Remarks by the First Lady in Q&A With Children at Take-Your-Daughters-And-Sons-To-Work Day

East Room

11:10 A.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA:  (Applause.)  Hey, you guys.  How are you doing?

CHILDREN:  Good.

MRS. OBAMA:  Have you been having -- awesome.  Have you been having fun today?

CHILDREN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  All right.  Give me -- what’s the best thing you’ve done so far?  Just yell it out.  Let’s hear.

CHILDREN:  Eating food.

MRS. OBAMA:  You’ve eaten good food?  Getting to meet me?  Did you see the bees?  Did you go out and see the garden?

CHILDREN:  Yeah!

MRS. OBAMA:  That sounds good.  Well, I’m glad you’re having fun.  I love talking to you guys, because I really, often, don’t take questions with the press in the room.  So I only do this with you guys, so I trust that you will be on your Ps and Qs, because the whole world is watching, okay?  (Laughter.)

But one of the reasons why this day is so special for us is because you guys are pretty special people -- yes, there they go.  We know how much you guys sacrifice because your parents work here.  I mean, for many of you, I know it’s hard when your mom or your dad says, I’m going to miss dinner tonight because I’ve got to work late, or there’s a meeting on Saturday so I’ll miss your game, or I have to travel next week and I might not get to that recital.  Our kids go through it and it’s not a lot of fun.

But it’s important for you to know that when you guys show appreciation to your parents for the hard work that they do, it helps the President.  And that’s what we tell our kids.  Sometimes we make sacrifices -- sometimes pretty huge sacrifices -- so that the country runs a little bit better.  And you guys are at the forefront of that sacrifice.

So we’re very proud of you all, and grateful for you guys being the great kids that you are.  That’s why we make this day so special for you.  So thank you.  Thank you for your patience and your intelligence, and for behaving and doing everything your parents tell you to do -- because I know you’re doing that, right?  Okay, good.  Just keep it up.

So with that, I’ll take questions, okay?  So I’m going to try to mix around.  I’m going to go from section to section and try to get a mix of boys and girls, so I’m going to call out a color -- an arm -- I see this young lady in the jeans jacket on the end.  Stand up, tell me your name.

Q    Do you enjoy planting in your garden?

MRS. OBAMA:  Her question was do I enjoy planting in my garden.  Yes, because, you know, one of the things we do when we plant, we always invite students from the area who come and help.  We just planted the garden a couple of weeks ago, and we had students from three or four schools in the area, and a few kids from schools outside of the area.  And because we had so many great kids we got it done -- we got all the garden planted, like, within an hour.  And it was really fun to spend time out in the sun and talk to the kids and learn -- many of the kids came from schools that had their own gardens.

So that’s really fun for me, to be able to do that.  And when we harvest, we invite a lot of those kids back, and then they help us -- they get to see the garden -- what it was when they planted it, and how beautiful and lush it gets when everything is growing.  And we actually cook from the garden out on the South Lawn.  We make veggie pizzas and the kids get to eat the vegetables.

So it’s really a lot of fun.  Thanks, sweetie.  Thanks for the question.

Q    My name is Matthew (ph) and I was wondering, who takes care of the dogs when you’re busy?

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes, that’s a great question.  We’ve got one of our best staff people, one of my favorite people, Dale.  He is the primary keeper of the dogs, and he’s one of the head gardeners, one of the head people who handles the grounds out here.  So he’s responsible for more than just Sunny and Bo.

But Dale picks them up every morning at 7:30 or so, and they go off to work.  And they’re very excited about their day.  They walk all over the White House.  They’re in the West Wing; they’re in the East Wing.  When we first got Bo, people used to give him snacks, so he was getting a little chunky.  So I had to tell people, stop feeding him; you can give him toys.  And, fortunately, everyone around the White House is listening now, so they only get toy treats.  They don’t get food treats.

But they’re with Dale until about 1:00, and then they come home, and they’re very tired.  They’re home by the time we get home and the girls get home.  So it’s good because they spend the day out in the sun, they’re walking around, they’re meeting people.  They’re our best ambassadors.

So Dale is the person who’s right on the case with the dogs.  Great question.

Q    My name is Aliyah (ph), and I wonder, what is your favorite drink?

MRS. OBAMA:  My favorite --

Q    Drink.

