera which made him feel a little bit more secure in conversation, but it also made him a wonderful students of human nature, which turns out to be a very good thing if you have any desire at all to be a photojournalist. his experience in the military, being ultra-observant, made him a great and very valuable storyteller. the fact that he had wrestled with some demons successfully made him a good listener. empathetic, and sympathetic. all very good qualities in a journalist. and he had tremendous raw talents. i think because of his military training, the quality of excellence was held in to what

he consistently delivered. he was always working on his craft, always seeking feedback, never ever saying no, and i will not talk about timeliness, or staying organized, etc no surprise then, that my company, starfish media group, has hired him after the documentary to be our west coast photojournalist for the projects that we do. i almost hate to say it out loud as i feel like people in the audience are going to steal him from me because he is that amazing. it is like giving away a good secret. the media, i think, often flames the issue of ptsd as kind of a curse. like some kind of crazy, let's-watch-this-explode sort of thing. and that is not the case. what i have learned in my reporting on "the war comes home", the documentary, is that post-traumatic stress is real.

it is not to be ignored, it is not to be diminished or trivialized, but it is manageable, and people do come out of the other side. those people who come out of the other side, what they have to offer as employees, and more importantly, of course, as human beings, is incredibly valuable. it makes all of us better. i am pleased to be part of the conversation today, because i think this is a crucial message that is often lost in our daily reporting about veterans. the contributions and the potential for contributions is huge. i also want to take a moment and introduce you to derek holmes who has asked to join me this morning. he is an excellent photojournalist, and entrepreneur that served his country very well, and now partners with me serving, as well. and telling stories about veterans and others, because of his well-honed and excellent eye. much, i think, is due to his time to the military, so derek, if you could stand up so i can introduce you to the audience, i

would be grateful. [applause] >> we will have a chance to lead some of the discussions this afternoon, and i'm looking forward to continue to tackling this topic. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the u.s. secretary of labor, thomas perez. [applause] sec. perez: good morning, it is an honor to be here. thank you for honoring us with your presence, mrs. bush. i had the privilege of spending time with president bush and it was an honor to be with him, and you set a high bar for us coming in, in terms of serving our veterans, and i want to say thank you to you on behalf of

the president and first lady, and the vice president, dr. biden, so much that we are doing, and i also want to say thank you to tom. and everybody else. thank you, eric, i know you are here. i also want to say thank you to all of the distinguished active duty and retired military leaders here and their spouses. we know it is a joint venture, and so we want to say thank you so much. yesterday, was -- would have been my father's 93rd birthday. next monday is the 41st anniversary of his passing. i come from a family where military service was a badge of honor. my father and my mother were one of nine. our family emigrated from the dominican republic, all of our uncles served in world war ii. i grew up listening to their stories. my father, after he left the service, went to the va hospital

in buffalo, new york, because buffalo, new york, and the dominican republic, the weather was very similar, so -- they were the ones to settle in that warm weather climate of buffalo. my father worked at the va hospital until his passing. my brother then worked at the va hospital a few years later, and as we speak now, my nephew is now working at the va hospital in buffalo, new york, as a physician. i wear that as a badge of honor. they taught us that this is so important, to serve our nation. those who served us with such distinction. in my previous role in the civil rights division, we had a robust docket of cases on behalf of service members. we recovered over $125 million on behalf of service members who had been victims of wrongful foreclosures. we settled the largest cases involving active-duty service -- deployed and then came back to find that their jobs were not

there for them. that is illegal. and we fought for them. we also got to make sure that the right to vote was available to service members and their spouses serving overseas. again, those that work with a labor of love, and that work continues to be a labor of love. in the department of labor now, we get the opportunity to work together and in partnerships with so many of you in this audience to make sure that the opportunity for employment is an opportunity then that is available to everyone. the chamber's announcement that as of this month, half a million veterans and their spouses have been hired through this initiative is a remarkable example of our partnership in action. i want to say congratulations and thank you. this has, indeed, been an all-hands-on-deck enterprise. you look at the roster of speakers today and it really demonstrates our nation's commitment, across the board, to making sure that we serve our service members. i am so excited to be going to a

job there in a few weeks in hawaii to talk about how we can get our veterans the jobs that they need and deserve. again, with your efforts and with the efforts of the first lady and dr. biden, joining forces, we certainly have come a long way. you look at the unemployment rate today for veterans, it is 5%, which is 1.6% lower than it was a few years ago, when it was 6.6%. you look at post-9/11 veterans, 5.4% compared to 7.3% figure two years ago. and double digits in 2011. we are moving in the right direction. we have a vast network of partnerships. that is the key. you'll hear me say the word "partnerships" so many times, because that is what it really is about. making sure that our federal partners are working together, making sure that we avail ourselves of the leadership of people like president and mrs. bush, making sure that we are working with our friends in the business community, making sure

