Friday on Newsmax, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, while observing National Hire a Veteran Day, encouraged the nation's businesses to recognize the value veterans bring to the civilian workforce.
"It's a great day to recognize the veterans' skills that they come out of the service with, whether they serve, you know, a short term, two or three years or serve, you know, 20 or 30 years," Collins told "Wake Up America." "They come out of their career in the military with dedication, teamwork, and a leadership mindset. They know how to show up on time. They know how to get up. They know how to do those things."
Collins said the VA has had a great deal of success in making employers aware of the value of hiring veterans, and through providing training services, particularly in vocational training, and with education benefits that allow them to further their educations.
"The military of old has transformed into a very educated, very motivated workforce," said Collins. "There are some folks who are coming out of the military who served their time, and they're coming out with degrees and 20 years of work experience that you can't buy anywhere in the industry."
Many veterans also start their own businesses, said Collins, adding that "there are some great companies that are starting by that leadership."
The military also gives people a chance to learn that they wouldn't otherwise have, said Collins.
"You've got young 20-year-olds driving those tanks," he said. "There are some places that they don't want to give younger people a chance."
But the military gives younger adults "more than a chance," said Collins.
"We're putting them in leadership roles," he said. "They're learning teamwork. They're learning how to lead others. This is a part of the veteran culture and the military culture."
The Department of Defense and VA, "are sort of fraternal twins. We take care on both ends of our veterans spectrum," the secretary added.
Meanwhile, some veterans do face difficulty transitioning into the civilian world, but they're also looking for a challenge, said Collins.
"When they go out into the workforce, they're looking for purpose," he said."They're looking to be challenged."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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