This is just under two hours. I guess i will say first, it is a little humbling and honestly intimidating to follow president bush, but our job is to spend just 10 minutes talking about the collective and collaborative action that has brought us to today. A recap of where we have been relative to implement relative to employment, and what may lie ahead, challenges and opportunities both for our transitioning Service Members and their families, but also for the Employer Community that has been so supportive of this effort. Only because you expect it from me, do i have a grass with a bunch of data and things behind me, but im not going to talk to that and only use it as a way to suggest that we really have accomplished an awful lot over the last 57 years, in particular. Of the private sector and our partners in the Public Sector have made a Significant Impact on the vocational situation of veterans. We have learned a lot in the context of doing this work. Through the coalitions that we have mentioned and the president mentioned, when hundred thousand jobs mission, the coalition here, and i because the somedent did, list off employers who have made remarkable contributions, it gives me an out not to be able to mention any employers by name and therefore not get in trouble later on. That probably at no point in our history since world war ii has the private sector stepped up in such a meaningful way to support the vocational transition of our servicemembers. Collectively, as a community, we deserve an awful lot of credit for that. We have built tools, put them into action, and we will hear more about some of those today. To move this effort and agenda forward. When we put up data like i have here, it always begs the question and it has recently in the context of what is next for the community, is there an employment challenge . Is there an employment crisis relative to our nations veterans . Delicately,st, very so as not to offend because these questions do sometimes make for good dueling op ads. At the end of the day, i actually think the questions themselves are little bit of a red herring. The only answer that matters to questions like that are the ones that you get when you are standing in front of a veteran who has done everything that they need to do to position themselves for postservice employment. And they tell you whether or not they have been successful. Ultimately, that is the only answer that really matters. Tortureas i learned, this data to deck and a way that tells any story that we wanted to tell. Hopefully, part of what we are going to do, and as i transition we are going to a place where we are asking more nuanced and prospective questions. The pitfalls, one of the things that seem to get us in trouble a little bit as we focus on putting are inherently constrained resources to the first, best use, serving the vocational challenges of veterans is that we tend to paint this community with one single brush. We do not acknowledge the heterogeneity that exists across this community. I will give you an example of how you can frame that question may be a little differently relative to the amp the implement challenges that some cohorts of this community may or may not face. What you see on this graph are two lines, the dark line represents a longitudinal view all the way back to 2000. The employment gap between 2024,11 veterans, ages and their civilian counterparts. What you see on the light blue line is the employment gap veterans, ages11 34 and above, relative to their civilian counterparts. What i would suggest and i could build 25 of these, 30 of these as i slice and dice of the veteran community, but as i talked to really smart economists around the country about how we should be thinking about focusing our efforts moving forward. This idea of identifying and then acting on this idea of an employment gap relative to civilian demographic counterparts. Whether it is a function of ethnicity and gender or age skill, industry, etc. At the end of the day, the Value Proposition relative to volunteering for military service is one such that you are better off on the way out. Recruiting effort or initiative is based around that Value Proposition. Here, for example, is one group that it appears we are not delivering on that Value Proposition. There are lots of reasons to explain this and some are inherent in simply the are these people are. Highlight that persistently, over the course of the last 1012 years, there has been an employment gap between that particular population and their sibling counterparts. One, and im already over, arent i . I use this one because i wanted to share this chart. Is there cause for sustained action for us moving forward . There are the projection separations. These are dod numbers. Over the next five years, and look at the cohort that is going to be separating and the highest numbers. The idea here is that whether or not we have this discussion about, is there and implement challenge and crisis . What really matters most is that we are asking a different set of questions moving forward so that we can focus our resources to serve the need where the need is greatest. Heres a learned quick summary as a way to transition this. As we think about our research and the surveys of thought leaders that we have conducted, surveys of veterans, at the end of the day, really, the path forward is about institutionalizing the focus, more upstream of transition, on this idea of a collective and collaborative effort between the public and private sectors. This