that we are learning everything we can. earlier this month, i had the privilege of traveling to three different cities with secretary mcdonald, and secretary castro, because what we were trying to was -- to do was give light to a significant issue that we are making progress on, but which we have more work to do. that is the issue of veterans homelessness. we traveled to houston, and we met with mayor parker, because houston has announced the creation of a system in her community that ensures that all veterans who need housing assistance will be quickly linked to supportive services and permanent housing. because, five years ago, president obama set forth an ambitious goal of ending veteran homelessness by the end of this year. we invested 38 million dollars in partnerships with nonprofit service providers who offer homeless veterans reemployment program to help struggling veterans get their jobs. in houston, they have set up a system so that they are well-positioned to meet that

goal by the end of the year. salt lake city and phoenix have already installed systems so that they have been able to effectively end chronic veteran homelessness. we will continue that work. the thing about this is when i go to the city, it is not about the numbers and the data and the partnerships, it is really the people that we meet who are the most remarkable. in tucson, i met a man named cliff, it was not the first time i met him. we do a point-in-time survey every year to measure how many people are homeless across america. this year, i traveled to tucson. cliff served in the military. when he got out, he fell on

tough times. he was in the criminal justice system. he got out, and wanted to better himself, and as a result of some of our investments, he was able to do just that. now he is a counselor, working with veterans and in the last year he has helped over 400 veterans get back on their feet. cliff, himself, was formerly homeless and now he is a leader in preventing homelessness. people like him inspire me. people like a woman i met named genevieve, inspire me. a single mom, a veteran, who served with distinction, fell on hard times, and again, experienced homelessness. with the help of our investments in our partnerships and the leadership of so many folks in the community, she is back on her feet. she was so proud because she just got her degree in social work. now she is going to get a masters in social work, and what she wants to do is help other veterans because she has walked in their shoes, and she can come a and she will help them. what she said to me, really epitomizes where we are at, she says, the help that we got, they were not handouts. they were a hand up. they helped me turn my life

around, and it is not just about me, it has given my daughter a brighter future, too. that is why we're all in this, because people like genevieve and cliff had given so much to our nation, and we own it to owe it to them to redouble our efforts, and that is why i am so grateful for the work that the chamber is doing. that is why i am so grateful for the partnership that we have with others to make sure that the transition assistance program is working well. the transition assistance program, as you know, is a joint venture with dod and the v.a. and the department of labor. we are making it better and better with every passing year because we are learning from our mistakes. and we are measuring our progress, so for instance, we did a survey recently of 11,000 participants in the taft program and 91% reported that they would use what they learned in their own transition planning and 89% , reported that it enhanced their confidence in transition planning. so, that is another area were once again, partnership at work is serving service members at

scale. another area of investment that we are all in on is a pprenticeship. i believe that apprenticeship is the secret weapon for employing so many people across this country, and we have been working collaboratively to make sure that veterans have access to apprenticeship. i often referred to apprenticeship as the other college. except without the debt. apprenticeship has application not simply in the skilled trade, but in i.t., and health care, and cyber security. in so many different areas, we are working together to make through our grantmaking, we are giving opportunities for apprenticeship -- and veterans were eligible to use their post-9/11 g.i. bill to supplement apprentice wages while they participate. that is a real pathway to the middle class. and that is why we continue to work to expand and grow apprenticeships. another thing we have to do -- and we need to do this together

-- and i saw this firsthand when i worked at a state level, was we need to work to eliminate barriers to credentialing and licensing. every time i've been to a military base i will ask the co, how many times have you moved in your career? if someone has been there 16 years, usually double figures. i do not need to speak to you because you know that from your own experiences. the challenge that you have is when you move from one state to the other and your spouse may be a teacher or your spouse may be some other profession that has licensing that it is hard to get that license in the other state. i will never forget the combat medic that i met when i was up at aberdeen. he served in a war zone and had been a paramedic there, then he was told by the state of maryland that he was not good enough. i cannot understand that. we need to address those licensing barriers. i think we can all agree that it is hard to understand how someone who was an explosive

ordinance disposal tech in the navy and served two combat tours overseas is somehow not qualified to work demolition on a highway construction crew. that makes no sense. that is the most polite description i can get of that. -- give of that. a number of states have taken action in recent years to identify and address these unnecessary licensing barriers. these steps are critical to ensuring economic opportunity and mobility for servicemembers and their spouses. in order to encourage this, the president's budget proposes a $15 million investment to help states in those efforts. we know that this affects military spouses because, again, moving credentials from state-to-state can be time-consuming, frustrating, and expensive. so that is why we are continuing to work on these efforts, and we need your help. we need advocacy at a state level that we can do this.

