. >> reporter: edmond sheffield worked as a military policeman while in the service.got out last march. >> i applied to maybe 100 jobs. >> reporter: erik vadalma served in baghdad, left the air force in 2008. all he could find-- a part-time gig at ikea. >> i didn't have enough money to make ends meet. >> reporter: debra bain did a six-year hitch. >> you feel like you've lost who you are as a person, your value. >> reporter: just three of more than two million iraq and afghanistan vets. despite incentives to hire them, 11% were jobless last month; for those aged 18 to 34, 14%. paul rieckhoff founded and runs i.a.v.a., iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. >> they're coming back from serving our country, sometimes multiple tours, and their welcome home is an unemployment check. >> reporter: this week, rieckhoff led the now-annual charge on washington dubbed "storm the hill." this year, vets urged congress to help thin the jobless ranks with hiring inducements like employer tax breaks. >> so if folks want to support the troops, want to support veterans, hire them. >>