tv Key Capitol Hill Hearings CSPAN November 11, 2015 6:00pm-8:01pm EST
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description i can give up that. and there have been a number of actions in recent years to address these unnecessary barriers. these are critical to ensuring equal opportunity and mobility for servicemembers and their spouses. to encourage this, the president's we need advocacy at a state level 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
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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, 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
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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 rich at the consumer financial protection bureau, because what we have done is join forces with the -- 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
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one-on-one free coaching to help them craft a personalized plan. because that is critically important. how to manage her money. -- 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.
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our educators have made a commitment to tailoring programs toward veterans. this -- 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.
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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 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
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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] ♪
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>> 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
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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 a culture 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
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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
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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.
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we have already talked about what good 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. over 40 years of peer-reviewed, academic articles from several fields suggest that there are a number of key attributes are
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hard 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.
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we are pretty good at ironing out character flaws in the military. yet, many companies higher 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 better 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.
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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's future. that is because, and i believe again, president bush mentioned, next generation 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.
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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
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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 for human resource management 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
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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 these magnificent men and women come home and their talents are put to use in the private sector.
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i do not use the phrase "give them 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 as 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
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made on the many, many familiar faces that we can so many thing in the many venues 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.
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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, those 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 who served. your spouses serve as well. while our servicemen and women are deployed, their spouses are the ones who take care of the
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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 our ranch in 2013 and 2014 for the bush center's annual warrior 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
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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 their primary concern is also employment. their own. active military spouses or more likely to have young children at home. they may spend their marriage moving their family around the country or the world. moving makes it hard to maintain a consistent employment. on average, military families moved to a new community every two to three years. this displacement causes periods
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of unemployment and produces a weak professional network for the spouses. among female military spouses aged 18 to 44, the unemployment rate is almost three times higher than their civilian counterparts. the department of defense estimates that nearly 25% of military spouses are unemployed and roughly 40% are underemployed. though these spouses are often highly educated, they also earn less. 38% less than civilians on average. fortunately, many military spouses use their own experience to help advise other spouses. amy bontrager, on our next panel, is program manager for blue star careers, where she provides career and education support to military spouses. amy holds a masters in nonprofit management and philanthropy, but even with her skill set, because
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of her husband's changes of duty location, amy had difficulty finding employment herself. even with a masters and years of work experience at one duty station, the only job she could find was at -- was as a receptionist at the local baptist church. now at blue star careers, amy is using her experience to help spouses of the military find meaningful employment. rachel o heard is the caregiver and self-described rehab partner to her husband captain o heard, who is injured in afghanistan in 2011. as a full-time caregiver of an injured husband with many needs, rachel can seek other employment, but when cap to know herds -- captain o'herd's condition improved, she got a job at the quality of life foundation. as executive director, she works with other caregivers who did
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daily care to wounded veterans, just as she has done. because spouses are typically subject to their service members' and flexible schedule, they develop an entrepreneurial spirit. patricia, a military spouse and small business owner, embraced this entrepreneurial spirit when she started navy rack packs. 10 years ago, pat's husband told her that light streamed through like -- cheesecloth through his curtain.
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so they sent him a better curtain. -- sewed him a better curtain. within weeks, she was swamped with orders. today navy rack packs is a break and mortar operation based in st. mary's, georgia. pat sells directly to navy ships, coast guard cutters, as well as individual servicemen. she attributes her success to the training and skills she learned while her husband served in the navy. her story is a testament to the resilience, determination, and the ingenuity of our military spouse community. amy, rachel, and pat represent many military spouses who give years of steadfast support and devotion to our men and women in uniform. their commitment to their marriages, to 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,
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who risk their lives, and too often gave their lives so that the -- the rest of us might ever know terror again, and, of course, to support their loved ones who are here at home. thank you all very much. [applause] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome -- [applause] host: we are going to transition to a fireside chat. the format will change a little bit. ladies --
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we are now getting to the power session. if you really want to know what's happening, this is one of my favorite subjects, talking about spouse employment. before we get started, asking these ladies about their experiences, i want to give a big shout out to the chamber. i remember four years ago when this was all in its infancy. working with noreen at that time , we were talking about doing the spouse employment conference , and we did one as well for caregivers. i remember the first one for caregivers -- a we did it in the basement of a hotel up by walter reed. the number of participants i came in. there was one gal who came in -- i was out with registration and
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she walked right out -- and was in tears. i go in the room. why was she in tears? it was because it was the first time she had -- anyone had actually thought of her and what she was going through. where we come from that 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 go down to dallas. it was the coolest thing. i went into la quinta's ceos office. on his board, he had gold stars and silver stars. sometimes you're looking for a job, the silver stars. sometimes you are looking for a career, where human around in a company, and those were the gold stars. sometimes you need the job, sometimes you really want to make it a career. la quinta is one of the many examples out there. thank you also for the special emphasis on our military spouses.
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mrs. bush already went and told you some of the statistics about the average -- there are no average military spouses. i won't 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 were very proactive with working with me. for many out there, this is not the case. we are going to talk about this later, military spouses are more active volunteers that are civilian counterparts. we don't have time. we are usually in a place for two years. we get in, we start volunteering, we take over the finances of organizations, we get it done.