-- so that we can do this. i want to talk about a resource that has been a linchpin in our efforts for progress. that is the 2500 american job centers across the country. when a veteran goes into those job centers they receive priority of service. by law, they go to the front of the line because they deserve to be at the front of the line, given all the service that they have provided. american job centers provide expert, personalized services to help you find that right career path, to access training opportunities, and to put yourself in front of employers. we are working hard to make sure that we translate the core competencies that you have as a service member into the civilian workforce. so often we hear from service members, i was in e-cig's -- e 6, what am i going to do? you have game, there's a lot that you can do. what we are doing is serving as that translator so that employers understand the various

skills that you bring to the table, and it is not only the hard skills, but it is a team skills, the essential teamwork skills, showing up on time, understanding how to work under pressure. you know what defcon 1 means, and you translate that working under pressure into the workplace. that is what we do in the workforce system. now, we are set to become an even more potent network because last year in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the workforce innovation and opportunity act was passed. it is set to take effect july the first. the reforms that are contained give jobseekers additional tools to punch their ticket to the middle class. so, we're going to continue that work. partnerships are continuing. just a few weeks ago i was with someone at the consumer financial protection bureau, because what we have done is -- cforces with the cft be

ftb to launch new initiatives providing financial coaching to veterans. so as 35 american job centers nationwide, we will better serve that by providing them with a credential financial coach who has an understanding of the veterans community, military families, and the challenges they face. these professionals provide one-on-one free coaching to help them craft a personalized plan. because that is critically important. how to manage your money. we're making these one-stop centers truly one-stop centers for all of the needs that veterans confront. i want to say, in closing, i want to say thank you. because, we all play different instruments, and president and mrs. bush are playing a remarkably important instrument in the front of the orchestra, the business community -- i'm a trial lawyer, so i drift -- the business community is playing a critical role, because you can't -- you keep a plan folks. now we're moving into

sector-based partnerships, so the entire construction industry, as opposed to simply one or two companies have made a commitment to hiring veterans. our educators have made a commitment to tailoring programs toward veterans. the stove pipe implosion that we are seeing in the federal government is working for veterans. we are working with our state and local partners to make sure that we eliminate those licenses and credentialing barriers that i talked about. and, our nonprofit and faith communities, they are in this orchestra, so we play different instruments. but we are all in the same orchestra. it is the orchestra of opportunity. and with your leadership here at the chamber, with the leadership of remarkable people like president and mrs. bush,

remarkable leaders like president obama, mrs. obama, jill biden, the vice president, we are commanding an orchestra that is remarkable. we have changed as a nation. i remember the vietnam era, we did not respect our veterans when they came home. and we have changed that. we owe it to our veterans as a nation, and we have specific work to do with post-9/11 veterans, because we still have unemployment rates that are even elevated. there is no spike in the football, even though the implementation rate is coming -- unemployment rate is coming down. we need even more people in this orchestra. even though it is already a robust orchestra. you have my assurance that we are going to continue to play our instruments as long as it is necessary to enable our servicemembers who have earned that right to be treated with dignity, to make sure that they have a seamless transition to the middle class. because america works best when we feel the full team. and when we feel the full team of servicemembers who have served with distinction, then our team is simply the best team in america.

you have seen that, that is why employers have stepped up. we have seen that at the department of labor, that is why 30% of our hires are veterans. we see that across the federal government and america sees that. that is why i have chronic optimism that this progress will sustain itself for many years to come. thank you, mrs. bush, for setting a high bar and making that bar high. thank you, president obama, for making sure we are sustaining that progress and mrs. obama and dr. biden and vice president biden. we honor the memory of beau by making sure we serve our nation's military and we make sure that we give them opportunities in the aftermath of their service. this orchestra is humming that we have more work to do, there is no letting up. thank you so much for having me. thank you so much for your presence. thank you so much to tom donohue and the chamber for your leadership. [applause]

ride into the danger zone ♪ >> all right. [applause] >> that is a tough act to follow, but good morning everyone and thank you so much for including mary and me in this important discussion. what a great program that the whole team has put together. i want to thank tom donohue and the chamber for putting us in the chamber. it is a great place to hold this event. we, in uniform, are really very grateful to the military service initiative in hiring our heroes, that whole team, for arranging this mission transition event. starting at the top, this means

thanks to the dos amigos, eric and miguel. and the whole organization for what you have done. and of course, we are very grateful to the president and mrs. bush. it goes without saying that your gift of personal attention to this effort is immensely important and deeply appreciated by all of us. thank you so much. thanks to all of you for being here. [applause] >> thanks to all of you for being here and for your enduring support for veterans, including recognizing their potential as employees. these men and women have raised their right hand and volunteered. they have donned a cloth of our nation and they have gained valuable training and experience. they have been immersed in aculture of integrity and hard work. they have become leaders under stressful conditions and many of them -- in many cases -- have sacrificed for our country. they have grown personally like nobody's business.