MRS. OBAMA:  Drink?  The truth is my favorite drink is seltzer water with lime.  I’m sorry, I wish I could be more interesting.  But that’s what I drink most of the time, because I like to -- it’s a good way to get water -- as a little shameless plug, Drink Up.  We’re trying to encourage people, especially young people, to drink more water, because water is like the best thing you can have.

And sometimes plain water is not as much fun, but if you get seltzer water it’s kind of bubbly, and if you put lemons in it, it almost tastes like a little treat.  So I drink that a lot.

Q    Hi.  My name is Lauren (ph.)  And what’s your favorite place to travel to?

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, that’s a great question.  My favorite place to travel -- that’s hard to say, because we’ve been to so many great places.  Rome is a beautiful city, and that trip was really special because we got to meet the Pope.  The food is really good.  We just came back from China, which was incredibly interesting.  The culture and the country is so very different from ours, so it was really good to be in a place where I didn’t -- where it didn’t feel anything like this country.  It was incredibly different.  So we just did that trip.

But I also like to travel a lot to places right here in the United States.  I mean, we go to Hawaii every year; Hawaii is a beautiful state, and the weather is really good and the beaches are great.  But it’s also been fun getting to visit a lot of the national parks that are right here in the United States.  So we went to the Grand Canyon, and we’ve been to great national parks in Maine.  And there are really interesting national parks sites right here in the area that we try to take our girls to.

So I love to travel.  That’s one of the things I hope to do more of while -- the last few years while we’re here in the White House, and hopefully take the girls to some more interesting places and expose them to a little bit more.

What’s your name?

Q    Jude (ph.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Jude?  Got it.  I thought you said “you.”  I was like, no, you.  (Laughter.)  And you said “Jude.”  That was kind of funny, huh?  (Laughter.)  Okay, Jude, what’s your question?

Q    What is your favorite thing to eat?

MRS. OBAMA:  My favorite thing to eat.  Okay, so I’m going to give you my favorite healthy thing to eat, which actually is my favorite thing to eat:  Pizza.  Yes.  But usually when I have pizza -- all right, don’t get mad at me -- I do veggie pizzas.

CHILDREN:  Oh.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hey, hey, hey, I’m just saying, I like them.  It’s really good.  And they make great pizza here at the White House, so that’s a way that I get the favorite food that I love but also do it in a healthy way so that I can eat it whenever I want to.

But if I’m really being bad, if I want my favorite junk food -- some kids asked me this just the other day -- one of my favorite, favorite junk foods are French fries.  I love French fries.  French fries -- with hot sauce you said?

Q    Yeah.

MRS. OBAMA:  With hot sauce.  Yeah, I don’t know if I’d do -- what’s this over here?  We’re getting a lot of feedback from -- the junk food.  Okay, got it. 

Q    Ni hao, Mrs. Obama.  Just like saying that because I take Mandarin at school.

MRS. OBAMA:  Ni hao.

Q    So what was your favorite thing in China?  Like what was your favorite thing to do?

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, when we were in Beijing we had the best weather there.  And the sun was out, and when -- we went to the Great Wall of China, which was an amazing sight to see, a wall that just goes on forever and ever and ever.  It took a long time to build and millions of people to help build it.

So it’s one of the great wonders of the world, so it was fascinating to see it.  And I enjoyed that time because I was there with my daughters, and we got a moment alone on the Great Wall where we just sort of looked over the landscape and we took it all in.  And then the fun part of the Great Wall is that they’ve got this toboggan ride you can ride down on to get down from the top of the Great Wall.  And there are these little carts, and you pull them and you go down -- it’s almost like a rollercoaster but it’s not so fast, and it winds its way down.  And we took that down, and that was a lot of fun.

Have you ever been to China?

Q    (Inaudibile.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Excellent.  It’s going to be a great trip.  You know where you’re going to go?  Are you going to go to Beijing or Shanghai?

Q    (Inaudible.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Excellent.  Well, zàijiàn.

Q    My name is Josh (ph.)  And if you could go anywhere, where would you go?

MRS. OBAMA:  If I could go anywhere, where would I go.  Oh, gosh, that’s so hard.  There are so many great places to go, I have to pick one?

CHILD:  Yeah.  (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Where do you guys think?  Where would you want to go?  Help me out with this.  All right, one at a time.  First, Josh (ph), where would you want to go?

Q    Japan.

MRS. OBAMA:  Japan.  The President is in Japan as we speak.

CHILD:  Paris.