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civilians will take their time. i think that is one of our strong characteristics as well, and we are very flexible at whatever comes our way. but we are talking today specifically about transitioning and military spouses and employment. i'm going to be listening to their responses, because my spouse is transitioning soon. any ideas out there from the audience, from the panel, i will be appreciative of. we are going to start with amy and her current job. your previous job was soldier for life. you closely worked with spouses who are transitioning. service members who were transitioning. why do you feel it was important for those spouses to have employment and keep it? >> meaningful employment is obviously vital for the well-being of the family, particularly during the time of
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transition. it is going to create stability. when that family begins that transition, they are going to go through a challenge of -- insurance is going to change, there is going to be new financial obligations. base house allowance does not exist in the civilian sector. so if that spouse is able to grow and develop skill sets throughout their service members career, they are going to be able to take that and help that ease the transition for the family. i think that is very vital for the success of our transition of service members. when that spouse has a skill set, they are going to be able to contribute. also, for our active duty -- it is vital for meaningful careers as our service members continue to serve. at some point in the conversation, as an active duty spouse is -- how are we going to retain our top talent, these
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leaders that have experience? that question comes up in the home, do i stay in the state or get out? it is a lot easier to say, let's serve our country, winner spouse is able -- when the spouses able to find meaningful employment. i think it is twofold. we have to look at that transition servicemember, that but also those families that are serving as they continue their career. host: i would agree, it is not only stability for the family, which reduces financial pressures, which can translate to issues in the family that are not good for the military, but if they can find a military member -- throughout my time being married in the military, you see a lot of poor families. it becomes a stress item, the job, the military spouse, whether or not she can keep her
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job or find meaningful employment when she is gone. let's transition to the skill sets of our military spouses and caregivers. what do you feel they have to offer? >> a couple of things with that, caregivers and spouses both i think have a tremendous amount of experience in collaboration. when i was in germany, i was working with v.a., nonprofits, the chain of command, all those moving parts. creativity -- i'm from texas, there's nothing we can't fix with wire and duct tape. you haven't seen creative until you get to a rehab center. we have tried all caps of -- kind of
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things. we are going to get to making this work. i think this goes back to not necessarily a skill set, but the core value of making this happen. we are mission focused, mission driven, and we are going to get to yes. host: amy, you were stationed at fort polk. while you were there, you said you had a hard time finding corporate america. explain that and tell what may be helped. >> as the first lady said, my husband was returning from his fifth deployment. i need to keep our family together, i was going to have to make this 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 were no gs positions or contract
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positions. thankfully, i found a position at the church making $10 an hour. a minute clear that they did not want me doing anything but answering the phones. it took me about a year to find a position. i ended up working as a contractor for soldier for life. i started in that position as a counselor, working with soldiers within about a month of me in that position, the position became available, the liaison officer. two of my supervisors told me, don't apply, you are new. the transition manager is going to want a green cedar, so it is kind of a deterrent. in reflection, something said, amy, reply, and i did.
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i pay tribute to that transition manager because she saw something in my skill set and drive and took that chance with me, if you will. we were able to implement some great ratings and programs at fort polk when that mandate was informative. what corporate america can take away from that is that, you have these employees who come in him a military spouse is not going to wait around. they need to be advocates for themselves. so when they are applying for the next position to move up, even when it has not been a month, or maybe it is six months, that you really look at those skill sets and drive and talent. because what their contribution can be to your company, it is -- they are able to create products a lot quicker than their civilian counterparts. they are driven, pushed. my main point with that is, understand your talent base. don't underutilize it. i was thankfully able to access that at fort polk. and i think it is a challenge that spouses face underemployment, they are getting these entry-level jobs and are not able to progress. it is a disservice to corporate america, because you could be
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tapping into a greater skill set if you evaluated the talent that is there. host: thankfully she saw through all of that. i saw she had a good thing here. >> hopefully. host: and you made a great impact. something i can definitely not answer, but i bet our panelists can -- what is it like to be a millennial in the job market? >> there are some negative stereotypes out there, we will steer clear of those. some things we are known for, prioritizing education, pushing marriage back to focus on education and career aspirations. some ways to connect with that, i would say, flexibility is important, and that would certainly resonate with a military spouse or caregiver, whether that is telework or starting in a position in an
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office to transition into a virtual position. i think the important thing to remember -- you touched on development opportunities. millennials want to learn, we want to grow, we want to get awesome at a lot of things. we need development because we are not quite there yet. i know program management, i know caregivers, i did not know budget management. and my president said, ok, i will work with you. he took time out, and that worked well for organization. i am grateful for that opportunity. host: a lot of our spouses may not even be millennials, but
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there are an awful lot of similarities in us -- we want to make an impact. >> we want to believe in our work. host: yes. we want to believe in what we are doing. that rolls into what corporate america could potentially do, how can they help us to make this a stronger -- >> of got a couple of things on that. i think setting clear goals. i've heard 100,000 jobs, 200,000, i've heard -- percentages. >> the other thing i would say with that, you need to make your organization friendly to military families. some are -- some take their wedding rings off, because they're afraid of questions. what does your spouse do? are you moving? the corporate sponsor for my organization has a conference
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room that they let me use, and they have pictures of their military affiliate employees with their service member in uniform. i thought, what does it say when you walk into an interview and you see something like that? wow, this organization values my lifestyle. and some more -- some more tangible -- a lot of us have student loan reimbursement for any kind of transfer. you are an insurance company and you have a nurse on staff -- reviewing claims for you. if she is moving, consider reimbursing him or her for those cost. those are some things that we can look at. and we talked about development, so maybe educational stipends. >> telework is something we are starting to realize is vital. we live in a world with a lot of of transition. currently, i work for blue star
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families. their model is -- it really works with the military lifestyle. in fact, the majority of our positions are in telework. wherever this military spouse is, she is able to work with blue star families, continue her career, and grow with this organization -- as her servicemember serves. there are larger companies using this model too. with the wealth of technology we have right now, how can corporate america tapping to -- tap into telework positions also
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financially -- is it financially viable for employees -- for companies to have employees work and telecommunication type positions. it is definitely something to look at and review on a model, on how that can be financially viable, but also how that will allow military spouses to come work for your company and grow with that organization. i am a true believer -- a spouse who starts off at a call center -- who is to say that that spouse does not end up as vp or president of that company? each place they go, they can grow skill sets. for companies to be able to tap into that, even at the entry-level position you could be looking at your next vp in the future. host: that's right, you never know who is walking through your door. on the military side, i want to give a shout out -- lisa battaglia is here. it is important. thank you all for being here, because it is important.