and they, and their spouses, are now in a tremendous win-win opportunity that should be everybody's business. as much as we would like to keep them all, and as with those with the many generations before them, huge numbers of them are shifting back into civilian life and are eager to find honest work. as president bush, said over the next five years, over one million of these volunteers are going to make this transition. yet, despite the sea of goodwill generated by the literally thousands of nonprofits and veterans services organizations, dedicated to helping with their transition, too many of them are finding it difficult to find a job. while the overall veterans and unemployment rate has fallen below the national average, the post-9/11 rate is not there yet. but there are good reasons why american businesses should hire our veterans. this room is a critical part of getting the word out on that. first, our people are motivated

by the right ideals. our recruiting statistics show that most of these people enter the military because they wanted to do something important. that is no surprise -- it is a signature characteristic of the millennial generation. in fact, a recent survey about why people will join the military found that the number one reason was pride, self-esteem, and honor. followed by a desire to better their lives and then duty and obligation to country. then everything else you would imagine came after that. i would sure want to hire someone, mature enough, at a young age, to think of country before self. americans can count on the fact that we have only added to that maturity over their time in uniform. i was exposed to this early on in college. many years ago, when i became friends with a fellow who had flunked out of college and joined the navy during the vietnam war. when he left the navy, he came to georgia tech, where i was a student, and literally aced the course in aerospace engineering.

that pretty much captures how motivated military people can be. we have already talked about what business it is to hire a veteran. we even invested a lot in these people, including those taking advantage of it, additional education. in many cases, these veterans offer technical expertise directly relevant to the job for which they are applying. in other cases, they bring the ability to quickly absorb new training and a skill similar to what they might have been doing in the service. or even not similar, they just know how to learn. the reality is that military experience confers on service members skills and experiences that are highly sought after in business and industry. it is a diverse workforce that made the cut to getting into the military from the first place, from a generation in which only

three out of 10 people qualify. -- years of peer-reviewed, academic articles from several fields suggest that there are a number of key attributes are hard for successful business and -- required for successful business and industry that we, in the military put into our veterans. these include being entrepreneurial, assuming high levels of trust, being adept at skills transfer across contexts and tasks. leveraging their advanced technical training and their ability to learn. being comfortable and adaptive in working in discontinuous environments. bringing high levels of resiliency, exhibiting advanced team building, having strong levels of organizational commitment, leveraging cross-cultural experiences, and definitely being able to work in diverse settings. who would not want these characteristics in their workforce? that is before you consider the tax credits that are available under several programs in which you can hire a veteran. third, these young men and women also bring values, vital to any organization, including loyalty, integrity, and teamwork. when asked about employees, they

have recently released -- employers most often cite character flaws rather than gaps in skill as their rationale. we are pretty good at ironing out character flaws in the military. yet, many companies higher for a e for a skill set, listed in a vacancy announcement, not character. a study done by the corporate executive board aimed at capturing the value proposition of veteran employees, found a -- that veteran performance is 4% higher than for nonveterans and that veterans experience 3% less turnover. when you apply this to a company with a workforce of only 25% veterans, that translates into at least an extra percent or two in annual revenue. i will also point to a monster survey that noted that 99% of employers believe that their veterans perform better, or as well, as their nonveterans peers.

those of you here, in business, already have helped veterans and you know that you have seen their adaptability, their interpersonal skills, and their ability to perform under pressure and go the extra mile when it is required. we just need to also help ensure these folks are getting a job that is the right fit. we want to make sure that they are successful on their first try. now, to be sure, there are other imperatives about hiring veterans that do not translate into the bottom line. in this regard, i would ask that we advocate not looking upon hiring a veteran as an act of charity, but that it can be an act of patriotism. because, it actually contributes to our military future. that is because, and i believe again, president bush mentioned, next version of service members will be influenced by how all of those before them are treated. one of the most important drivers for a young person

signing up in the first place is key influencers with served in the military before. a positive narrative from one of these veterans and open the door to others who have a willingness to serve. so what are we in the military doing to help our members with their transition? we recently redesigned our transition assistance program to provide contemporary, relevant, and mandatory information, tools, and training to ensure that our members are prepared for civilian life. this year, the services will begin implementing the military life model into their programs. including, grabbing onto whatever equivalency certifications that we can find. we recognize that simply briefing people as they walk out the door will not lead to their success. rather, this model design is to ensure our member's careers are aligned with their civilian career goals. and highlight things that they should address before they separate. successful transition is ultimately an individual responsibility that requires planning and deliberate

execution. the veteran's employment transition roadmap that you will hear about later and that i believe give a copy of, the dos amigos will probably talk to about it, will be very helpful in this regard. we have also made transitional leadership priorities. i believe it is going to take a while to get our program right. we definitely need your feedback. what we are looking for is continuous improvement over time. even with such a program, veterans still face stereotypes that can create barriers to their ability to find implement. many prospective employers are scared off by the question that veterans suffer disproportionately from ptsd. indeed, 46% of hr professionals surveyed by the society decided ptsd and mental health issues as potential barriers to hiring employees with military experience.

