• The Lasting Impact of a Marine’s Last Mission

    U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

    According to my family, I returned home a different person after Iraq. In my mind, I returned to a very different country. I tried to move forward in life and got a job, bought a condo, and started a small family. I missed being part of a cause that was relevant. I missed having a purpose.

  • One Veteran’s Job Hunt Story

    U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

    I wasn’t going to be like the others. I had everything planned out. I began job searching six months before I graduated with a degree in finance. I was going to prove that if you just tried hard enough, it would be easy for a veteran to find a job.

  • Rebuilding Purpose Through Community Service

    Fellowship Recruitment Manager of The Mission Continues, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

    Many veterans struggle to find the same purpose at home as they found in the mission, camaraderie and structure of the military. So when the time comes to transition to the civilian world many veterans, including myself, are left wondering, “What now?”

  • The Value of Hiring Veterans

    U.S. Navy Veterans

    For servicemen and women, the current economy is anything but hospitable. Prolonged unemployment and spending cuts confront military veterans with a variety of difficult situations. Our service in the Navy has given us assets we use every day while running our business—something we think many Veterans can do too.

  • Getting to Know Our American Indian, Alaska Native Veterans

    U.S. Army Veteran

    VA’s Office of Tribal Government Relations was created in January of 2011 to connect with tribal leaders of federally-recognized Indian tribes, pueblos, bands, villages, and nations to better provide services and benefits for a unique population: American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans—and we’ve made progress.

  • Presidential Memorial Certificates, the best little program in VA

    The Presidential Memorial Certificates Program Manager, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

    The Presidential Memorial Certificates program has printed and delivered more than fourteen million certificates honoring the memory and sacrifice of honorably discharged deceased members of our nation’s armed forces. But be honest, have you ever heard of PMC?

  • Navigating my way to the Post-9/11 GI Bill

    Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran

    I recently received the news that I had been accepted into DePaul University as a transfer student and I began my trek across the information minefield toward obtaining educational benefits through the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Here’s what I have learned.

  • Veteran Discrimination in the Civilian Workforce

    U.S. Navy Veteran

    Where are you from? I’ve never been able to answer that question. How does this pertain to Veteran’s employment? Let me explain…

  • Tillman’s Legacy Sees Scholar to Egypt and Beyond

    2LT, U.S. Army

    I learned of the Tillman Military Scholars program from friends in 2009 and I wanted to be a part of it. As a Middle East Studies student, studying in Egypt was crucial in rounding out my undergraduate education and prepared me for the rigorous academic and field work of graduate school.

  • Adversity to Entrepreneurial Venture

    Communications Manager at Veteran Entrepreneurial Transfer, Inc.,

    After a debilitating motorcycle accident, most people’s wheels would stop turning, but for former Marine John Miller, they were just getting started.

  • The Infidels’ Bible

    U.S. Army Veteran

    I have a box of things I brought home from Afghanistan. There is nothing too dramatic in there, some trinkets, patches and other memorabilia. Some items, when held, crack open a short story that plays out in my head.

  • Veterans in Crisis–The Problem and the Possible Solution

    Afghanistan War Veteran

    Veterans across the country have had major problems obtaining a job because the majority of skills that were acquired through our military service do not translate into the civilian sector—read my possible solution to this problem.