Patriotic companies across this wonderful land have stepped up over the past decade to give jobs to America’s brave veterans. Their noble gesture is a welcome contrast to the indifference of decades previous, when nobody seemed to care about the person after the uniform came off.
But back then, there were good jobs in abundance. The America of the 21st century has a different economic landscape than that faced by the veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Job growth has been politely described as “anemic,” and a deeper dive into the numbers shows that two-thirds of the jobs created so far in 2013 are part time, low-skilled service positions of the barista variety.
Our veterans deserve better opportunities than that. The problem is that even when taking advantage of generous GI benefits to get a college degree, the discharged or retired warrior is still at the mercy of an economic system that requires increasing specialization and skill to prepare for work in the fields where there is growth.
