.........."but what about after we're discharged, Secretary Gates?"

WASHINGTON - Strained by war, recently discharged veterans are having a harder time finding civilian jobs and are more likely to earn lower wages for years, partly because of employer concerns about their mental health and overall skills, a government study says.
The Department of Veterans Affairs report, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, points to continuing problems with the Bush administration's efforts to help 4.4 million people who have been discharged from active duty since 1990.

The 2007 study by the consulting firm Abt Associates Inc. found that 18 percent of the veterans who sought jobs within one to three years of discharge were unemployed, while one out of four who did find jobs earned less than $21,840 a year. Many had taken advantage of government programs such as the GI Bill to boost job prospects, but there was little evidence that education benefits yielded higher pay or better advancement.

The report blamed the poor prospects partly on inadequate job networks and lack of mentors after extended periods in war. It said employers often had misplaced stereotypes about veterans' fitness for employment, such as concerns they did not possess adequate technological skills, or were too rigid, lacked education or were at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.
It urged the federal government to consider working with a private-sector marketing firm to help promote and brand war veterans as capable employees, as well as re-examine education and training such as the GI Bill.

"The issue of mental health has turned into a double-edged sword for returning veterans. More publicity has generated more public awareness and federal funding for those who return home different from when they left. However, more publicity, especially stories that perpetuate the 'Wacko Vet' myth, has also made some employers more cautious to hire a veteran," said Joe Davis, spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"The federal government needs to accelerate its hiring and training of these young veterans to fill the ranks of the retiring Boomer generation," he said.
'Government may need to reevaluate'Separately, a Labor Department report obtained by the AP showed that formal job complaints by reservists remained high, citing concerns about denied jobs or benefits after their tried to return to their old jobs after extended tours in Iraq. Reservists filed 1,357 complaints with the department in 2006, the latest figures available, down from nearly 1,600 in 2005, when complaints reached the highest level since 1991.
While complaints declined in 2006, the Labor Department report noted for the first time that figures in the previous years might have been inflated. That's because in some cases a single complaint was double counted after the case was closed in one state and then reopened in another state.

"The military has worked on assisting service members in completing and translating their skills to match equivalent civilian job descriptions; however, training for marketability may require much more preparation than having the ability to improve a resume," the VA study said.
"The federal government may need to reevaluate how it serves the needs of returning service members," it said.

This was an article from that liberal beast, the AP. One could almost conclude that veterans affairs are still not a high priority. It's almost as if we were not ready to go to war? What a shameful way for veterans to be treated! The National Guard and Reserve troops are having an even harder time with employment when they return. Quite basically, we're over-extending our full volunteer forces to capacity. By admission of the heads of all the branches of service, we're asking troops in reserve rolls to fill-in as regular troops, and they are just not ready! Not only have they not had the training (a recent complaint by one mechanized Army officer, stated that some reserve combat troops are even being asked to skip training at the National Training Center, Ft. Irwin, CA before deploying to Iraq), they don't have the full personnel for completion of the mission. You know what I'm going to say - the answer is clear - yes, the draft will have to return if we are to keep this war running. I really salute the members of our military who have deployed and will deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. These are true patriots who didn't hide behind deferments and other plans when their country called. These soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors believe in America, and deserve to be treated with the upmost dignity and respect when they return. This should be priority number one for our veterans affairs! Shame on this nation and her leaders for allowing even one of these brave individuals to suffer! It's not enough to wave a flag and spout words. Write your representatives on every level, and tell them that they must support our troops both in the field and after!