Joining Forces Blog

  • Forwarding Address: Home

    Posted by Darienne Page on November 16, 2011 at 5:57 PM EDT

    If you're planning on sending a care package to our troops in Iraq, you'd better do it soon - mail will stop being shipped there after November 17,2011. The reason is simple: our soldiers in Iraq are on their way home. After nearly nine years of selfless sacrifice and service by our brave military men and women, America’s war in Iraq is coming to an end. 

    As many of our servicemembers return to their homes for the holidays, we must be mindful of the fact that their unwavering commitment to duty deserves from us an equally unwavering commitment to them and to their families. President Obama is committed to meeting our sacred trust to honor our Veterans. That's why the VA is now dedicating more resources than ever before to providing mental health services for Veterans - hiring more mental health providers and cutting down on the amount of time and paperwork it takes to file for treatment related to PTSD. The VA is in the midst of an ambitious five-year plan to eradicate homelessness among Veterans. Additionally, the VA is working to improve health care for women Veterans and to ensure that they have better access to the services they need. As our Veterans return, they will see that America is ready to welcome them back by honoring their service and providing them with the benefits and opportunities they have earned.

    Vice President Joe Biden greets family members before a homecoming ceremony for members of the 3rd Brigade 4

    Vice President Joe Biden welcomes home members of the 3rd Brigade 101st Airborne Division, who returned from Afghanistan, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky February 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

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  • Honoring Our Nation’s Heroes

    Posted by Dr. Jill Biden on November 15, 2011 at 11:39 AM EDT

    20111115 Biden Horse Soldier Dedication

    Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the unveiling of the Horse Soldier Statue at Winter Garden, in New York City, New York, November 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

    Friday was a special day, as we paid tribute to our Nation’s Veterans. My husband Joe and I attended a Veterans Day parade in Media, Pennsylvania. That evening in New York, I was honored to attend the dedication of a statue created to commemorate the United States military’s response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The 16-foot tall bronze statue entitled De Oppresso Liber (“to liberate the oppressed”) – the motto of the U.S. Army Special Forces – depicts a soldier on horseback in honor of the first Special Forces unit that rode into combat in the mountains of Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. Upon completion of the 9/11 Memorial, the statue will be permanently located at the World Trade Center site.

    Our veterans and their families show us every day just what words like “strength” and “courage” mean.  And these special operators are no exception. Joe and I met with several of them before the dedication ceremony. I was in awe of the group – many of whom have continued to serve.  And as we chatted with them, I couldn’t help but think of their families too – and the fear their parents, spouses, and children must have felt watching them leave without knowing where they were going or when they would come home. I met one young woman in her early twenties who remembers her father leaving for Afghanistan for the first time in 2001. Since then, she has watched him leave for deployment countless times, and she has spent nearly half her life worrying about him. But like all military families I have met, she is fiercely proud of his service.  Her father is her hero.   

    We must never forget the sacrifices of our troops and their families – at home and abroad. This statue serves as a reminder of the very first brave soldiers who rushed into harm’s way in response to the attacks on 9/11 – and of their families, to whom Afghanistan was a dangerous unknown. On Veterans Day and every day, it is our duty to show appreciation for the service of our military community and to remember that each of us has the ability to make a difference in the life of a military family.

    Dr. Jill Biden is the Second Lady of the United States.

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  • Helping Veterans Get Back to Work: John Kamin

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on November 11, 2011 at 7:30 PM EDT

    Watch  Army Veteran John Kamin, here. 

    John Kamin enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2005, and was deployed to Iraq at the onset of the surge in 2007. He received an honorable discharge after 15 months, but returned to Iraq when he was recalled in 2009. Today Kamin is studying at American University, where he is president of the school’s student veteran group.

    In that role, he sees a lot of his fellow veterans struggling to adjust to civilian life, a problem he thinks will grow as we return to a peacetime force. “We are going to be seeing a lot of people get out of the military with a vast array of skill sets and a vast amount of knowledge that, at surface value, does not translate into civilian skills. There is no way to tangibly associate one with the other.”

    He says veterans face unique difficulties in transitioning to the civilian job market. “It falls on them to pretty much exploit a skill that the military does not teach you, which is looking out for number one, learning how to self-promote and put yourself out there for events and experiences you hold dear and don’t feel the need to advertise.”

