A Fighting Chance for Our Fighting Folks

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently released a report raising concerns over the suicide rates among veterans between the ages of 18–29, which went up 26 percent from 2005 to 2007, climbed in 2008 and continued to surge into record-setting, disastrous levels in 2009.

There’s no question that the experience and incommunicable horrors of war, as well as the ill-treatment by our VA for suffering veterans plays a role in these figures –- I know first hand that they do. But is the insufficient funding for veterans’ health benefits the only cure for this dilemma?

According to figures from the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans stands at 11.3%, significantly higher than the nation’s overall rate of 9.8%. Broken down, that’s roughly 185,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans out of work. It should also be noted that many of these unemployed veterans are National Guard or Reserve troops who were called out of factories, plants, and service industries to go fight wars just as so many others have before them. The problem now -- the problem facing our newest generation of veterans -- is that when they set down their tools to pick up arms, upon return, they are usually met not with their tools to pick back up, but rather a pink slip to send them home.

In addition to being proud of my service in the Marine Corps, I have always celebrated a great level of pride in the fact that my service was done as that of an enlisted man. As you might imagine, the ranks of our Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are and have historically been made up of wage-earners. Within my own Marine Company there are now rail men, truck drivers, policemen, firefighters, meter readers and letter carriers. But there are also those who now cross paths not at work, nor at the union hall, but at the unemployment office. These men and women are not looking for any handouts, but is it so far-fetched to think that after serving your country, you could count on being able to get a good job upon your return?

There are countless stories of our troops coming home to vacant factories. Take for example, my friend and fellow Marine, Robert X. Rob grew up in a labor household in the Detroit suburbs, and like his father and grandfather, had every intention of one day joining the ranks of the GM faithful in the hopes of having a family of his own. And also like his father and grandfather, Rob first felt he should give back to his country and serve in the United States Marine Corps. Well, Rob did serve in the Marines –- two trips to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. And you know what? He was damn good at it.

As you might guess, Rob eventually grew tired of fighting, and was honorably discharged from the Marines. And how did his country repay him? How did the bosses whose homes were built off the sweat and labor of Rob and his family’s back show their gratitude? He came home to an outsourced plant and eventually found himself standing in line at a McDonalds for two and a half hours just to apply for a job. Rob ended up having to go back overseas to work as a contractor.

Of course, there are those that say of Rob and others like him, “Yeah, but look how much money he’s making as a contractor.” These are the same people who talk about “greedy unions” demanding healthcare for their workers, of course. And the same folks that land softly on the hard times of others because of their government issued golden parachutes. And the same people that have spent the past decade outsourcing our troops into harm’s way and our jobs overseas; and those that have never punched a time clock nor been to a recruiting station. But they proudly display their Made in China Support the Troops magnet on their foreign car.

Our veterans deserve better. And it should be noted and applauded that leaders like AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka recognize this. Since taking office last fall, President Trumka has worked tirelessly, alongside a variety of groups like the Truman National Security Project, VoteVets, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Blue-Green Alliance in advocating on behalf of the veteran laborers. In chorus, they’re calling on our leaders to pass and enforce legislation focused on ensuring veterans can return to their jobs following their deployments, providing veterans preference and educational benefits to compete in the workforce, and looking at ways to expand and generate new, green manufacturing jobs that can help aide those whose previous jobs have been outsourced. An example is the “Helmets to Hardhats” program, which has successfully placed tens of thousands of veterans into productive, good-paying careers.

The fight at home to find work is proving to be as difficult for some as the fights on the streets of Fallujah and in the mountains of Afghanistan. How long will we sit and allow a generation of brave young men and women sacrifice so much, while often being left with no other choice than to re-enlist … forced into a re-enlistment of military indentured servitude.

We must allow our service members to work side by side as brothers and sisters in the workplace, just as they served as brothers and sisters in war. Our veterans deserve good jobs, certainly the right to pursue one. We cannot allow the strands that form the fabric of our nation to be unwoven. Our veterans were Made in the USA, and I bet they’d be pretty good at making stuff here, too.

Record suicide rates, absurdly high unemployment –- shouldn’t our veterans be too big to fail?

Photo credit: U.S. Army