initiative and these coalitions and this work really got off the ground as a function of dealing with an immediate crisis, but as we talk and have conversations about the future of the military force, which secretary carter is having now his idea of a more Purposeful Partnership between the private sector becomes central to actually and acting enacting that vision. But we need better data. The reality is that we do not have great visibility into that upstream pipeline in such a way that it allows nonprofits and private sector employers to position resources appropriately to support that vocational transition. It is also important to acknowledge that both the labor market and the demographics represented by this population is changing pretty dramatically over time. The population of veterans, or servicemembers leaving the military and 2007 relative to today is an entirely different population. We have to build, therefore, Dynamic Models of intervention. Programs that can be adapted and evolved over time to serve that changing demographic. Also to be aligned with changing labor market demands. Ultimately, finally, my transition is to suggest that we have to start asking different questions. We have to start moving the level of analysis from a high level, national effort, where we are looking at veterans as a cohortson to drill into and set cohorts of the veteran population. Importantly, at the local and regional levels. Because, at the end of the day, one of the most powerful lessons that we have learned from all of the work that we have done with our partners at the bush center, is where it matters most is local. Our servicemembers are returning to their towns, villages, etc. Where the economies are local, the social networks are local, the support of services are local. If we do not start asking questions about how we can serve and said or a serve and support at the local level, i think we miss the opportunity to really institutionalize a focus on employment transition over the longterm. With that, i can transition to mark, to actually give him an opportunity to put that call to action that i just suggested to action. To demonstrate until that we have been building along with they have really been building it, and we have been helping them see what to build, that offers the opportunity to really andin a much deeper way powerful way, relative to understanding where to focus our resources. With that, mark. Mark thank you. I will do this quickly. That is my fault. Mark i will blaze right through this. The pension the president mentioned smart policy. Mike mentioned that things need to be at the community level. That is the problem that we began to work with suri cruise nine months ago as we began to aggregate the data and hone in two and dynamic model that we can evaluate at the local level. You can see theres lots of data here. The purpose here is to put the data to allow us to ask the probing questions to get at that regional construct. I can go through this later on. This is an aggregation of the data nationally, that can help us better help veteran unemployment down to the county level. It can help us look at the data by gender. By age. By disability status. By education. It allows us to capture all of the data sets, so now we can begin to ask the questions. How do we drill down and look at this information. We start to reorganize our policy, start to reallocate resources from a National Level down to a community level. Let me give you a quick example. Here, we look at two counties, 60 miles apart. In texas. One is a rural community. One is an urban community. You can see that in the rural community, much higher levels of unemployment. Much lower Median Income. 60 miles away, and an urban community, and harris county, you can see the Median Income is much higher. You can see the employment is much lower. That does not necessarily give us an answer, but when we talk about how do we allocate resources and programs, one might ask, is this an issue of transportation . 60 milesking sure that apart, how do we put together resources to get those folks in the Rural Communities to places where the jobs exist, just 50 miles away . And maybe a transportation issue, or maybe a training and skills issue. The president mentioned that you can train skills, of course you can. Could only leverage the skills and employment that is 60 miles apart . To give Employment Opportunities to those veterans. If we can do this nationally, now, at the county level, we control down and look at any one of the number of demographics here it begins to inform the conversation, it begins to allow us to feel that the discussion, and most important, it allows us to target resources and programs to where the greatest need is at the community level. One other piece of the model that we looked at was the highest industries. Youll see this chart really depicts the highest growth industries. In the upper righthand crowd corner, by growth on the x axis, and on the y axis the total number of jobs available. Right, see in the upper in the education and health services, one of the highest growth rates and has the most jobs, but has the smallest number of veterans. You can see in the lower left, and the federal space, has the greatest number of veterans, but it has the lowest growth rate. So how do we use data to help us target where we can best allocate resources and target are opportunities for veterans. These models allow us to ask questions and answer these and make informed decisions and get for