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our more junior spouses see that this is something also not just on the active-duty side, but it is something that the spouses take very seriously and want to make that connection as well. thank you all for being here. anything else in closing you ladies would like to add to this? >> hire a military spouse. [laughter] >> let them grow and develop. host: awesome. thank you. [applause] president obama: we pay tribute to an american who put themselves in the thick of the fight. >> you either get them out alive or you drive -- or you die trying. president obama: patrol is on foot heading into a village, and
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suddenly lights go out. that's what happens. a mile away, the ambush could be heard over the radio. the patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from both sides. four times, dakota and juan asked permission to -- go over. one jumped into a humvee and took the wheel. they were defying orders, but did what they thought was white -- was right. dakota was exposed to fire. when they finally got those trapped americans, dakota jumped out. in all that chaos, dakota carried them out one by one. because of your courage, four fallen american heroes came
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home. he has earned our nation's highest military decoration -- >> my heroes are the men and women still serving. president obama: the medal of honor. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. i want to thank the chamber, the foundation, the bush institute's military and service initiative, for inviting me to come and speak. i am always grateful to talk about not only my experience, but the experience that so many of us post 9/11 veterans are facing. we are blessed to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth, founded by principles of freedom, independence, and equality.
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it is these principles that continue to make our nation strong, and i am proud to wear the uniform of such a great nation. signing up for the marines was by far one of the greatest decisions i have ever made. and i will tell you the truth -- when i joined the marines at 17, just like a lot of us, i thought i had all the answers. as some of you know, they drill that out of you at parris island. [laughter] >> during my time in the marine corps, more than anything else, it taught me this -- you are never going to know everything, but you should always be able to handle anything. this is the mindset that i would need, not only in the corps, but once i left the military as well. when i got out, i had no idea what i was going to do. i just remember thinking, what company is going to be looking for a sniper? i see now that i was looking at it wrong.
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in the marine corps, i was much more than a sniper. i led teams, i managed projects, i honed communication skills, and more. i advised, i planned, i strategized, all skills the companies are looking for. so to be honest, may be looking -- maybe more companies should be looking for snipers. [laughter] >> our curriculum was just as tough as higher education courses -- physics, target intelligence, weapons systems, and missions landing. but instead of a diploma, we got a special designation. this designation was something that no civilian and few marines will ever have. in spite of all this, the toughest fight we veterans will ever face is figuring out what we are going to do when we take off the uniform.
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hundreds of thousands of service members leave the military and return to our communities every year. unfortunately, many of them will struggle. but if there was any group of people that is known for rising to an occasion, it is our men and women who wore the uniform in our armed forces. is an opportunity that your organizations are providing for them. many of the employers in this room have responded to the call of veterans by richard -- by recruiting veterans and military spouses. rather than a handout, you decided to meet the need 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 a small business, i can guarantee that your
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company wants candidates that have the highest qualifications and the upmost character. the transition process is something we as veterans have to own. it is something that we have to be prepared as possible to make the jump from the military to the 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 employers. i have seen resumes that just say "logistics" or "intel" or "a sniper." those words alone do not mean anything to employers. they do not demonstrate -- the skills that veterans possess. we need to start thinking of our
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military services as our personal brand. we are men and women with world-class training in medicine, logistics, information systems, and other critical fields. we also have intangible skills like problem-solving, reliability, and resourcefulness. we can do a lot with little. we can lead teams and accomplish conflict fast. less than 8% of americans can point to their military service on the resumes. i think it is time for a military that emphasizes on this, helping veterans tell their stories was exactly what we had in mind when the chamber, toyota launched a personal branding resume engine, an online tool that turns a military career into a civilian resume. we want to help civilians talk about their backgrounds and take it vantage of the opportunity they have earned. i am a small business owner myself. i will be honest, i am not going to just hire anyone, i will hire someone that demonstrates their value, someone that can show what skills they bring to the table.
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the best advice that i can give to 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, but we have to be the ones to take advantage of them. own it like any mission we have ever prepare for in the military. identify an objective and develop a plan to achieve it. do your research and understand everything we have to offer to these companies that need help, then get out there and execute. thank you also much. i appreciate it. [applause] [laughter]
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>> clearly when you offered to host here, you wanted the home-court advantage. while you are out there playing football, we are fighting our rules.s how many has it been? [laughter] fixed miguel and i have a lot in common. >> i am actually bald. [laughter] common, weot in really had the good fortune of learning a lot from each other and from a lot of people here in this room.