MRS. OBAMA:  Paris, I’ve been to Paris.  It’s beautiful.  Where else?  Greece, did I hear Greece?  I would love to go to Greece.

CHILD:  I lived in Greece -- I lived there for three years.

MRS. OBAMA:  You lived in Greece for three years?  That’s awesome.  There’s so many great places -- where would you go?

CHILD:  Hawaii.

MRS. OBAMA:  Hawaii is cool.

CHILD:  Australia.

MRS. OBAMA:  That’s one -- that’s on my bucket list, Australia, New Zealand.  What about you, sweetie?

CHILD:  Florida.

MRS. OBAMA:  Florida!  (Laughter.)  We just went to Florida.  We went to Florida for a few days, we had fun.

Q    What made you want to get kids to eat healthier foods?

MRS. OBAMA:  That’s a great question, what made me want to get kids to eat healthier food.  It was really what I -- the challenges that I had as a mom.  Before I came to the White House, I was like most of your parents -- I worked, the President worked, so we were really busy.  And cooking at home was hard to do, so we would take the shortcuts -- we’d go out, we’d do drive-thru, we’d do a lot of microwaving and the things that you do when you’re busy and you’re just trying to feed -- and my kids were like you.  They didn’t like vegetables, they always complained about dinner so we were always trying to find something that they liked and it was usually not healthy for them.

Because all the stuff you guys like -- you like French fries and chicken nuggets and all that kind of stuff.

CHILD:  Wings.

MRS. OBAMA:  Wings.  And some of that stuff is --

CHILD:  (Inaudible.)

MRS. OBAMA:  The best invention ever made -- man ever made is chicken nuggets.  And there’s nothing wrong with chicken nuggets, it’s just that if you eat the same thing every day, if you eat fast food every day, what I found was that it wasn’t so good for my kids’ health.  And after a while -- I don’t know -- a lot of kids don’t get to the point where it doesn’t taste good, but I like your spirit.  (Laughter.)

But my kids weren’t as healthy.  And our pediatrician said, you’ve got to really watch what they eat.  And I didn’t know that what I was doing wasn’t good for them, so I started doing some research and started working to figure out, well, how do I clean up our kids’ diet and do it in a way that I can manage it.  And I started eliminating like all the processed food.  We started adding more vegetables.  I made sure my kids had more fruit.  We got rid of a lot of sugary drinks.  I made sure that they were getting active.

And in a few months, when we went back to the doctor, the doctor was like, what did you do?  This is amazing.  Whatever health outcomes he was seeing had changed over the course of a few months with just a few changes.  And I thought, well, if I’m going through this, what’s going on in all the households over the country and all over the world where parents aren’t being told this kind of stuff?

And that’s one of the reasons why we have a huge childhood obesity epidemic.  And what happens is like, if we don’t help you guys start out at a young age learning how to eat properly and get exercise, the problems that you will have for the rest of your life are really tough.  And I didn’t want that for my kids, and I certainly don’t want that for any kids in this country.

So I thought, when I get here, maybe I can do more to raise the awareness.  And we started with planting a garden.  And I wanted to find a way to make healthy eating and exercise not a chore, but fun.  That’s one of the things I’ve been asking grocery store manufacturers to do.  It’s like, find a way to make the healthy stuff fun.  Make it taste good.  Make the school lunches better, and make them taste good.  Put good foods in there.  Let’s work on making healthy fun.

And that’s what we’re doing with Let’s Move.  We’re trying to make it cool to eat vegetables.  Because once you start eating vegetables, then they start to taste better.  If you never eat vegetables, then they’re too bitter, you don’t like them.  If you never try vegetables, then you’ll never want them.  And you just can’t live -- as I tell my kids -- you can’t -- if you could live on ice cream and pizza, I tell my kids, it would be so easy to give you that because that would make them happy.  But I can’t do that as a responsible parent.  It would be irresponsible of me to let my kids eat ice cream every day.

So we’ve got to toughen up as parents and help you guys do what’s right for you.  And then, as you grow up, you’ll do the right things for yourself because you’ll have better habits.  That’s a long story, but it’s an important issue to me.  But thank you for the question, sweetie.  Eat your vegetables!  (Laughter.)

Q    What’s your favorite food?

MRS. OBAMA:  My favorite food?  Remember I said pizza?  Remember that one?

Q    Yeah.

MRS. OBAMA:  You want another question?

Q    What’s your favorite color?  (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA:  I like purple.  Yay!