what a shame. the reality is that while a small minority of veterans to experience ptsd and mild dramatic brain injury, their susceptibility to it is no greater than the average american. moreover, these conditions can be treated and they probably might have been treated better for some veterans in any other sector of society, though i would side with someone else in saying that there is much, much more that we can do. there is no data that confidently links ptsd with a propensity for violence, so we need to dispense with that narrative. i will close by saying that all americans should take an interest in successfully transitioning our nation's veterans. for over 40 years, we have relied on volunteers to fill our ranks, raising one hand and taking an oath to support and defend the constitution of the united states has regained their rightful place of dignity in our land that it unfairly lost decades ago. the dignity is extended and i would say leveraged in good and

honorable and profitable ways, when the magnificent men and women come home and their talents are put to use in the private sector. i do not use the phrase "give him a job." that sounds like a handout. i much prefer, recognize their exceptional potential to make a solid contribution to the bottom line. it is a win-win or them and it is for american business. veterans maintain stability and their lives and business does well by doing good. i again, thank the organizers of this mission transition event for getting the word out on that. if anything i said today can help you do that, then i have done my job. this is a room full of passionate advocates. a powerful coalition and amazing network, and is a member of that network, i would like to include ellen dunford. whose husband will be our next chairman.

it is so important to have her in this audience today, and thank you for being here. [applause] this is a powerful network in this room. all you have to do is see the many connections that are being made on the many, many familiar faces that we can so many thing is that we have and it's passionate caring for military members and veterans is incredible. so thank you for your continued support for men and women both in, and transitioning out, of uniform. we have much more to do. but you are making a big difference. and may god bless those soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guards, and marines who are on watch this morning across the globe, protecting our nation. thank you very much. [applause] >> please welcome the former first lady of the united states, mrs. laura bush. [applause]

mrs. bush: thank you all. thank you very much. thank you, i am thrilled to be here. this has been very interesting to hear. i'm going to talk a little bit about what is coming up next in the next panel, and that is the people that we do not want to leave out, this military spouses. i know. i know what it is like to be the spouse of a leader. thanks to the u.s. chamber and the commander for hosting this mission, transition hiring our heroes summit. miguel and the lieutenant, thank you both for your leadership at the bush institute. as the colonels -- as we know,

you are not the only members of your family served. your spouses serve as well. while our servicemen and women are deployed, their spouses are the ones who take care of the families at home. they care for the children. they manage the finances. and they pray that their husbands and wives will return home safely. master sergeant rodriguez and his wife marlene joined as at -- us at our ranch in 2013 and 2014 for the bush center's 100 bike ride. when she talked about his years of service in the air force, she said, we -- i say we -- served 25 years. i lived every deployment with him. every trial and tribulation. but the day i said yes to him, i did not realize the impact it was going to have on me. and that is why it is so

important to make sure that while our servicemen and women receive the support that they need, that we care for their families, as well. as we have heard this morning, employment support is the perfect place to start. studies show that post-9/11 veterans face higher rates of unemployment than their civilian counterparts. and, the consequences of that underemployment are not only financial. of course, when one family member suffers, the entire family suffers. military spouses face a similar set of challenges. studies show that there primary concern is also employment. their own. active military spouses are more likely to have young children at home. they may spend their marriage moving their family around the country, or even around the world. moving exit hard to maintain

consistent employment. on average, military families moved to a new community every 2-3 years. this causes. periods of unemployment. amongst female military spouses 18-34, the unemployment rate is almost three times higher than theirs million counterparts. the department of defense estimates that nearly 25% of military spouses are unemployed. roughly 40% are underemployed. often these spouses are highly educated, they also earn less. 38 percent less than civilians on average. fortunately, many military spouses use their own experience to help advice other spouses. one of our next panel speakers

manager for program blue stars careers. she holds a masters in nonprofit management and philanthropy. even with her impressive skill set, because of her husband's changes of duty location, she had problems finding implement herself. even with a masters, and years of work experience, at one station the only job she could find was as a receptionist at the local baptist church. now at blue star careers, amy is using her experience to help spouses of our military find meaningful employment. rachel is the caregiver and self-described rehabbed partner ,o her husband, captain larkin who was injured in afghanistan in 2011. the full-time caregiver of

-- of an injured husband with the many needs, she cannot seek implement. when his condition improved, she found a job at the quality of life foundation. now is the executive director, nature works -- rachel works with other caregivers who give daily, substantial care to severely wounded veterans, just as she has done. because spouses are typically subjects to their service members and, they develop an entrepreneurial spirit, and sometimes seek careers to self employment. andicia, a military spouse small business owner, embraced this entrepreneurial spirit navy bratstarted packs. husband told her her that light streamed through his navy issued wrap around his

cot. a curtaindisplaying she made at navy exchanges, uso events, and online. within weeks she was swamped with reporters. -- orders. today it is a brick and mortar operation based in st. mary's, georgia. her curtains are sold directly to navy ships, submarines, military commands, and individuals. she attributes her success to the training and skills she learned while her husband served. her story is a testament to the , andient, determination ingenuity of our military spouse community. pat comeel, and represent many military spouses who give years of steadfast support and emotion to our men and women in uniform.