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as we are learning from this --ue, we really started to to ask three basic questions. who are they? what are their challenges? them navigate to find the best resources? us, ifearly the two of the transitioning service members were in our hands, they would be in trouble. there is a great team that already exists. hate, -- hey, in the we want to bring
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service members. jpmorgan, bankp, of america and others in the air .- there hiring foundation,ckson and some of the other nonprofit organizations. they have been leading the toort, from joining forces dod, labor, v.a.. the bush institute focuses on these three questions. no -- what we saw in the clear pattern was that we saw young enlisted servicemembers under the age of
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transitioning service members are not prepared for the transition. >> that led to a third question how do we let them navigate the see of goodwill. there are so many great resources out there. , wes a collective effort really wanted r young service members to have a guidebook that helps them navigate the process and point them in the direction of great resources. a one size fits all approach. but we did see some commonalities between the transition processes among all transition servicemembers and their families. >> regardless of where they find themselves on that spectrum, we continue to work with this great coalition to develop the told --
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the tool that you have before you. a really captures and consolidates the essential steps and processes. the first is to prepare. the benefit analysis. their tremendous benefits at federal, state, local levels. then it is skills assessment. to the table as transitioning service members and military spouses. that then takes us to the second phase which is transition. valueeally starts with a proposition that the coda talked about. how do we bring value into your businesses and companies? networking toh
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those skills. ton from there, you have got take it through a targeting process. to find those opportunities, to negotiate, then to decide. through that process it plays a critical role. declarepoint we cannot victory as transitioning service members and veterans. that is where it really starts. that is the third phase of the operation. there has to be cultural competency just as we prepared wego to afghanistan, iraq have to prepare to go to new companies. finally we have to continue to succeed and take ownership, management for our success in our new business environment whether that means more directly taking control and responsibility for training and education
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>> this is where you really get to the meat and potatoes. help servicemembers and families learn some easy things so they can go back-and-forth and pick up where they may have left off because of their busy lives. but more importantly, there are great resources in here as well. that can be overwhelming to a lot of young servicemembers and servicemembers in general. these are best in class resources. they represent all the great resources that exist that many of you contribute to. >> that's right. what we are releasing is not designed to replace anything that already exists. it is a way to aggregate and consolidate all of that so our men and women who need the great
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services, resources, and organizations represented in this room can better find and navigate through that process. we are asking for your assistance in two ways. the first, we want your feedback. to this first version, this first generation of this important toolkit, to better arm service members, veterans, and their families. but we also need your help getting it out. pushing it out to the population that needs it. you can find of the toolkit here at the website, hiringourher oes.org/vetroadmap. >> i wt to make one last point. this is not the last roadmap. there are other populations with challenges. we want to make sure we have a similar roadmap for military spouses. our wounded, injured, and caregiver population, as well as our guard and reserve members. thank you very much. miguel, any last thoughts? >> go army. [applause]
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>> my name is steve and i'm the president and ceo of the international franchise association. we represent nearly 9 million jobs in this country. 800,000 establishments. and over $2 trillion in economic output annually. it was four years ago in this very building, on veterans day, 2011, that the international franchise association made a commitment to hire 80,000 veterans, military spouses, and wounded warriors. i'm very happy to report we met that goal and exceeded it by the
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end of 2013. in fact, through may, we have now hired in the franchise industry 243,000 folks in our industry. and over 6000 small business franchise owners that are veterans, military spouses, and wounded warriors, so we are very proud of that accomplishment. [applause] >> thank you. we knew we had a shot at beating that goal because we already knew we had 66,000 veteran owned businesses. the great thing about veterans , as you all know, is that they tend to hire veterans. want to give a donohuethank you to tom for his great leadership of the chamber, including this great initiative. my friend, eric, focused on the mission each and every day.
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getting veterans hired. i also want to thank our friends at capital one who have been great partners with us, as well as the bush institute and the great leadership of the secretary when she was here. with that, please draw your attention to the video presented by capital one. take you. -- thank you. >> we partnered with capital one to launch the hiring 500,000 heroes campaign. we wanted businesses of all sizes to make commitments to hiring veterans, military spouses, and servicemembers. providing them with the tourism and services to a published that up -- to accomplish that. >> we have hundreds of thousands of men and women reentering the civilian workforce. it is a perfect time to influence companies to recognize the challenge these men and women have. >> in june 2015, we surpassed
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half a million hires. >> veterans make us a better enterprise. their spouses do, as well. theirwere experiences, helplessness in service, these are all traits that companies like starbucks and others want more of. >> my role in the army is not caretaker,, but taxicab driver. being a military spouse is more than waiting for somebody at home. >> the campaign is a community effort. it is about working with businesses of all sizes, large and small, to find and retain great veterans and military spouses. partners is great the international franchise association. not only have they helped many veterans and military spouses find meaningful careers and franchises, they have also created significant ownership opportunities for veterans and military spouses. >> it is important to have support. getting out of the military environment is different.
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by having people who have made that transition previously, that obviously is helpful and it makes the transition easier for military folks. >> we have a lot of work in front of us. we are going to see one of the biggest transitions. we need to make sure the private sector is ready. >> i think any sized company, anywhere, should take the initiative to hire veterans. first and foremost, because it is the right thing to do. >> they bring skills, personal values and competencies -- leadership, how they work team, thes a persistence to over, obstacles, and the ingenuity to solve complex problems. [applause] >> in this session, we are going to be discussing a private sector leadership.
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i will introduce our two analysts. panelists. carolyn is responsible for the capital one national community investment strategy. as the president of the capital one foundation, she also leads initiatives that foster the link between quality education and community economic development outcomes. under her leadership, both capital one and the capital one foundation invest in economic opportunity and communities where the company operates, including support for education, jobs, financial literacy, through grants, volunteering, and signature programming. in 2012, she assumed leadership of the capital one market president network. partnering with local executives to represent the company's civic interest in markets throughout the footprint, and of course, focusing on pressing community needs. it is so nice to be with you. ben. with me,
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he is vice president of servicemember affairs for capital one. he joined in 1999. he leads the servicemember affairs office where he is responsible for providing products and services tailored to the unique needs of military customers. this includes the development and implementation and ongoing leadership of an enterprisewide program. before that, he led the digital and mail service team. before he joined capital one, he was an intelligence officer in the u.s. army, where he served as a platoon leader, executive officer, and staff officer with several middle east deployments. nice to have you as well. the video laid out the issues we have been discussing. why was it important for capital one to be part of this? and how successful has it been? >> in 2012, when literally hundreds of thousands of service members were returning home,
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there was an enormous issue that needed addressing. there was both a need an opportunity for us to be engaged in the meaningful deployment of servicemembers. capital one always works in a way where we first look at, what can we give and then what are the particular needs. and where is there a match? we have always been in the business of educating people for jobs that provide progressive employment. this became a natural to us. so we said, can we make a meaningful difference, and the answer was yes. partners turned to her in the chamber foundation and talks together about what kind of a difference we could make. there came hiring our heroes. >> what was the impact on the business side? >> she leaves the foundation, i lead business operations at capital one. my best teams start with the
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best people. if you're looking for the best people, and every company is or should be, you should be looking for veterans and military spouses. we have been successful with veterans and military spouse hiring. we saw our chief counsel is a navy veteran. our cio is an air force veteran. at every area of our country, we have talented veterans and family members. we could not be more pleased. >> what is the impact on small business? we heard someone in the video say it is the right thing to do, but i know people who run businesses are like, yes, that's important -- it also has to make business sense for us. tell me about the impact on small business. ms. berkowitz: seven out of 10 jobs created in this country come from small businesses. small business has just as much of a need as big business to hire great people who have a great skill set. number one, there is that piece
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of it. the other thing that is important, and was mentioned earlier, the skills that one learns in the service are great entrepreneurial skills. as more servicemembers are coming home and being entrepreneurial, starting small businesses, there is a role we can all play in educating them in the ways of the digital world , for example. so it is not necessarily just enough to have expertise in the product that your business makes. to succeed in the business world, you need a set of digital skills that are unprecedented. that is another place where we can be helpful. >> private sector. why is leadership from the private sector so important? there is lots of debate between who should be leading the way. mr. lamm: i hire to fill out my big teams. you are looking for the best talent. veterans and military's houses,
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they have the best talent. we talked about some of the skills and abilities. they have leadership, teamwork, the ability to solve that is problems. that is what every company is looking for. we find it right there in the military spouse and veteran community. >> i can imagine the private sector is more flexible too. you guys can turn on a dime in a may be government -- with all due respect -- cannot necessarily make fast decisions and create new initiatives. ms. berkowitz: we create new initiatives all the time. companies need to reinvent themselves all the time. thateed the kind of talent they can reinvent themselves all the time, which clearly this population has. number one is that employment set. i think the stats that folks gave about the retention of former military members is incredible. also, the giving back.