    Kamin believes the new initiatives around job training and job search support President Obama announced this week can make a big difference, and he also hopes attention to the challenges transitioning veterans face will help bridge the gap in understanding and set up our returning veterans for success.

    Read the story of Navy veteran Eric Smith, who has more than five years experience as a military medic, but works today as a hospital janitor.

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  • Helping Veterans Get Back to Work: Jay Waitsman

    Posted by Matt Compton on November 11, 2011 at 6:00 PM EDT

    Watch Army Veteran Jay Waitsman, here .

    Jay Waitsman enlisted in the Army in 1999, became a sergeant, and served at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina, Ft. Irwin in California, and in Iraq before he received a medical discharge for back injuries.

    He believes America has an obligation to help our service men and women when they return home. He says, "Our unemployment rate has jumped over the civilians, suicide is our number one killer right now, and you know all those can be solved if our veterans had a purpose to come home to."

    President Obama recognizes that obligation. He has introduced a range of initiatives to give veterans the support they need to find work and challenged private employers to hire 100,000 veterans or military spouses. Yesterday, the Senate passed two key pieces of the American Jobs Act, which will provide tax credits to businesses that hire veterans.

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    • Read the story of Tireak Tullock, a Marine Corps veteran, who served two tours in Iraq and now he works as a network engineer for the Long Island Rail Road.

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  • Helping Veterans Get Back to Work: Tireak Tulloch

    Posted by Megan Slack on November 11, 2011 at 5:00 PM EDT

    Watch Marine Corps Veteran Tireak Tulloch, here. 

    Tireak Tulloch enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 2000 as a data network systems specialist and served two tours in Iraq. Today, he works as a network engineer for the Long Island Rail Road.

    Tulloch had trouble finding work when he returned from his second tour of duty in 2005. He said employers were apprehensive to offer him a job because he was still enlisted in the Reserves. Frustrated but hopeful, he took an entry-level position at  Long Island Bus—a position both Tulloch and the person who hired him knew he was overqualified for based on his experience in the military. In fact, he earned two promotions in three years before leaving to take a job as a network engineer with the LIRR. 

    Tulloch says he knows “firsthand what it’s like to transition home” and about the challenges veterans face finding gainful employment. “We need to do everything we can” to help them, he said. “We need to continue the investment. We spend millions of dollars training us when we’re in combat, why not continue that investment so that when we do leave the military, we can continue to be productive members of society.”

    President Obama believe that no veteran that fought for our country should have to fight to find a job once they come home. He's challenged private sector employers to hire or train 100,000 veterans, and his Administration has introduced a host of initiatives to help connect veterans with job listings and career support. And, the Senate has already passed two key pieces of the American Jobs Act, the Wounded Warriors and Returning Heroes tax credits, which will provide tax credits to businesses that hire veterans.

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    Despite the fact that our veterans have unique skills and experiences that make them excellent hires for any civilian business, their unemployment rate tops 12 percent. Read the stories of veterans like Tireak who have struggled to transition their skills into new careers and find out why fighting for these heroes is a priority for the Obama Administration.

     

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  • Helping Veterans Get Back to Work: Anthony Luberto

    Posted by Matt Compton on November 11, 2011 at 4:00 PM EDT

    Watch Army Veteran Anthony Luberto, here. 

    Anthony Luberto spent three years in Army, serving with 82 Airborne. From January of 2007 until March of 2008, he was stationed at Combat Outpost Callahan just outside Sadr City, Iraq. He was a commissioned officer -- a first lieutenant -- with significant experience managing complicated logistics.

    When he left the military, that didn't matter. Civilian employers had trouble recognizing how his skills and leadership experience would translate into the private workforce. He had to turn to a headhunter for help.

    "I think it's important for the government to assist veterans as much as they can," Anthony says, "in finding suitable work."

    Today, he continues to serve the government as a contractor for the Defense Department -- and is working on his masters degree with the help of the post-9/11 GI Bill.

    Across the country, 600,000 veterans like Anthony have gone back to school with similar help from the post-9/11 GI Bill. And this week, President Obama announced new initatives as part of the "We Can't Wait Campaign" to help veterans better translate military skills for private employes and make it easier for veterans to connect with companies that want to hire them.

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    Despite the fact that our veterans have unique skills and experiences that make them excellent hires for any civilian business, their unemployment rate tops 12 percent. Read the stories of veterans like Anthony who have struggled to transition their skills into new careers and find out why fighting for these heroes is a priority for the Obama Administration.

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