their commitment to their marriages, their families, and to our country is an inspiration to us all. as americans, it is our duty to support the men and women who volunteer to defend our country. who risk their lives, and who often give a live so the rest of us might never know terror again. and of course to support the left ones who are here at home. thank you all very much. [applause] click ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, mary, amy, and rachel. [applause]

>> we are going to transition to a fireside chat. i think the format is changing. ladies. now we are getting to the power session. you really want to know what is happening, it is in the spouse network. one of my favorite subjects is talking about some best spouses. -- talking about spouses. i want to give a big shout out to be chamber. i remember four years ago, when it was in its infancy, working with noreen at that time, we're were talking about a spouse to climate conference. we did one for caregivers. the first one for caregivers, we did it in the basement of a hotel. the number of participants the

cayman -- there was one cow -- came in. that came in gal that looked like she was in tears. i found out she was in tears because it was the first time someone had thought of her and what she was going through. there were actually looking at how to make it work for her. aware we have come from the basement and having a handful of spouses with incredible experience, and getting to where we are now, having you all there is fabulous. i recently had an opportunity to blake tooks, derek me to the la quinta. office and their ceo on his board he had gold stars and silver stars. sometimes all you need is a job. sometimes you're looking for a career. those are the gold stars.

i thought, wow, down to that level. understanding that sometimes you need a job, sometimes you want a career. la quinta is one of the examples. thank you. misses bush already told you some of the sestak asked to statistics -- told you some of the statistics -- there are no average military spouses. i will not go over some of those they gave me earlier other than it is hard for us to find a career that we can transfer. i was very fortunate. i worked for a defense contractor for many years. they had offices around the world. they were very proactive with working with me. for many out there, this is not the case. really strong point we are going to talk about later, military

spouses -- it makes us unique, we are more apt to volunteer than civilian counterparts. we don't have time. we are in a place for two years. we get income a we take over the pta, we get it done. our civilian counterparts will take your time. i think that is one of our strong characteristics. we are very flexible at whatever comes our way. we're talking today specifically about transitioning, and military spouses and employment. i am going to be listening to their responses. my spouse is transitioning soon. of you have any ideas out there from the audience, i would be appreciated. -- appreciative. we will start with amy. -- with your previous job, you closely work with

basses of service members that were transitioning. why do you feel it was very important for the spouses to have employment, and keep their women. amy: meaningful employment is obviously vital for the well-being of the family, particularly during the time of transition. it is going to create stability. when that family begins that transition they will go through a challenge of insurance changing, new financial obligations. base house allowance is not exact -- exist in the civilian sector. is able to grow and develop skill sets throughout their servicemember's career. they will be a bullet take that and help ease the transition for the family. to takewill be able that and help ease the transition for the family. they will be able to contribute.

i want to mention also for active duty, i think it is vital for a meaningful career as our servicemembers continue to serve. at some point the conversation as an active duty spouse is, howell we retain our top talent. -- how will we retain our top talent. at home, do i stay in the state or get out, it will be easier to say, let's stay and continue to serve when that spouse's been able to find meaningful employment. i think it is twofold. i think we have to look at the transition servicemember, but also the family currently serving as they continue their career. >> i would agree, it is not only stability for the family, and reduces the financial pressures, which can also translate into some situations for the family that are not good for the military. member can find military

-- throughout my time me -- being married in the military, you see a lot of times where families -- it becomes a stressful item. the job, the military spouse, whether or not she can keep her job or find meaningful employment when she moves. let's transition to the skill set of our military spouses and caregivers. what do you feel they have to offer? >> a couple of things with caregivers and spouses both have a tremendous amount of experience working with collaborative teams. with the v.a., and nonprofits when my house was in the hospital. hospital. was in the creativity. i am from texas, in texas we say there is nothing you cannot fix with wire and duct tape.

you have not seen creative until you get into in a pt rehab. we are trying all kinds of things. i think that goes back to, not necessarily a skill set, but a core value. how do we make this happen? we are mission focused and driven. we will get to yes. >> agreed. 100%. amy, you are stationed at fort hope, all you are there you said you had a hard time finding corporate america. explain then tell us what would help. alluded,he first lady my husband was returning from his fifth deployment. i knew to keep the family together i would have to make the move to louisiana. i had an amazing position, i was traveling the country. very meaningful, rewarding work.

