Many of our veterans are hard-pressed to find job opportunity in this country when they return from their service. Shockingly, the nationwide jobless rate among veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq is 12 percent. Military spouses have it worse still, with a 26 percent jobless rate. Kevin Schmiegel, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's veterans employment program, recently asserted that these statistics represent "a national security issue." In an effort to correct these unacceptable numbers, the U.S. Chamber partnered with Student Veterans of America and Recruit Military to help set up the Hiring Our Heroes-Las Vegas job fair on Friday. An article from the Las Vegas Review Journal reports:

"People think veterans are trigger-pullers, that we go around giving each other orders, or that we're coming back with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries," said Sewell, who served in Afghanistan as a munition-systems inspector for Air Force jets. "They think hiring a veteran will be more of a hassle than an asset. But we are trained to be supervisors and to have empathy and leadership skills. Employers are not understanding our value. We need to articulate that better and tell them how our experiences have shaped us as individuals and leaders."

"(Military) recruiters tell young men and women every day that they'll be better off in four years if they serve our country. The fact is, that's not true," said Kevin Schmiegel, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's veterans employment program. "How are we going to recruit talented young men and women if they see those unemployment data? Why should they raise their right hand and serve in an all-volunteer force if their service isn't going to be valued or understood when they're looking for employment after they leave? This is a national security issue."

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