Joining Forces Blog

  • Saying Thanks to our Troops on Veterans Day

    Posted by Todd Veazie on November 12, 2012 at 5:52 PM EST

    I am Captain Todd Veazie, and I am pleased to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of Joining Forces.
     
    As an active duty Naval Special Warfare officer with 26 years of service, I am proud to follow a long line of citizen soldiers dating back to the birth of our Republic.  It is a special privilege for me to join First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden in their important work to give back to those who have given so much.
     
    For 93 years Americans have come together on November 11th to honor the valor and sacrifice of those who have served in our Armed Forces. Originally, the day was set aside to celebrate the veterans of the First World War. Later, it was broadened to include every man and woman who has worn the uniform of the United States. And today, we continue that tradition by honoring the service and sacrifice of our troops, our veterans and their families.  They are the treasure of our nation and the greatest of every generation.

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  • Thank an American Hero

    Posted by Kori Schulman on November 11, 2012 at 11:55 AM EST

    This Veterans Day, we hope you'll take a moment to join First Lady Michelle Obama and thank an American hero. Sending that message is easy. You can send a note on JoiningForces.gov by clicking on the "Share Your Message" tab. Or go to Facebook to create a card using Shutterfly's Thank The Troops app. Either way, your card will be delivered to service members and veterans throughout the holiday season.

    To get you started, we've pasted the First Lady's card below. Check it out, then send your own on JoiningForces.gov or on Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/thankthetroops

     

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  • DOT Helps Veterans Find Work and Success in Transportation

    Posted by Secretary Ray LaHood on October 19, 2012 at 12:24 PM EST

    Ed. note: This is cross-posted from Fast Lane

    Today’s generation of heroes are risking their lives to make the U.S. safer and more respected around the world. President Obama has asked that we serve our veterans as well as they’ve served us, and at DOT, we are proud to answer the President’s call.

    This morning, DOT held a Veterans Transportation Career Opportunities Forum with the Department of Labor, which focused on careers in the trucking, transit, and motorcoach sectors. Participants discussed the importance of working with truck and bus companies to recruit qualified and safety-conscious service men and women for the critical jobs that need to be filled.

    This forum represents a monumental initiative and partnership to link our veterans with careers in the transportation industry.

    Secretary LaHood speaks at a Veterans Transportation Career Opportunities Forum

    Secretary LaHood speaks at a Veterans Transportation Career Opportunities Forum. (Photo courtesy Department of Transportation)

    At DOT we think that removing barriers that stand in the way of our veterans’ success and connecting them with job opportunities that they deserve is the least we can do to thank them for their service. So this meeting gave motor carriers and other stakeholders a chance to tell us how DOT can assist them in making the transition for veterans easier.

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  • Helping Veterans 'Get Skills to Work'

    Posted by John Campbell on October 18, 2012 at 3:52 PM EST

    It’s hard to believe that we will soon celebrate the one year anniversary of the President’s unveiling of the Veterans Jobs Bank, hosted at the NationalResourceDirectory.gov. In one short year, more than 5,000 employers posted more than 1 million Veteran friendly jobs. But statistics only tell part of the story.

    The combined commitment of the private sector, teamed with the government to serve our returning Veterans, tells the rest.

    I was honored to travel to New York City this week to participate in the announcement of a unique private sector coalition that aims to help 15,000 Veterans translate their military experience to advanced manufacturing opportunities. And 15,000 is just the beginning, with significant planned expansion over the next several years.

    When I was first approached by General Electric, the leader of this “Get Skills to Work” coalition, about participating I thought to myself, “Let’s see, a training program that will make the U.S. more competitive and gives our transitioning Service members and Veterans the additional technical skills they need to succeed in this sector of the economy? That’s brilliant!”

    The GE “Get Skills to Work” coalition entails three main components: an accelerated skills training program; translation of military experience to civilian manufacturing job opportunities through an online “badging system”; and partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families to create an employer toolkit for expanded hiring, developing, and mentoring of Veterans. Through a blend of business, digital, academic, and not-for-profit partners, “Get Skills to Work” aims to close the advanced manufacturing gap, bolster the talent pipeline, and enhance American competitiveness.

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  • Joining Forces to Make a Difference

    Posted by Krystal Shirrell on October 5, 2012 at 12:11 PM EST

    It is easy to make a difference. Just look around and you will see endless opportunities to help. People often think they need a foundation or strong financial support to make a difference, when in fact, quite the opposite is true. All it takes is a little passion. Find something that interests you, develop a passion, and use that passion to do something outside yourself.

    I found my passion in giving back to those who have served; specifically our military troops, veterans, wounded warriors and their families.  I looked around and saw all the brave men and women who were willing to lay their life on the line to protect our country, to protect me, and I wanted to do something to support them. 

    President Barack Obama talks with Girl Scout Gold Award winners in the Oval Office

    President Barack Obama talks with Girl Scout Gold Award winners in the Oval Office, June 8, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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  • Joining Forces to Train Teachers to Serve Military Children

    Posted by Dr. Jill Biden on October 3, 2012 at 4:23 PM EST

    Dr. Jill Biden and Chief of Staff of the Army General Ray Odierno laugh during a Joining Forces event (October 3, 2012)

    Dr. Jill Biden and Chief of Staff of the Army General Ray Odierno laugh during a Joining Forces event celebrating the more than 100 colleges and universities that have signed on to “Operation Educate the Educators” at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Oct. 3, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

    This afternoon, I was so honored to meet two of our nation’s youngest heroes – 11-year-old twin sisters Felicity and Abigail. The 7th graders love to read and play sports, and, like many of our nation’s 1.3 million school-age military children, their current school is not their first school. 

    Felicity and Abigail have attended five different schools in four states in the past seven years.  They have left old friends and met new ones, transferred school records, left old soccer fields to join new teammates and coaches, and weathered their father’s many deployments. Their dad missed birthdays four, seven, eight, nine and 10.

    But they are resilient and strong young ladies who are fiercely proud to be Army kids.  I am proud of them, too.

    I am also proud that today, more than 100 colleges of teacher education have signed on to Operation Educate the Educators, a partnership between the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Military Child Education Coalition. Last year, the partners set a Joining Forces goal of getting 100 colleges of education to commit to raising awareness on their campuses about military children in their classrooms, and to help better prepare teachers to support them. 

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