By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON,
Nov. 7, 2011 - President Barack Obama announced executive orders today
to give tax credits to employers who hire post-9/11 veterans and wounded
warriors, as well as enhanced career counseling and related services
for veterans.
The president, flanked by veterans association
representatives in the White House Rose Garden, expressed concern that
unemployment continues to increase among post-9/11 veterans, despite the
skills and attributes they have to offer.
Today's 9/11 generation
has performed heroically in some of the world's most dangerous places,
he said, and "done everything that we've asked of them."
"We ask
our men and women in uniform to leave their families and their jobs, and
risk their lives to fight for our country," he said. "And the last
thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home."
"And
that's why we're here today," he continued, "to do everything in our
power to see to it that America's veterans have the opportunities that
they deserve and that they have earned."
To incentivize employers
to hire them, the president announced a new Returning Heroes Tax Credit
that will provide companies up to $5,600 in credits for each unemployed
veteran they hire. Similarly, a new Wounded Warriors Tax Credit offers
employers up to $9,600 for each veteran with service-connected
disabilities they hire.
Obama also announced new initiatives designed to make it easier for veterans to find jobs.
Effective
today, post-9/11 veterans can download a Veteran Gold Card that
entitles them to six months of personalized case management, assessments
and counseling services at roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers
nationwide. This service, which makes good on a pledge Obama made during
a speech at the Washington Navy Yard in August, could benefit more than
200,000 post-9/11 veterans, White House officials said.
In
addition, the Labor Department today launched an online tool, My Next
Move for Veterans, where veterans can enter information about their
military experience and skills to identify civilian careers that put
that experience to use, the president explained.The site also offers
information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education
and training programs, officials said.
Meanwhile, a new job bank
that also took effect today will help connect unemployed veterans to job
openings at companies seeking to hire veterans, Obama said.
Developed
in partnership with leading job search companies, the registry enables
employers to tag job postings for veterans. Obama noted today that more
than 500,000 job openings already have been tagged.
Meanwhile, the
president urged Congress to move forward with his jobs bill that he
said will further increase employment opportunities for veterans.
Obama
recognized the leadership capabilities and specialized skills veterans
bring to the workplace at a time when the nation needs those
capabilities to stay competitive.
"Connecting our veterans to the
jobs they deserve isn't just the right thing to do for our veterans,
it's the right thing to do for America," he said.
"Recognizing
that Americans are commemorating Veterans Day this week, the president
called it a time to honor those who have served in uniform and to
"commit ourselves to serving them as well as they have served us."
"As
commander in chief, I want all our veterans to know that we are forever
grateful for your service and for your sacrifice," he said. "And just
as you fought for us, we're going to keep fighting for you: for more
jobs, for more security, for the opportunity to keep your families
strong and to keep America competitive in the 21st century."
Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"
----------------
"And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades."
-- Robert M. Gates, 1996
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