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that sense of caring for community. there is a story of a gentleman who works at capital one. lieutenant ellen finnegan. n- oh in finnegan -- owe finnigan. afghan units on skills like medical issues, logistics, communications operations. 350 members of this unit. if you ask a person like that what their skill set is, they have enormous skills that translate into our business. he never thought about capital one, and we never thought about him. through the u.s. chamber's hiring our heroes initiative and the job fairs, we met there, not because job fairs are the best
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place to hire people from, but because you you meet people. through that networking, what we learned about each other, he is not only an incredibly successful leader and analyst in our company now, but he is one of the key folks that gives back. so he goes to those hiring fairs. he works with others in the military, so there is that sense of giving that is incredible. >> have there been challenges you have had to solve? and has euro perspective and helpful inbeen fixing this challenge is? mr. lamm: absolutely. i go back to the skills that i learned and practiced in the military. leadership, teamwork, problem solving. those made me successful in the military and they have made me successful in the business world. i do want to say, hiring veterans and military spouses is important, but that is not the last stop. the transition into the corporate world does not stop
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with the hiring. we have a transition program. on boarding, specific training, and mentoring led by our 800 person military network. that is the recipe for a successful transition. it does not stop with the higher. >> that is a great point. the goal was 500,000. you hit the goal. -- whatpened to go happened? are you done? ms. berkowitz: no. there are 250,000 more returning now. we saw the highest gap in jobs for 18 to 24 year old veterans. we have something to contribute to that end we will continue to contribute to that. >> i appreciate it, you guys. thanks, everyone. [applause] announcer: ladies and gentlemen,
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we will be taking a brief five-minute break. be back in the room in the raymond five minutes promptly. thank you. >> let's begin with what you do. what is the greater sacrifice, and what is your mission? >> good morning, greta. thanks for having me on. the greater sacrifice is an organization committed to providing a debt-free college education for our severely wounded servicemembers. by debt-free, i mean paying tuition and fees for any in-state public college or andersity, providing room board, books and expenses, or any other expenses nexus seri. -- expenses necessary. we also provide a personal mentor ship for each recipient child and their family. i help them to set goals, both career and educational, and help them achieve them. through that personalized mentor ship, we ensure the success of this child. that is kind of what the foundation does.
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greta: so why do you in this group feel that this is important, and how many students have you supported so far? >> a lot of times, we focus on the servicemember, and the sacrifices they have made. we look past the unsung heroes -- the sacrifices of our children are huge. i have seen this in my own family. i have been twice wounded. from militaryit personnel saying their parent has either been killed in action or severely wounded. there is personal toil -- servicemember is wounded, there is a complete disruption of life during the recovery and rehabilitation process. there is just living with a veryed parent who is likely disabled in some way, shape, or form.
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visit the sacrifices our children are making. those are the sacrifices our children are making. we don't given the credit they are due. i am alive today because i wanted to live to be with my family. ported -- we have supported 73 children to date. that may not some like a lot, but that is over $500 million committed thus far. that is just for the children who have already started college. some are not college-age yet. the cost of a debt-free college education is upward of $100,000 these days. that is what we are committed to providing to the children of our fallen and wounded servicemembers. karcher spent 26 years in the u.s. army, including tours in the middle east, where he was wounded by an explosive device, resulting in the loss of both legs. who is supporting this group? what are your donations like?
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how can people help? >> the best way to help is, we have a website like any other organization -- no greater -- no greatersacrifice.org. there is a "how you help" button. help is by get raising money. we provide $.92 out of every dollar raised for the recipients and their families. this is huge. and it is only press will -- it is only possible for the donation of our fellow americans helping our children of wounded and fallen servicemembers. greta: colonel karcher, thank you very much for your service, and think you for your time this morning. colonel karcher: yes ma'am. thank you. have a great veterans day. announcer: on the next asshington journal, sulma ari
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on a federal appeals court upholding an injunction blocking president obama's executive action preventing the deportation of 5 million illegal immigrants and the u.s.. then, former homeland security executive tom ridge looks at new threats to the u.s., including to cyber where and the electrical grid. friedmant, dr. thomas discusses a 25% increase in multistate foodborne outbreaks in the past few years. plus, your phone calls, facebook comments, and tweets. live at 7:00 a.m. eastern. earlier today, former senator bob dole versed -- visited the world war ii memorial on the national mall in washington. the senate majority leader and 1996 president, many served in world war ii.