Q    My mom likes that.

MRS. OBAMA:  What was that?

Q    My mom likes it, too.

MRS. OBAMA:  Tell her -- we’re right here.  Tell her we’re sisters in colorhood.  (Laughter.)

Q    Okay.

Q    My dad’s been out of a job for three years and I wanted to give you his resume.

MRS. OBAMA:  You are so sweet.  Oh, my goodness.  Good job.  I will take it.  Well, it’s a little private, but she’s doing something for her dad.  Got it.

Q    My name is Thomas Cuddy (ph), and my question is, do you miss your old job?

MRS. OBAMA:  Do I miss my old job.  I don’t know if I miss the job -- sorry to the folks I used to work with, love you guys -- but I think this is a pretty cool job.  But sometimes I miss, like, a normal life.

CHILD:  Without security guards.

MRS. OBAMA:  Without security guards.

CHILD:  Without policemen --

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes.  So sometimes I miss being able to walk out the front door and go wherever I want to whenever I want to.  Sometimes I miss walking around where nobody even cares whether you’re there.  So sometimes me and the President, we dream about sneaking out of the White House and going to have ice cream, and nobody really knowing who we are.

But the truth is, I have a really cool job.  I mean, I get to have an effect on issues that really matter.  And there are few jobs in the world that I can say I could ever do that.  So with all of the tough stuff that comes with living in the White House or whatever, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  So this is kind of a pretty neat job.

Q    Hi, my name is Jasmine (ph.)  When you first came here, did you ever get lost in the White House? (Laughter.)

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, yes.  There were a first few days -- you know how we enter the White House?  You don’t get to come to the White House until you are living in the White House, so it’s not like a regular house where you get to move in a couple of days, and then you visit back and forth.  We came here once.

And then, on Inauguration Day, when you’ve got a parade and balls and all of that, that’s the first time, after a long day of parades, that you get to walk into this house.  And all your stuff is here and unpacked, but you’ve never seen it before.  You don’t even know where your kids are.  (Laughter.)  We couldn’t find our children.  I didn’t know where the bathroom was.  And there are all these doors, and they were all closed, and I was going in and out of doors and they weren’t rooms, they were closets.  But we had to rush to get ready for the ball, and I didn’t know where anything was.

It was really pretty strange.  But the White House is very simply laid out.  It seems really big, but the layout is fairly simple.  And once you know what’s behind every door -- and there are a lot of secret doors, too.  There are doors that lead to other rooms and doors that lead to little rooms.  And once you figure all those out, then you just don’t go in those doors.  (Laughter.)

But it doesn’t take long to get used to it.  You would get used to it.  You wouldn’t get lost in the White House if you lived here for a couple of weeks.

What’s your name?

Q    I’m Jet, J-E-T.

MRS. OBAMA:  Jet, got it.

Q    My question is, is it -- do you like living and working in the White House?

MRS. OBAMA:  I do.  I mean, I feel like this is a great honor to be the caretakers of what we call the “People’s House.”  Because we’re just living here for a few years.  This house belongs to America.  And it’s really a nice responsibility to take care of it and make sure that as many people around the country and around the world have access to it.  So we love holding events and doing things like this, where you guys get to come in and sit in the East Room and ask questions.  We just had the Easter Egg Roll.  How many people got to come to the Easter Egg Roll?  That was pretty cool, huh?

So stuff like that is really pretty neat.  So it’s a very great honor, and we take our responsibility very seriously.

Okay, I got the signal that I have time for one more question.

Q    My name is Torrin (ph.)  What do you like -- being the First Lady?

MRS. OBAMA:  I like spending time with kids like you guys.  I really do.  My best days are when I’m with kids like you.  Because I think that I have so much hope for you guys, and I want you guys to have all the opportunities that you deserve to be really great adults.

And I know your parents love you.  It’s hard not to love great kids like you guys.  So it’s easy for me to hang out with you guys, because you all are smart.  And I know you’re kind, and you’re decent young people.  And who wouldn’t want to hang out with you guys?

So if I could, I’d spend the rest of the day with you, but I can’t, and I’m getting the angry look from my staff at the back because I have to go to a meeting.  (Laughter.)  But I hope you guys had a great time.

 END
11:35 A.M. EDT

Remarks by the First Lady at Joining Forces Veterans Jobs Summit and Career Forum

Fort Campbell
Campbell, Kentucky

11:35 A.M. CDT

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you, guys.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Good morning.  And it is truly a pleasure for me to be here today. 

