Veterans still face challenges from HR ignorance

There is not another job seeker that comes in for an interview with as much information about them as a veteran. Period. That is something smart Human Resource Directors figured out a long time ago.

As Justin Claus points out, if employers are worried about PTSD, they should worry about everyone coming in for an interview since PTSD comes after trauma and comes into lives after all kinds of events. Smart HR Directors made sure they found out the truth about PTSD first before they interviewed anyone and they know there is nothing to be afraid of. As a matter of fact they are better off hiring a veteran than anyone else simply because they have already proven their ability to be trained on any job, dependable, able to withstand a challenge and accustomed to team work even while in a leadership role.

Vets' Job Hunt May Be Thwarted By Disability Bias
by ERIN TONER
August 21, 2012
from WUWM

"I've been asked, 'What about a veteran with post-traumatic stress?' Well, what about him? People have post-traumatic stress from being in a car wreck or going through a hurricane or a tornado. But the bottom line still is that they can function on a job," Williams says.

When Army veteran Justin Claus, 26, of Racine, Wis., goes to job interviews, he brings along his DD214, a document that serves as proof of military service. Claus is proud of his service and hopes being a veteran will give him an edge.

But the document, which basically sums up a military career, includes the reason it ended. In Claus' case, it reads "disability, permanent." And that little line Claus says, "comes back to get ya."

He says when employers ask why he was discharged, he recounts a parachute accident in 2007 that left him with chronic back and knee pain.

"I'll tell them what happened and then they're like, 'Oh.' Usually they shortly thereafter end the interview and then I don't hear anything from them," Claus says.

Claus does not share the fact that he also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder but suspects employers assume that any veteran who served after Sept. 11 has PTSD. He has no proof he's not getting hired because of his disabilities. But for some jobs, Claus says he just cannot make sense of the rejection.

"I tried to apply to be a bouncer at a bar here in town. Instead of hiring me, who has the years of service, the experience in security, they hired a kid that was fresh out of high school. No offense to the kid, but he was a twig, and he had a broken wrist. I was like, really? He has a cast on his hand," Claus says.
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Special Forces combat veteran new VA public affairs head

Tommy Sowers Sworn in at VA
Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
August 20, 2012

Tommy Sowers, a Missouri native and Army Special Forces combat Veteran, was sworn in today to oversee the public affairs office and other vital programs for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Tommy Sowers brings to VA a boots-on-the-ground approach to problem-solving combining his experience from the private sector, non-profit, military and academia,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We’re lucky to have him on our team to help advocate for our Nation’s Veterans.”

Sowers, 36, led a combat engineering team in the Kosovo campaign and served two tours in Iraq as a U.S. Army Green Beret. He left active duty as a major after 11 years in uniform.

A native of Rolla, Mo., he taught three years at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received a doctorate in government from the London School of Economics. In 2010, he was a candidate for Congress from Missouri. He later served as senior advisor to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and as a management consultant at McKinsey and Company.

In his new duties as a VA assistant secretary, Sowers will oversee a staff of about 100 professionals. His responsibilities will extend from public affairs, media relations and intergovernmental affairs to tribal relations, homeless programs, outreach, consumer affairs and six national rehabilitative events, including the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

VA Accused of Spinning Gulf War Veterans’ Health

VA Accused of Spinning Gulf War Veterans’ Health
Posted on August 20, 2012 by VCS
From 91outcomes.com and Friend of VCS and Gulf War Veteran Anthony Hardie

NEWSMAX The Wire, Aug. 15, 2012 – Members of a federal committee created by Congress say the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) … isn’t telling the truth about its treatment of America’s veterans, and the department’s latest public statements are more spin than substance.

The VA recently issued a lengthy press release touting its alleged accomplishments regarding Gulf War Illness.

But several members of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans (RAC) — created by Congress in 1998 to advise the VA on Gulf War health issues — say the press release is filled with misleading and inaccurate statements. Some members of RAC, which is comprised of physicians, scientists, and veterans, tell Newsmax they are outraged by the press release — and …. neglect of men and women who served in the 1990-1991 war against Iraq.

Anthony Hardie, a Gulf War Army Special Ops veteran and RAC member since 2005, tells Newsmax… the VA “totally ignored” a RAC report released in late June that gave the department a unanimous vote of “no confidence” for its “failure to develop treatments for the estimated 250,000 veterans suffering from Gulf War Illness.”

In a landmark 2010 report, Gulf War Illness was ruled a legitimate disease — not a psychological ailment— by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a nonprofit organization that provides nonpartisan advice to decision-makers and the public.

But the VA now seems determined to reverse that historic decision and downplay the problem, committee members say.
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Australian mining companies seeking US vets for high-paying jobs

Australian mining companies seeking US vets for high-paying jobs
By SETH ROBSON
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 21, 2012

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Australian mining companies are head-hunting U.S. war veterans to work Down Under as electricians, carpenters and heavy equipment operators.

Australian exports of minerals such as gold, iron ore, oil, gas and coal have more than tripled in the past decade to $190.5 billion last year, with China accounting for a third of the total, according to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Additionally, dozens of new mines are planned but, with a population of just 22 million, there aren’t enough skilled Australian workers to fill all of the jobs being created.

In May, the Australian government streamlined procedures for Americans, with new visas allowing skilled workers to stay in the country for four years. Those with job offers can apply online and get approval in a matter of days, according to Australian recruiters.

With the war in Afghanistan winding down and the Army and Marine Corps ordered to cut 100,000 troops over the next five years, the Australian job offers couldn’t come at a better time for many servicemembers who soon might be unemployed. Despite President Obama’s efforts to encourage more government and private sector hiring of veterans, the unemployment rate for those who served in the post-9/11 era remains high. Last month, 8.9 percent of recent veterans were out of work, which is better than previous years but still above the overall U.S. unemployment rate.
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Military battling white supremacists within its own ranks

Military battling white supremacists within its own ranks
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 21, 2012

The number of white supremacists who have infiltrated the U.S. military is far greater than people realize, Reuters reports. The Pentagon has tried in recent years to crackdown on extremists, but the issue remains a problem.

While the challenge of keeping them out of the uniformed ranks dates back decades, the issue resurfaced recently following the Aug. 5 mass murder at a Sikh temple in southern Wisconsin. The shooter, Wade Page, was a former soldier known for his racist views who openly circulated in white supremacist circles.

Reuters said that, according to a former member of a skinhead group and a Marine veteran, Page and others with similar views are instructed by supremacist groups to join the Army or Marine Corps and absorb all that they can --- from learning how to shoot to working with C-4 explosives. Then, after acquiring military skills, followers are encouraged to get out of the service and prepare themselves for the coming race war.
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