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>> all persons having business before the honorable supreme court of the united states are admonished to get their attention. -- give their attention. >> my fellow americans, our country faces a brave danger. there is a possibility that at -- i am takingt, two actions tonight. first, i am directing the secretary of congress. in 1952, the united states was involved in a military conflict with north korea, and at home, a dispute between the steel industry and its union had come to a head. --es the korean war >> the korean war was a hot war. for all thoseeel
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things you needed in the second world war as well. it is basic to the things that the army and air force needs to fight a war. avoid steelo production -- the destruction of steel production crucial to the military, theodore roosevelt gain control of the mills. production continued, however, the steel companies disagreed the the action and took lawsuit all the way to the supreme court. we will discuss how the court ruled in the case of youngstown sheet and to company versus sawyer. joining the discussion, a university ofhe north carolina law school, and the author of "the forgotten presidents." and william howe, political science professor at the
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university of chicago. "wind dangersof gather." that's coming up on the mark cases. "landmark cases. order your copy of the landmark cases companion book. it is available for $8.95 plus shipping. defense secretary ashton carter spoke to the military child education coalition earlier this year about ensuring quality education for children of military families. he highlighted a pentagon effort to partner with nonmilitary schools to attract student progress as they switch schools against their families have moved. -- because their families have moved.
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host: good morning. welcome to the town hall. i would like to introduce our panelists. first, the commander of the u.s. army management command and the assistant chief of staff for installation management. [applause] next, lieutenant general samuel lee cox. [applause] vice admiral dixon r smith. [applause] host: andy secretary under the -- andand the benefits the secretary under the veteran benefits of ministration.
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[applause] collectedave questions from you all from the last couple of days. i am going to start with those. i understand that there is a mic out there. question, please don't hesitate to walk over there. somehow, signal me or have someone signal me so i can call on you. as ie to be as spontaneous can in the minutes that we have. the question has been given to us to bring days ago. -- two days ago. funding of family programs effected in the short and long-term, and are there any not -- any nonnegotiable's? in. will jump from a navy perspective, the
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budget is impacting us, but the cnl says we are not touching that. whether it is child development centers are youth programs, we will protect those. they are funded well because we understand the importance of taking care of our children and the family, because obviously it is important to those who are deployed. we are not really impinging our childcare programs with this budget. >> it is a great question because it is a reality. we have to do it. the most important thing is, i think it is that fine balance that we do between mission, family, and our communities. we understand that family is a part of readiness. so from our perspective in the it is a very must-fund type thing that we do.
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the chief of staff and secretary of the army have been very good about being nonnegotiable on how we do it. how we deal with contractual aspects of what these realities are, and how we partner with other things to bring these capabilities, those are things we will want to adjust and have been had -- have been having discussions on, but from our perspective it is important we commit to that. >> the budget is kind of tight. we are making sure that we have the partnerships of the local communities and school boards. that is what our organization helps with. we will do the funding and the best way we can. but we've got to have that partnership. >> from a perspective, we don't get funding for veterans and
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spouses and families. it is between veterans. but we did -- we strongly dupport the funding for do offuse we know how better children are when they transition from civilian to military life, the better they will make that transition. less ptsd. host: thank you. and this next one, you may have personal experiences that you would like to share -- what do you think military leaders believe is the biggest challenge facing military connected children? bikes for myself personally, every time you move or -- how do you get your kids integrated into the community, into your areas? thebiggest challenge and reality is that we are not the norm in society anymore. it is harder to get in.
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really, how do we integrate with our society and community, and how do we leverage that capability? it is becoming our responsibility to make sure that people know that as a military enabler.ybe you are an and you might be a minority, because other folks in society -- what is your father do? he is in the army. what's more about? -- war about? these conversations kids have to deal with are important, so we educatereach out and als, and the
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counselors on what this child has gone through. all these types of things. just like my kids, 12 different schools, how they have to deal with these things -- all of as normalgs are not as that used to be. as we shrink and we get smaller, that experienced may not be there. i think that is going to be something that we will have to continue to foster in the future. hill,hen we go on the there are less and less people that have served in the military. dialogue is going to be very important for us and for our kids. >> going forward, since 9/11, an incredible support across the united states for the military and our children. so going forward, is that support going to wait a little bit active are they going to be receptive and do the extra
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accommodation that takes place? this continued collaboration with school boards and other organizations -- that's what we have to do to make sure that we have continued support of our local communities. it is hard to grow up as a i've had aild, 22-year-old and a 20-year-old. the 22-year-old, nine different schools. that is challenging. that is not unique. are two things that i agree with. the two main ones that i think impact our kids are one, they transition from school to school, coming into a new environment, not knowing anybody in the integration. a lot of the connection rims that the schools now have really help and enable our kids to get integrated quickly and get focused on academics. the other side, when you
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transfer credits from one state to the other, what do you have to use and redo? that is the efforts we have had to get 15 states on board with that. right now, only 17 of our states have the military identifier on our enrollment forms. we continue to push that need, because when we do that, you can track those students and get to school easier, not have to repeat classes just to meet that state's graduation credentials. many organizations are working on that. we all thank you for what you do on that, but we have to keep on pushing if the job is not done. [applause] host: after a decade of continuous wartime employments, to help the military do
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school districts? >> one of the things we try to thatight is to make sure they are integrated with the school board and local community. just emphasizing that point is something we need to do. every time we go out as senior leaders to visit with the local communities and visit with the school boards, we make sure there is an understanding of the challenges folks are facing. is really important. our garrison leaders and senior commanders, they are advisors. they work closely with school boards. this is that collectivity to us and the community, so i think it is important. we have put school liaisons into all of our areas there. that facilitates that can indication that they need -- that communication that they need. also, the balance between
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tradition, community, and family. we have done a lot of programs that put the soldiers to assist. andthese things like stem working with robotics teams, and are eligible capital -- to know you have to get back to the community and share this dialogue with our children is important. these are the initiatives we have to continue to foster. this is our next mustard seed that we have to grow from a leader perspective to make sure our commanders know this is part of readiness, and this gives you that balance that you can see. and just like everything you have seen, you will reap the benefits of everything you do from your civil input. education is so important. when you talk to soldiers, education is a huge readiness issue. what we want to do is create the environments that the family unit stays together and don't make decisions -- war is hard enough to separate us, but to stay together is important. is tork we are doing here
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ensure they don't have to make other tough choices. host: the next western deals with stem, science technology -- the next question deals with stem -- science, technology, engineering, and math. do you think that stem is a field we should encourage our kids to explore? >> yes. [applause] are -- my tworls girls are in engineering. it is important. in the future, it is a gap that isneed to fill, and it exciting. my kids used to enjoy the
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robotics competition in oklahoma and other places. itt i have found about stem, does not matter where you are, there are a lot of opportunities. in college, -- they were in high school and went to college classes to pursue these exploitations of stem. the school district's work closely with them to ensure they have the environment to learn and prosper, and to understand that it is ok. i say to my girls, being an engineer is a good thing to do, even though it is not normal before. >> the navy pushes stem very hard. with 2100partnerships schools across the country. thee we can, we leverage navy's expertise in stem with those partnerships, whether it with then hawaii shipyard or in san diego with the bay wharf.