I want to start by thanking Sergeant Wanless for that very kind introduction, and, more importantly, for his service to our country both in and out of uniform.  I also want to recognize my dear friend and outstanding partner in Joining Forces, Dr. Jill Biden.  Jill, it has just been an extreme pleasure to work with you on this issue.  She is smart.  She is funny.  She is beautiful.  And she cares a lot about what you all are going through.  So I am so grateful for her friendship and her support. 

I also want to recognize our fabulous First Lady of Kentucky, Jane Beshear, who is here with her handsome grandson -- straight-A student, fifth grade.  And she has just been an amazing, passionate champion for our military families.  So we are grateful for your service, and we’re honored to have you here today.

I’d also like to thank Major General McConville, as well as Command Sergeant Major Smith for their commitment and leadership here at Fort Campbell.

And finally, most of all, I want to thank our soldiers and, more importantly, your fantastic spouses, right?  Because, quite frankly, you couldn’t be here if they weren’t by your side.  I want to thank you all for your service and for taking the time to join us here today -- although I know that you didn’t exactly have a choice about being here since this is your mandatory place of duty.  And as I understand it, usually, when you’re called to a mandatory place of duty, it’s because we need you to carry out some kind of mission for our country. 

Well, today it’s different.  Today, you’re here for yourselves.  And your mission is your future.  And that’s what this summit is all about -- it is about a transformational shift across the military in how we think about your careers. 

See, we’ve always done an outstanding job in preparing you to succeed during your time in uniform.  And that’s why our military is second to none.  But most of you aren’t going to spend your entire careers in the military.  And for some of you, that transition to civilian life doesn’t always go as smoothly as it should. 

Our servicemembers haven’t always had the time or the information that they need to prepare for civilian life -- things like getting your resumes together, plotting your career goals, taking the time to meet with employers to get access to the jobs that you all deserve.  And that’s simply not acceptable. 

As my husband has said, when you have fought for this country around the world, you should not have to fight for a job when you return home. 

And that’s why the Army has adopted the new Soldier for Life initiative, so that now, starting on the day you join the service -- on the very day you join -- we’re already going to be planning for the day you leave.  And we won’t just be investing in your success as soldiers, but we’re going to be investing in your future as civilians -- as employers and as employees, as entrepreneurs, as leaders who will contribute to this country for the rest of your lives.

And today, I’m thrilled to announce that every branch of the military will soon be taking this very same new approach.  That means that every member of our Armed Forces will start preparing for their transition in advance.  They’re going to start -- yes.  (Applause.)  We won’t wait for the last day.  So that means you’re going to start very early drafting resumes.  You’re going to start ahead of time attending job fairs and summits like this one here today.  And you’re going to start applying for college if you want to go to college.  And you’ll be doing all of this months before you hang up your uniforms.  

And starting today, every servicemember, every veteran, and every military family member will have access to a new online tool that will revolutionize how you find jobs in both the public and private sectors.  All you have to do is log on to ebenefits.va.gov.  When you get to the website, you click on to “employment center,” and then you just type in your M.O.S.  And within seconds, that website will translate that M.O.S. into a list of civilian skills, and it will tell you what careers you’re qualified for.   You can also see which of those jobs are actually available where you’ll be living.  And with a few more clicks, you can make your resume visible to the employers who are on that site.  It is very simple.  I have seen it myself.  It is truly an amazing tool that will make your lives better. 

The website will also show the companies here -- which companies have actually made commitments to hire veterans and spouses.  And it will give you information about all kinds of things -- things like your higher education benefits.  It will show you all of your earned benefits in one place -- everything from career counseling to the GI Bill.  You can sort of consider this like your personal transition toolbox, and it’s something that will be right there for you on your computers.

And for all of the companies that are out there, not just here but out there around the country, through this tool, you’ll have access -- direct access to some of America’s most qualified employees that you will ever meet.  All you have to do is log in, and you’ll see which veterans, which servicemembers and spouses have the skills you need in the communities where you need them.  And then you can contact them instantly, directly right then and there.  This tool is amazing.  You can also see, as employers, which hiring centers are available to you as an employer, from direct financial incentives to job training for employees.  It is all right there at your fingertips.

So with this website, we’re going to be connecting veterans, servicemenbers and your families to the jobs and educational opportunities that you’ve earned.  And we’re doing this well before you leave the service. 

