Unemployment Continues to Rise For Young Veterans

A new report from the Bureau of Labor shows that the unemployment rate for young veterans
aged 18-24 is now at 13.1 percent.

That means that one out of three veterans in that age group were without a job in the last quarter of 2011, that is up from one out of five in the final quarter of 2010.

Paul T. Conway, president of Generation Opportunity said "Those who made the decision to serve
our nation and to defend the freedom of all Americans are selfless individuals who, along with their
families, have made sacrifices for a cause greater than themselves. The fact that unemployment is
disproportionately high for young veterans should be a concern for every American."

Conway went on to say, "When young veterans-highly trained and tested professionals with a proven
ability to learn quickly, operate on a team, and produce results-are unable to find real opportunities
in the job market, it speaks to the poor state of our economy. The root of the problem does not
rest with the American veteran-the issue is the faltering economy and leadership in Washington
that is committed to higher regulations and job killing taxes that inhibit ingenuity and business
expansion, limiting opportunities for all Americans."

Facts like this make on wonder, is the economy getting any better? Is there any chance for change in the
near future?

No mention in this report of the effects on older veterans, many of whom have been out of work
for long periods of time. Many of these veterans have given up hope, and many of them have
become homeless, which is a completely different story.

Nor does it reflect on the enormous effect that will be felt by the thousand
of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are coming home to find that their jobs
are no longer available.

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