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we bring and engineers to help facilitate what is going on out there, so we consider it very important. we have to work that stem case, and the more we can get that into the elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools, the better off we will be not only as a navy, but as a country. this next one, the numbers may be wrong. 35%the idea -- there is a suicide and depression rate of children of military personnel, and a 35 -- and 37% for siblings of military personnel. are you seeking programs to address the suicide and depression rates of children? that is a great question. i think it is the biggest fear of all parents. as kids grow up and their hormones change, we learn a lot
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more about this. but in the army, we instituted a lot of training for soldiers that are being offered for family members and children. internally, that and that can be pushed all the way down to give them the resilience they need to understand that these things are normal and they can get help -- p. statistics like you, but it is troubling if you have one. a life experience, and life is about these ups and downs and getting through them as a team or together as a unit, and that you are not alone. theust to piggyback on master resiliency trainers is to have one in every squadron and the force. that is the path we want, to piggyback on that.
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it will be for the families as well. >> for the navy, the answer is yes also. we do the same thing for fleet and family service centers. v.a. perspective, we deal a lot with suicides. about 18 veterans at commit suicide in the united states. one of the things i personally worry about is the transition of military children. going into the civilian sector. in high school, my dad retired from the air force. junior. that was a nightmare. i never fit into the new school. it probably delayed my college for about four years. it was a mess. they had a strong family that got me through. -- but i had a strong family that got me through. i am concerned of the figures
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about people who leave the military and are now civilians, i don't know if anybody is keeping those. how do we better handle that transition, especially for the children? host: good point. so, the follow-up to that would be, what do you believe -- and this is asked from a parent's perspective, but what do you believe is the best way to harbor resilience in children? tried to do for our , or a band,m sports or something that has more than one person. an individual activity. the new school, and it is time for you to go into the cafeteria, and you are participating and some kind of a great event, you walk in and there is somebody you know that you can sit with. otherwise, you go into that new school and don't know a soul. people around is
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what we try to do. it helped. a tough question, because it is reality. even though folks will say that we are not in certain places, from an army perspective we are just as busy doing a lot of engagement stuff in the ukraine, the falcons, and stuff like that. -- the balkans, and stuff like that. the rotation is the same for people. it is part of the aspect of being a military child. you have to get in the ring -- you have to give them the resilience to understand. a family, how you deal with these things are important. understand that you are not unique for these issues. it is i you communicate them to your child.
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their mission requires that they really want to be there. and the collectivity that they do -- all of the programs that we can bring together to keep kids connected, we made a lot of progress on that will stop -- progress on that. it is going to be part of the norm, and we are going to have to continue to stress these programs and understand that it is normal. so true, you want to get your kids and a graded and back to normal as soon as possible. therefore, they feel comfortable, they have confidence in themselves and what they are, and they get in that circle that they are not alone. that is what we have to continue to stress. at what we do every time we have moved with our three kids, it came down to three things. those things that we could keep stable dominate sure that love exists in the family -- keep stable, make sure that love exists in the family, and outside the family making sure they're involved. what skills and traits do
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you believe military children will gain just by being military connected children that will make them college and career ready? spent three years over in naples in middle school for our two oldest. we spent the three years over there. they learned that there is more out there than just the american way. and they into a church go, look, another church. because they have been in 15 or 20 churches. but i saw the change when we went back. we had a young man who lived a couple of doors down. goods a solid kid -- grades, athlete, could converse with adults. but the difference between that hisg man and our oldest was
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universe revolve around jacksonville, florida. our sons universe revolve around the world. he understood there was more out there than just jacksonville. he is now 28, and what he is doing and how he has succeeded times.ave moved many all three of our kids went to at least two different high schools. but the resiliency peace we -- you look before at how the kids are now, and it is a result of the military. >> it is a global world. we are connected economically, militarily. just like dixon said. i also think that they are resilient. my girls went out to college, they were not homesick. there could be a lot of
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reasons for that. [laughter] >> they integrate well. it is important for them to be able to do that. and it was a national university. they felt very comfortable. our children have a great worldly experience because they are going to be exposed to a bunch of different things. they can actually be an enabler into the educational environment for the rest of the people they are with. teachers and principals can exploit their, it makes it a unique experience. conversationnique this morning with coffee. we were talking about the things that make the world different. but we had a discussion about the little things -- being on
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.ime, rsvping, thank you notes only military people send thank you notes. yes sir, yes ma'am, the kind of give that little bit of extra -- it sets the side of it and makes them special -- it sets them aside and makes them special. schools due to address the fact that there are oo few people with mental skills, leaving unemployment gap -- an employment gap? their comment was that the military is not preparing a lot of people for such jobs. .> it is important the american model is that you have options.