i found myself in louisiana, i learned quickly there was no contract positions. thankfully somehow i found a position at the church making $10 an hour. there are clear to me they did not me doing anything else. answer the phones. it took about a year for me to find a physician -- position. i ended up working as a contractor for soldier for life which was previously a chp. i started in that position as a counselor. within a month of me and the physician, a new position became available. two of my supervisors told me, don't apply, your new. -- you are new. the flexion, something said, amy, apply. i did. transitionte to that

manager because she saw something in my skill set and drive. she took the chance. we were able to implement some great ratings and programs at fort polk as the mandate was implemented. awayrate america can take -- when you have these employees who come in, a military spouse is not going to wait around. they need to be advocates for themselves. when they are applying for the next position to move up, even if it is not been a month or, six months, you look at their skill set and drive, and talent. whether contribution can be to your company, they are able to create products quicker than their civilian counterparts. they know that time is in essence. they are driven. my main point was that is understand your talent base. don't underutilize it.

i was thankfully able to access that at fort polk. underemployment is a challenge a lot of spouses face. they are not able to progress in under employment jobs. you could be tapping into a greater still -- skill set if you understood your -- if you evaluated the talent. >> thankfully she saw through all of that and thought she had a good thing here. amy: hopefully. >> you made a great impact. something i definitely cannot answer, but i'm hoping my panelists can, what is it like to be a millennial and the job market -- in the job market? >> there are some negative stereotypes. some things we are known for, prioritizing education. withme ways to connect

that i would say, flex ability is important. certainly recognize of a military spouse or health cover -- health caregiver. i think the important thing to ,emember as far as millennial's most and thing about a job as quality of what you're doing. do you feel like you're giving back and it is meaningful. i think that is where the being open to moving something to a virtual position. you touched a little bit on development opportunities. millennial's want to learn and grow. we went to get off some of things. awesome at things. my president and michael john said, i will work with you.

they said they would invest upfront. i am grateful for that. of our spices -- thousands may not be millennial's, but there are a lot of traits that are the same. to give back, we want to make an impact. amy: we want to believe in our work. >> that kind of roles and you as well as the corporate america could potentially do. how can they help us. >> a couple of things. we will start broad. setting clear goals. i have heard 100,000 jobs, 200,000 jobs, percentages. is other thing i would say you are about to get your adjective -- organization clearly from -- friendly to military.

some people remove their wedding ring. they find out they might be moving. it happens. my corporate sponsor for my organization has a conference room they let me use. they have pictures of their military affiliated employers. i thought, what a tremendous thing if you walk into a interview and season like that. you can see the organization values your last -- lifestyle. tangible -- a lot of us have student loan repayment. reimbursement for any kind of verification transfer. if you're in an insurance company and you have a nurse on staff, if she is moving, maybe consider reimbursing him or her. those are some things we can look at.

maybe educational segments as well. -- amy: there is a lot of transition going on. i work for blue star families, so -- itel i find is really works with the military lifestyle. ,he majority of our positions wherever this military spouse is, she is able to work for them. she can continue her career and potentially grow with the organization as her servicemember serves. there are larger companies using this model as well. when the wealth of technology we have now and as that continues to grow, how can corporate america tappan -- tap in?

is it more financially viable for organizations and companies inhave their employees work telecommunications type positions. it is something to definitely look at and review on a model of how could that be about -- financially viable. but also how that would allow military spouses to work for your company and grow. a spouseue believer who potentially starts at a call center, who is to say, after a 20 year military career supporting her military spouse of that spouse does not end up the vpr president of the company. each place they go they can gain skills that. -- sets. for companies to be able to tap even at the entry-level position you could potentially be looking at your next vp. >> that is right. you never know who is brought -- walking theodore.

-- three-year door. i want to give a shout out to lisa, don, and alan. he will be running the air force. it is very important. thank you for being here. it is really important that are more junior spouses see that this is something not just on the active-duty side. it is something that we spouses take seriously and want to make that connection. thank you all. anything else in closing? >> hire a military spouse. >> train them, let them grow and develop. >> thank you. [applause]

collects today we patriot to an american who placed himself in the thick of the fight. >> you get shot it, though their brothers, you either get them out alive, or you die trying. obama: you are on foot from a heading into a village, suddenly the lights go out. about a mile ago, the staff sergeant here's the ambush over the radio. ,he patrol was penned down taking ferocious fire from three sides. >> they had mortars, grenades. president obama: four times they asked her mission to go in. the story will be told her generations. -- four generations. they were doing what they thought was right. >> the whole valley turned on this track. -- truck. the rounds were moving, i kept moving back.

president obama: they finally got to those trapped americans. he jumped out. through all of those bullets, smoke, and chaos, he carried them out one by one. >> it would've been extraordinary if i brought them out alive. obama: in doing so, he has earned the highest military decoration. >> i am not a hero. the heroes of the men and women still serving. president obama: the medal of honor. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. chamber, thank the it's foundation, the military service initiative to allow me this week.