And all of that is our responsibility to you.  It is our obligation to you.  That’s our job.  Your responsibility is to take full advantage of these opportunities.  We need you all to get out there and sell yourselves.  We need you to tell these schools and employers about everything you’ve achieved during your time in the Army.

And I know that request might be a little counterintuitive for many of you, because I know they don’t exactly teach you how to self-promote in the military.  Instead, you’ve been focused on completing the mission.  You’ve been focused on being there for your fellow soldiers.

Well, today, we need you start thinking and talking about yourselves for a change.  And that’s going to take a little transition for you personally.  It may be a little scary to talk about yourself.  But I have met so many of you over the course of these three years working with Joining Forces.  I have met with so many amazing military spouses and veterans.  You all have done incredible things, so don’t be afraid to brag a little bit about yourselves -- and smile every once in a while, too.  (Laughter.) 
 
I have worked in every sector out there.  I have worked in government, I’ve worked in corporate America, I’ve worked in non-profits.  And I can tell you from my own experience that if you want to get a job, then you can’t be modest about your qualifications.  You have to be willing to sell yourself.  But you all are qualified for so much, for any number of jobs. 

You have got world-class training in everything from logistics to risk management to intelligence analysis.  You’ve learned about leadership.  You know about team building.  You know about working with folks from all different backgrounds.  And all of these skills, trust me, are in high demand in today’s workplaces.  Anyone out there would be lucky to have you on their team.  That’s why folks are here -- because they know who you are, they know what you have to offer.  And that’s really another reason why we’re all here today. 

You see, these summits aren’t just an investment in your futures.  They’re an investment in our country’s future, as well.  Because when employers can hire top talent like all of you, that makes our businesses stronger, and that in turn makes our entire economy stronger.  And you don’t have to take my word for it.  Just listen to what happened at the summit that we held back in February at Fort Bliss -- same summit.

Employers there took more than 700 resumes over the course of that time, and made more than 100 job offers on the spot on that day.  And that’s just a tiny fraction of all the hires that we’ve seen since we launched Joining Forces just three years ago.

Back when we launched this initiative, we called on companies to step up and hire as many of you as possible.  We hoped we’d meet the President’s goal of getting people to commit 100,000 jobs in two years.  And we thought that that was ambitious.  But the truth is, we met that goal -- and we met it in just one year.  That’s how responsive employers to that request.  (Applause.)  That’s how ready and willing they are to step up and support you.  And today, as we celebrate the third anniversary of Joining Forces, that number has risen to 540,000 jobs.  That’s over half a million jobs in just three years.  (Applause.)  

And as Jill said, we are not stopping there.  Today, I’m pleased to announce that Capital One, in partnership with Hiring Our Heroes, has secured commitments from over 300 small and medium-sized businesses to hire 55,000 veterans and military spouses.  (Applause.)  UPS is doubling their commitment from 25,000 to 50,000 jobs.  (Applause.)  Xerox will be hiring 10,000 veterans and spouses.  And they just launched an initiative called Heroes@Home, which will allow folks to telework from their own homes.  So that’s a good thing.  We are so proud.  (Applause.) 

And today, more than 100 companies have come to this base.  And they’re all here for just one reason -- because they want to hire you.  So make no mistake about it:  We’ve got your backs.  We do.  Because we know what your service has meant to this nation. 

Just think about the history of this very base.  As you all know, Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Screaming Eagles, the Band of Brothers who served in World War II -- (applause) -- and were later sent by President Eisenhower to help integrate Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas.  And I know that many of us will never forget the images of those soldiers facing down an angry mob so that those nine young men and women –- and, quite frankly, all of our children -- could get the education they deserve.  And we’ll never forget your service in the decades since then.  In fact, the 101st is still serving bravely today as we speak in Afghanistan.  They are there now. 

And you all have survived some of the toughest battles, risking your lives time and again to preserve our most fundamental rights and freedoms.  So here’s the beauty of that:  I know you can handle the pressure of a job interview with Xerox or UPS.  That is nothing.  I know you all can thrive in any classroom, in any business. 

And ultimately, that’s really what today is all about.  It’s about ensuring that you all can keep contributing to this nation.  And it’s about making sure that we serve all of you as well as you’ve served the United States of America.  You all deserve nothing less. 

