Don't give up David. You've been through a ton and we all have our big test in life -- you're going through yours now. This recession has kicked us all in the butt but guys like you will come out of it. Just stay the course, be brave and cry out to God to stand with you in this struggle. Somebody somewhere will reach out to you just like you will some day reach out to them. Rich

Good question. I hear that VA and other government agencies have so-called programs in place to get veterans employed in their agencies, but I don't see it happening. I "heard" that veterans are competing with other government preference candidates like Welfare To Work, AmeriCorps, and such. My state once had a pretty good policy steering veterans into decent state jobs and I was a recipient of that program. In turn, I promoted through the ranks from state correctional officer, caseworker, academy trainer, and a position in senior staff administration. I only left to recover from surgery, work a federal position which included service in Iraq, and finish college upon my return. I am trying to get back with my old state agency now. Of course, I keep looking elsewhere in and out of all levels of government and in the private sector. A full time private sector position might be better. My loyalty goes to the guy or gal who hires me. Until then, thank God for my part time and temporary jobs -- even at 1/3 the pay with no benefits, and the VA to cover our (my wife is a vet too) medical needs.

Well, I thought that it was just me, but after reading about all the talented and determined fellow vets out there that can't find a full time job, I am confident that the current recession (perhaps that's too light a term) is the real problem. Maybe the government will stop calling it a "slow recovery" and call it for what it is. Maybe I should have not gone back to finish college after surgery that led to my having to step down from my past career in the first place. I noticed that employers manage to get around government hiring programs for veterans by simply upping the “other” requirements. If you meet the education requirements, then they up the experience requirements at that level or the next lowest level -- not just government jobs, but private sector as well. I know I can’t get around my age of 54 years, so I am banking on my presentation and interview skills, excellent health, education, references, and past performance scores to possibly get me around all of that -- we'll just have to see. In the meantime, I am among the 30-40% of "under-employed" Americans working 2-3 part time/temporary jobs at a mere fraction in earnings of my last full time position. Again, I'm not complaining, but I am worried about the financial well being of my family, and the well being of this country.

-Part 2 of 2-
The best I can do since then is work as a substitute teacher. I'm not complaining. Teaching is rewarding, but I thought I could do better than 30 hours a week at 1/3 of my old state salary. Tried to get my old position -- or less -- in my old state agency, but in spite of excellent prior evals, being in excellent physical condition, having gained a wealth of experience both there and elsewhere, more education and great interviews -- nobody is burning up the phone towers to give me a job. When I first started with the state, I was 28 years old. Today, I'm 54 but just as healthy and a damn sight smarter -- but not smart enough to get a FT job. I'll just keep looking until “the recovery” comes my way -- or maybe I’ll start some business of my own writing history texts for school children. Didn’t mean to ramble, but I know as well as anybody here how tough it is these days. Thank you all for your fine service and hang tough.

-Part 1 of 2-
For what it's worth, I'm been out of FT work since 2008 -- currently working 2-3 PT jobs and still searching. I wasn't a Vietnam War or Persian Gulf War vet. Vietnam ended three months before I graduated HS and got orders to NTC. From there -- submarines. It wasn’t easy duty -- but it wasn’t getting shot at either. After that, the Chapter 34 GI Bill, extra money selling cars, and a BS in Criminal Justice. From there, 15 years through the ranks of our state corrections department from uniformed officer to case work, to trainer, investigator and administration before stepping down in 2003 to get two shoulder surgeries at the VA and enduring eighteen months of physical therapy and complete recovery. In 2005, I got a job at DoD which I held for three years with 7 months service in western Iraq moving throughout Al-Anbar by helo from site to site and yes -- getting shot at. Unlike a lot of you though, I couldn't shoot back. I left DoD in 2008 to complete another BS -- in History.

I am a Navy submarine service vet of the Cold War with later civilian Defense Department service in the Iraq War. Prior to my DoD position, I had to leave a good position as an administrator with a state correctional agency due to needed shoulder surgery through the VA. Since we are considered law enforcement in our state, I could not return until medically cleared even though I was an administrator. After 18 months of physical therapy and healing, I took up a position with DoD because our nation was at war. I left DoD after three years of service, including 7 months in Iraq, to finish college. Now I am trying to return to an equal or lesser position in my old state agency. I am a hit at interviews and I score far above the position requirements due to fifteen previous years of excellent evals and extensive experience. To date, though -- no hits on a job. I'm in perfect physical condition, medically cleared to work through VA, intelligent, quick and likeable. I dress well, display excellent communications skills, interview really well, and after each interview, I leave confident that I have the job. However, I am also 54 years old. I can't help wonder if age is playing into this.

Yeah, kinda like when you "boohoo" laws that forbid you to smoke dope. Go get a life pal.

There are a lot of these "900 foot" no shooting proposals suddenly popping up all over the country and most of them never get off the ground because they are such stupid proposals. We had a similar proposal of "no shooting within 900 feet (300 yards) of another residence" in my home state of South Carolina even if the shooting is done on private property under strict controls. The county in question is along the Atlantic coast. The proposal was shot down (pun intended) by County Council.

Almost every mass shooting in an institutional setting occurred at schools, universities, other government properties, or private business workplaces which were designated “gun-free zones” and where the victims were powerless to defend themselvs because none of them were armed. Virginia Tech, Fort Hood and employment sites that forbid guns are well known. In spite of these islands of vulnerability, the declining violent crime and declining gun accidents where people can legally keep and bear arms more than just correlate to the successful "shall issue" and "unrestricted" policies of those jurisdictions. According to the DOJs National Institute of Justice /Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the FBI Uniform Crime Report every year for the last 20 years, there is a definite causal effect to more guns and less crime.

This Congress is doing what the people elected them to do -- to stay off the backs of the American people and run interference from a rouge president and his cronies. We can include Bloomberg and Associates as some of those cronies. Bloomberg is sweating bullets (pun intended) because interstate concealed carry recipricity already passed overwhelingly in the House and has broad bipartisan support in the Senate. It won't be long before EVERY law abiding citizen with no felony convictions and no serious mental health issues, and who can clear the National Instant Check System can apply for a concealed carry permit and carry anywhere in this country. If Bloomberg doesn't like it, he can move to Mexico which has some of the most draconian gun laws on Earth -- and some of the most horrific violent crimes to go with it.