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Welcome home, men.. sort of...
Submitted by Matt on Mon, 2010-03-15 17:44
Young veterans returning home to few jobs. Excerpt:
'WASHINGTON - The unemployment rate last year for young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans hit 21.1 percent, the Labor Department said Friday, reflecting a tough obstacle combat veterans face as they make the transition home from war.
The number was well above the 16.6 percent jobless rate for non-veterans of the same ages, 18 to 24.
As of last year, 1.9 million veterans had deployed for the wars since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some have struggled with mental health problems, addictions, and homelessness as they return home. Difficulty finding work can make the adjustment that much harder.'
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Comments
This article is right on the money
This article is right on the money. I'm a veteran of operation Iraqi freedom, and a recent college graduate. I can't find a job anywhere. I get interviews but as soon as I tell the employer that I don't have any accounting experience they're not interested. Because of this recession people with a degree and 5-7 years of experience are taking entry level positions, leaving guys like me out in the cold.
I've even try applying for jobs I'm way overqualified for, such as a security guard, bank teller, or greeter at wal-mart. Those businesses don't want to hire me either; they are all afraid that I'll leave for a better job once the economy turns around. Which is correct, but what the hell am I suppose to do in the meantime? It's not like I can re-enlist in the military, they don't want me anymore because my knees went bad from all of the running in full gear they had me doing. I better figure something out fast or I'll be out on the street.
Even more disconcerting is the large rise in young homeless people I've seen in my area lately. I'd never saw a homeless man under 30 that didn't have obvious mental problems, and I'd never seen a homeless woman, much less a young one before two months ago. It always seemed that if a woman was facing homelessness she could find some sucker to take care of her; or, just find a battered womens shelter and lie to them in order to stay there. Now I see young homeless people in my area on a regular basis.