So thank you.  Thank you so much for your service.  Thank your spouses for their service and sacrifice.  Thank you to our veterans for just being a shining light of what America is supposed to be. 

God bless you all.  And I look forward to seeing everything that you achieve in the months and years ahead.  We need you out there.  So go get the job. 

Thank you so much.  (Applause.) 

END
11:51 A.M. CDT

Obama Administration Launches Online Veterans Employment Center: One-Stop-Shop Connects Veterans, Transitioning Service Members, and their Spouses to Employers

One-Stop-Shop Connects Veterans, Transitioning Service Members, and their Spouses to Employers

At today’s anniversary celebration of Joining Forces, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced the launch of a new integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers, and to help translate military skills into the civilian workforce.  The Veterans Employment Center, an integrated, online tool connecting veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses with both public and private-sector employers, is the result of an interagency effort to improve, simplify and consolidate the current array of employment resources for veterans.  Additionally, this will provide one comprehensive database of resumes for employers who are seeking to leverage the skills and talents of veterans, service members, and their spouses.

“Our service members haven’t always had the time or information they needed to prepare their resumes, to plot their career goals, to meet with employers and get the jobs they deserve. And that’s simply not acceptable,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “As my husband has said, when you’ve fought for this country around the world, you shouldn’t have to fight for a job when you return home.  Starting today, every single service member, every veteran, and every military family will have access to a new online tool that will revolutionize how you find jobs in both the public and private sectors.  All you have to do is log on to ebenefits.va.gov.”

“Veterans deserve an authoritative source for connecting with employers,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The online Veterans Employment Center is the single, federal source for veterans looking for new career opportunities, service members transitioning to the civilian workforce, and spouses and beneficiaries looking to connect with job opportunities.”

The new online resource, called the Veterans Employment Center, is the first interagency tool to bring a wealth of public and private job opportunities, a resume-builder, military skills translator and detailed career and training resources together in one place.  In connection with the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative, the Department of Veterans Affairs worked with employers, the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management to design and develop the site and incorporate features of existing online employment tools within government.

The result is an integrated solution providing veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses with the tools they need to connect to employers. With this tool, employers will be able to search and view Veteran, Service Member, and spouse resumes in one comprehensive location. 

"Our service members transitioning to civilian life, as well as their spouses, deserve the resources they need to be successful," said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. "Through this effort, they are getting that help. Our troops and their spouses are proven leaders, highly-skilled and hard-working. Employers hiring them are getting the best this nation has to offer."

“Improving veterans’ employment is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. “With more than 1 million service members projected to leave the military in the coming years, the Veterans Employment Center, along with the wealth of services the Department of Labor offers through its 2,500 American Job Centers, will connect our veterans and service members with both public and private sector employers eager to hire those with military experience.”

“OPM’s USAJobs program is excited to be partnering with the VA on making this a robust tool for our nation's veterans and transitioning service members seeking Federal employment,” said OPM Director, Katherine Archuleta. “It has been more than four years since President Obama established the Veterans Employment Initiative and, in that time, the Executive Branch of Government hired the highest percentage of military veterans in more than 20 years – of the 195,000 new employees hired in FY 2012, approximately 56,000 were veterans, equaling 28.9 percent of total hires. We can continue to honor and show our appreciation for the dedicated and heroic service of America’s veterans by ensuring that they have every opportunity to continue their service to this great nation as Federal civilian employees. The Veterans Employment Center helps us honor these men and women by making employment opportunities available when our servicemen and women lay down their uniforms.”

The Veterans Employment Center will provide employers with access to a targeted pool of resumes from veterans and transitioning service members, allowing them to search resumes to identify veterans with skill sets applicable to civilian employment at their organization, and to track progress towards reaching their veteran hiring goals.  Resumes are visible to all employers with an active LinkedIn or Google profile.  To prevent spam, an applicant’s name and email address are redacted and only visible to employers verified by the VA as registered companies with the IRS.  The site is also built using open data and an open application programming interface to attract private-sector innovation.

Joining Forces is a national initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden to engage all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned. In addition, Dr. Biden launched the Military Spouse Employment Partnership in June 2011 with just under 60 companies. Today, Dr. Biden announced there are 228 partner employers, more than 1.8 million jobs posted on the MSEP Career Portal and more than 60,000 military spouse hires.

The Veterans Employment Center can be found at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs

For a tutorial video on how to use the Veterans Employment Center, please visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfhI-eSoWk.