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we are doing a lot on credentialing. i think it is an awareness. there is a big thing, even with education -- how do you do education now? there is a big impact on the institutional aspect of education, and the brick-and-mortar aspect of doing that. when you look at businesses, getting certain credentials are just as important as having this broad-based education, because if i am going to be an i.t. person, i don't really need world history, maybe. so there are issues that we really have to be able to work on these approaches. georgia tech has been able to cut down their costs, especially in some cyber fields, just because of this approach -- to take a different approach where theare not just focused on
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overarching aspects, but to get credentials. the thing that america will have to continue to look at -- we are to capture the experts to be able to been imposed and credential folks along their way. we are doing a lot of credentialing so that our soldiers have a lot of skill sets in the outside -- >> we do similar things in the air force. but to get to the core piece of that question, as you look at where we are going, these folks in the cyber realm -- do they need programming and coding and that kind of stuff -- should that be part of middle school now? that's where i think we are starting to go. it won't be turning wrenches and doing auto mechanics stuff. it is going to be cyber.
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host: in which ways do you think programs address the challenges of military connected children? i am looking out here and i see folks that are recognized. there are a couple of things that come to mind. one, it is not just the program that an sac provides. here ando you all in the different organizations that are separate, but you partnered together and let each other know what you do. that makes a difference. you all are spending 2000 days here. we talk and here, ask questions, and you listen to folks, what is going to happen is the networking and things you are writing down -- you know what, we are going to work that
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out. it is the brakes. that is why think the benefit ecd leverage of insect -- ms is. [applause] >> i think what is important, how do you adapt new ways that things are, and what are the new approaches that you need to do? mcec from the early days -- a lot of us were there when we founded this thing called mcec. being there, it was very exciting to see. in the few years since we were there, it is an amazing thing. it shows you the power of what one person can do to move this forward. i think what is important here is the mustard seed aspect of taking this to each of our communities today and empower them to facilitate this aspect that education is important to
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military child support, and we have to give them opportunities. it is an amazing thing. will beill do that adapt,nt, and how we that's the thing we have to keep focusing on too. >> i don't think we can put the importance of what mcec does in words. what they have done over the years, and the impact they have had. i think of myself as independent, my kids as independent, -- my kids as dependents, my grandkids as dependents. hard.a military child is going to school with a military child is hard. that those make sure children are taken care of and have a better than average chance in society, that is going to be one of the pegs you would remove that will cause our volunteer force to get away. if you look at the statistics,
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these kids are our future officers. most of them join the military. look at some of the important people in the united states right now, most of them were military children. you have to sustain that and keep that going. host: i am going to ask for closing comments in a quick second. there are a lot of young folks out here. i wanted to ask you, what advice would you give to students in the room with regard to cultivating talent and developing persistence to achieve success? >> work hard. [laughter] >> good advice. >> set goals. stay in school. solution forasy any of this. it takes a whole team. that's what's important about it. and set your sights high. it is important. you can do anything you want with the beauty of america. set your goals high and reach for them. >> despite what mom and dad
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said, chased her dream, but be focused and work hard at it and don't give up. host: great. and i would ask that each of you, if you have something else you would like to close with, we will go ahead and close all stop sir, we will start with you. a greats been opportunity to have dialogue and questions or whatever. are well prepared with the questions. you did not give us any well and's -- any real answers, but it was good to have the dialogue. [laughter] >> like most folks, we are military child education. education is very important. it is a readiness issue. something is on that three-legged stool that we have to continue to nurture and balance during tough in challenging times. it is our mission, our commitment to the military and you will.
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-- and you all. we are committed to that. that is a big part of the professional aspect of what we try to do. you for that and what you're going to do to our kids from each part of the globe you come from. thanks. [applause] risky, i poked at him a bit because he was a hockey player in college, so he might have hit me. quit high school to join the united states air force. he served 30 years. we moved all over the world. i want to 10 different schools in my time. my sister and brother are about the same kind of thing. sometimes it was different schools and the same grade, just because of the way the pcs cycle was. my mom dragged three of us, 8, 6, and for, from south carolina
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to the philippines by herself. i was a six-year-old, and i knew i was a lot help as we moved through that. [laughter] >> so we did that, but there was do such thing as mcec or communication between schools. now i have had two kids that have gone through similar things , eight or nine different schools between the two of them. but they emerged out of it just fine. some of the thing sticks and talked about earlier, that love at home and making sure they are part of a bigger organization that they can latch themselves onto. the military, all the services -- there is opportunity. so for the young people that are crowd,cloud -- in the work hard. there are plenty of opportunities that existed in the 1950's that exist today. you work hard, you will do things. thank you. [applause]
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>> i just want to say thank you. you are here because you care. whether you are an educator, a parent, run a support program, you work with one of the services to take care of our children -- you are here because you care. don't forget that you make a difference, you support us, you support our families. you truly are force multipliers, and we appreciate that. again, thank you for what you do for our children. [applause] >> i will reinforce what everybody else said. thanks. you know why you are here and that why it is important. from a veterans of ministration perspective, my concern is transition of service members two civilians -- to be productive civilians. one of the biggest things that has happened is congress expanding the transition program
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, and the service is now allowing spouses to attend transition with their servicemember. we know from our statistics in the v.a. that if a spouse attempts a transition program with his or her spouse, that they sign up for more benefits, they take advantage of more benefits, and they usually don't mess up their transfer or college or things like that. just having that spouse makes a huge difference. one of the things i touched is that the v.a. will work with mcec to try to figure out a way to get you guys access to our and information for your transition, so we can provide the people going through transition the things they need for their children. i can tell you that the whole transition process takes 180 days. there is not much for children and their. everybody is thinking about their job, what they are going -- where they're going to live, things like that. but we cannot forget the important part of the family
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transitioning with them. thank you. [applause] >> i learned a lot. i did know a lot of that information. but all people take away from their personal experience, as they have gone away from their time in the military and raise their children. they went to the same thing you all are going through now, we are all trying to help silicate back, proper transition. can we get a little momentum near? thank you very much. announcer: tonight, we mark veterans day with programs paying tribute to and addressing issues impacting veterans. aesident obama lays wreath at arlington. and looking at servicemember addiction and health issues. and then our profile of two freshmen representatives who served in the military. seth
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