We need to find ways to adapt the military training to civilian application. The new veteran needs to find at least some sense of control in the decision making process over their own lives. The next step can go in many different directions depending on the new veteran. Many corporations have their own courses on the use of their IT applications. You may want to set up an online syllabus to assist the vet on his hike through this jungle with its many paths, but also its traps. Try http://www.opencourseware.net as an idea. Talk with the corporations, you have a dual message for them. “What do you really need/want from these vets?” “Remember one thing, the ONLY reason YOU are HERE is because THEY were THERE! Don’t ever forget that!” It may not be nice, but it is the unvarnished truth. The next time it may you, your family or friends to go.

There is one more ugly thing to consider, some can never even begin the process of “transition”. They are the “walking dead of this war.” They have paid their dues to this Nation. In all of your thinking and planning, REMEMBER this, if nothing else.

Kris, thank you, for what you are doing for today’s warriors.

As always,
Grumpy

So we aren’t starting from scratch, Grumpy. We are already in a position of strength and commitment – we want to take it to another level, with as MajMike suggested, a Veterans Advisory Board – doing outreach, recruiting and focus groups.

You all blow me away – this is so much more than I could have ever hoped for. Thank you all for your time, your dedication – and most importantly your service to this country.

And thank you Lex – for giving some of your bandwidth over to this. This is great stuff I’m getting…

Keep it coming, please…all.

Now to continue, as I have already discussed, you have a council within the corporation for military affairs. Now, we’ll take it up one notch. We will create a new level, a “Council of Councils” or an intercorporate council on military affairs. This council would take all of the ideas and check them out. As we compare them with others, we find a good idea, there are many of them out there.

Now, how do we communicate all of this to the returning military people? They have about a ton of baggage to decide on how to deal with it, none of it, easy. There will be a tipping point, where the decompression is complete and it is time to move on. The corporations all create their own military council websites showing their services. Then, you create an intercoporate council website, which is actually a portal to all of the corporate websites. This becomes the launching pad for these military people to a whole new world.

Name: “Help us, to help you, to Help This Great Nation”

As always
Grumpy

When I transitioned I thank God my final and deciding interview was was with a retired Marine (mustang) Major. He could read between the lines of my military resume. Even though my resume didn’t relate directly to the open position, he could extrapolate to civilian application. He was able to draw parallels between experience in flex deck op tempo and 24/7 manufacturing environment.

That and he had the huevos to make a command decision and risk his rep for me based on his estimation/experience evaluating character and talent of an enlisted guy. Of course I didn’t know it was a risk for him at the time. Several years later he invited me to lunch and told his side of it and to thanke me for vindicating his decision.

If I’d only known the risk he took I’d have done a lot less surfing on lunch breaks… LOL

Home Depot has made a big deal for example in targeting military people in the last couple of years.

I’m also in a rather different boat in that I never applied for a single civilian job. I was recruited by my former USAF boss for my first post-USAF job. I wrote that first resumé the night my former boss called and asked me to fly to Detroit and interview. It certainly helped that the company I hired on with was “military friendly.” So much so, in fact, that the employees in the Detroit facility where I first went to work took to calling it “AFCC North” (Air Force Communications Command) because of all the re-treads working there, including one USAF general officer and a boat-load of Chiefs. This phenomenon was duly (and favorably) noted during my interview process, both by me and by the HR folks…who made a point of introducing me to former USAF colleagues.

Another commenter mentioned the value of networking, and I’ll second that thought. Each and every civilian position I held after my first (entry-level) position came as a result of being “drafted” by senior managers who were aware of my track record…either when I was working directly for them or with them on a given initiative. You might also call that “luck,” which shouldn’t be discounted, either.