-- to speak. i am grateful for the opportunity to talk about my extremes and the experience is only veterans are facing today. we are blessed with the greatest country on the face the earth. founded by principles of freedom, independence, and quality. these printable continue to make the nation strong. signing up for the variance is by far one of the greatest decisions i've ever made -- signing up for the marines is by far one of the greatest decisions i have ever made. i thought i had all of the answers. as some of you know, they drill that out of you. in my time in the marine corps, more than anything else, it taught me this, you will never know everything, but you should always be able to handle anything. the whatever it takes attitude. this is the mindset i would need

not only in the core, and the battle, but once i left the military. once i got outcome i had no idea when i gotlimited -- out, i had no idea what i was going to do. i remember thinking what company will be looking for me? i see no, i was looking at it wrong, i was more than just a sniper. i led teams, i managed projects, i held my comedic cage and skills, and more. , advised, plans, strategized all skills that companies are looking for. to be honest, maybe more companies should be looking for snipers. as goodiculum was just as higher education courses. physics, weapon systems, mission planning. instead of a diploma, we got a special designation. this designation is something that no civilian and few marines will ever have.

in spite of all this, the toughest fights we veterans will ever face is figuring out what we will do when we take off the uniform. hundreds of thousands of service members the military and return to our communities every year. unfortunately, many of them will struggle. it is a challenging time. if there was ever any group of people that is known for rising to an occasion, it is our men and women in uniform. all they need is a resource and opportunity they organizations are providing. many of these employers in this room have responded to the call of veterans, by recruiting veterans and military spouses into your ranks. rather than a handout, you decided to meet the needs with an opportunity. that decision has paid off for those companies, tenfold. still there are just as many companies out there that have yet to experience this benefit.

to those businesses, i say this, it does not matter whether you are recruiting for a large corporation, or you are a small business, i can guarantee that your company once candidates with the highest qualifications and the utmost character. the private sector has stepped up, and will continue to any coming years. ultimately though, the transition process is something that we as veterans have to own. it is something that we have to be prepared, if possible to make the jump from the military to civilian world. a big part of the preparation is knowing exactly what we did in the military, and being able to show those skills to the employers. i have seen resumes the just say, logistics, or intel, or sniper. those words alone do not mean anything to employers. they do not demonstrate incredible amount of skills and readiness that veterans possess.

we as veterans need to start thinking of military service as a personal brand. women withand world-class training in medicine, logistics, information systems, and other legal fields. -- critical fields. we also have skills like problem-solving, reliability, and resourcefulness. we could do a lot with little. we can lead teams and accomplish complex tasks. less than a percent of americans can point to their military service on the resumes. i think it is time for a military that we start emphasizing on this. helping veterans tell their stories was exactly what we had in mind when the chamber, launched a personable -- personal branding resume engine. it takes a military service persons career and turns it into a resume.

we wanted them to talk with her background, take advantage of the opportunity that they have earned. business owner myself, i will be honest, i am not going to hire anyone. i going to hire someone who demonstrates the value. someone who can show what skills they bring. the best advice that i could give those who are about to transition and become a veteran is to own your transition. there are so many great resources out there right now for transitioning service members and veterans. we have to be the ones to take advantage of them. own it like any mission that we have ever prepared for the military. identify your objective, and develop a plan to achieve. and understand everything we have to offer these companies are willing to help. get out there and execute. thank you all so much. i appreciated. -- i appreciate it. [applause]

>> clearly, when you offered to host here, you want to the home-court advantage of audiovisual. that is ok. you guys are out playing football. we are out fighting the nation's wars. >> how many years has it been? >> that we have been winning the nation's >> 238 or 239. >> it wouldn't look like it but we have a lot in common. >> you are arnold schwarzenegger, i am danny devito. >> i'm actually bald so. [laughter] we actually started.

we have a lot in common. we started with our organizations about two years ago. as we were learning about this issue and starting to get smarter about it, we started to ask basic questions. who are they? who are the service members we are trying to serve? what are their challenges? who ae are trying to serve? what are their challenges? how do we help them navigate the see of goodwill to find the best in class resources? we knew we would not figure that out on our own. >> the two of us, if i thesitioning -- transitioning service members were just in our hands, they

would be in trouble. but there is a great team that already exists. erik reached out and said, we would like to host the next hiring our heroes event at the bush center could we don't just wanted to be the hiring our heroes group. we want to bring in community leaders focused on this. he wanted to include jpmorgan hiring. the blackstone group. independents like walmart and others. there has been work in the nonprofit . people like the institute for vets and families. organizationseat mentioned. the thing was to have the government partners here. those who have been leading the effort from dod to services. we brought that collective brain trust to the bush institute.

>> we learned very quickly, who are they? there is no one-size-fits-all. we did see as a clear pattern, young enlisted servicemembers under the age of 35, most of post secondary education but did not have a degree or certification. those are the ones who are facing high unemployment, greater than 11%. that was the target population. first things we learned as a group. >> what are some of the major challenges they face? one, communication and a culture gap and barrier between jobseeking veterans in greattion, and you, the is this community, that one and need them. business community that want