policymakers, employers, and Community Leaders. We are really thrilled and excited to be doing this with syracuse. I will say that it will take a village and more information and certainly other partners. We welcomed us and we welcome other partnerships to make this work. Thank you much. [applause] i was in denial of how bad it really was. The outer shell of him came back , but everything on the inside was dead. It was like it was just least 22day, at veterans commit suicide. That is almost 8008 year. A new program could save their lives. This isnot broken. That is why youre in that chair. [indiscernible] family situation. Its not working for you. It was only a five day program, how can a person change in five days . The brotherhood has a lot to do with it. This is the last [indiscernible] they literally feel that they are going to die. Love you, brother. [indiscernible] how many men . Ow many would you guess somewhere between 80 and 90. We have a lot riding on this. My life is riding on this. [applause] thank you, and good morning. So, that clip might lead you to believe that i am going to share a sad story with you this morning. In fact, i will just tell you an honest story. Of veterans who struggle with ptsd and what opportunities lie on the other side of that. Us, i started working on this documentary and 2013. I had just left cnn fulltime to start a Media Company called starfish media group. My very first assignment back for cnn was to do a full length documentary on what happens to veterans and their Family Members when they return helm, but they are struggling with ptsd. We embedded, for five days, with say a warrior, which is a Small Organization based out of southern california, that believed that soldiers who were returning home needed tools to specifically heal with some of the issues that they were facing. Anger,ion, anxiety, loss. Issues that in the past might have been dealt with using prescription drugs. Or maybe nonprescription drugs, or alcohol. Were in fact, these tools meditation, understanding what other people were going through. Feeling a connection to other. Ervice members a brotherhood, if you will, of sorts. Undergoing challenging experiences. Rock climbing, therapy, meditation. All of these strategies that save a warrior utilized to 13ate connection between guys who had never met before, and yet in many ways, shared a very similar struggle. Many of them were frankly suicidal and they cannot figure out how to live in the world. You saw the man in the clip, africanamerican gentlemen, he jumped to the ropes course. He was speaker very openly with his wife these are crying telling them that if the courts did not work, he was going to kill himself. Me, theibed it for suicidal feeling, as being in a burning building. He said it is like a building is on fire, and you dont want to jump, you are you afraid to jump, but the fire is so intense that you feel like you have no other choice but to jump. So, in may of 2013, i spent five days embedded with save a warrior and several more days interviewing him and his emily and also another gentleman and his family. As you saw in the clip, those five days were very emotional and they were very intense. Sundays are very miserable and some were thrilling. Derek holmes was chosen to be in our documentary because he was exactly the kind of guy who hates to appear in documentaries like this. His disdain for the news media was very, very clear. He tell me that he did not trust that i would not screw up his story, and that he challenged me to run unedited what he said because the news media all must gets it wrong about veterans. And probably i cannot manage to get it right. He said, when these stories come on tv, none of us, many veterans, watch. They are all bs, but he did not use that word. We do not watch the source because they are not real. He challenged us to tell the real story and get it right, and so, we did. , felt we owed it to the 13 men and in this case it was meant, they also do female cohorts to follow what happened for good or for bad. For success or for failure, we would just tell their stories. In the end, the program was lifechanging. We went in with no preconceived notions. At the beginning, who is clearly an alcoholic, tricking several bottles of wine every single day, by the end, he had stopped drinking. He reengaged with his wife and his small children. He has been doing really well ever since. And garrett, his anger laid just below the surface also changed, and i learned much more about him. Not just his experiences in the work, which he spoke about, but also his goals and his hopes and his dreams for his life after the service. I learned that his dream was to be a photographer. With a little bit of shoving at times, i got to see some of his work, instead of questioning him, we got to see what he was shooting for us. I learned that he enjoyed, as i discovered with many people who suffer from ptsd, enjoy hiding behind a camera which made him feel a little bit more secure in conversation, but it also made him a wonderful hidden of human nature, which turns out to be a very good thing if you have any desire at all to be a photojournalist. His experience in the military, being ultraobservant, made him a great and very valuable storyteller. Answer a recorder. The fact that he had wrestled with some demons successfully made him a good listener. Empathetic, and sympathetic. All very good qualities and a journalist. And he had tremendous raw talents. I think because of his military training, the quality of excellence was held in to what he consistently delivered. He was always working on his craft, always seeking feedback, never ever saying no, and i will not talk about timeliness or showing organized etc. No surprise then, that my company, starfish media group, has hired him after the documentary to be our west coast photojournalist for the projects that we do. I almost hate to say it out loud as i feel like people in the audience are going to still him from me because he is that amazing. It is like giving away a good secret. The media, i think, often flames the issue of ptsd as kind of a curse. Like some kind of crazy, lets watch this explode sort of thing. And that is not the case. What i have learned in my reporting on the war comes home, the documentary, is that ptsd is real. It is not to be ignored, it is not to be diminished or trivialized, but it is manageable, and people do come out of the other side. Those people who come out of the other side, what they have to offer as employees, the more importantly, of course, as human. Eings, is incredibly valuable it makes all of us better. I am pleased to be part of the conversation today, because i think this is a crucial message that is often lost in our daily reporting about veterans. The contributions and the potential for contributions is huge. I also want to take a moment and introduce you to derek holmes who have asked to join me this morning. He is an excellent photojournalist, and entrepreneur the surface country very well, and now partners with me serving as well. And telling stories about veterans and others, because of his well honed an excellent eye. Much i think is due to its time to the military, so garrett if you could stand up so i can introduce you to the audience, i would be grateful. [applause] will have a chance to lead some of the discussions this afternoon, and im looking forward to continue to tackling this topic. Thank you very much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the u. S. Secretary of labor, thomas perez. [applause] sec. Perez good morning, it is an honor to be here. Thank you for honoring us with your presence, mrs. Bush. I had the privilege of spending time with president bush and it was an honor to be with him, and you set a high bar for us coming in, in terms of serving our veterans, and i want to say thank you to you on behalf of the president and first lady, and the Vice President , dr. Biden, so much that we are doing, and i also want to say thank you to tom. And everybody else. Thank you, eric, i know you are here. I also want to say thank you to all of the distinguished active duty and retired military leaders here and responses. We know it is a joint venture, and so we want to say thank you so much. Yesterday, was would have been my fathers 93rd birthday. Next monday is the 41st anniversary of his passing. I come from a family where military service was a badge of honor. My father and my mother were one of nine. Our family emigrated from the dominican republic, all of our uncle served in world war ii. I grew up listening to their stories. My father, after he left the service, went to the va hospital in buffalo, new york, because buffalo, new york, and the dominican republic, the weather was very similar, so they were the one to settle in that warm weather climate of buffalo. My father worked at the va hospital until his passing. My brother then worked at the va hospital of use later. Nephew is now my working at the va hospital in buffalo, new york, as a physician. I wear that as a badge of honor. They taught us that this is so important, to serve our nation. Those who served us with such distinction. In my previous role in the civil rights division, we had a robust docket of cases on behalf of Service Members. Injuredered over when 25 million on behalf of Service Members who had been victims of wrongful foreclosures. We settled the largest cases involving activeduty service and restore deployed and then came back to find that their jobs were not there for them. That is illegal. And we fought for them. We also got to make sure that the right to vote was available to Service Members and their spouses serving overseas. Again, those that work with a labor of love, and that work continues to be a labor of love. And the department of labor now, we get the opportunity to Work Together and in partnerships with so many of you in his audience to make sure that the opportunity for employment is an opportunity then that is available to everyone. The chambers announcement that as of this month, half a million veterans and their spouses have been hired through this initiative is a remarkable example of our partnership in action. I want to say congratulations and thank you. This has, indeed, been an all hands on deck enterprise. You look at the roster of egress today and it really demonstrates our nations commitment, across the board, to making sure that we serve our Service Members. I am so excited to be going to a job there in a few weeks in hawaii to talk about how we can get our veterans the jobs that they need and deserve. Again, with your efforts and with the efforts of the first lady and dr. Biden, joining forces, we certainly have come a long way. You look at the Unemployment Rate today for veterans, it is 5 , which is 1. 6 lower than it was a few years ago. When it was 6. 6 . You look at post9 11 veterans, 5. 4 compared to 7. 3 figure two years ago. And double digits in 2011. We are moving in the right direction. We have a vast network of partnerships. That is the key. Youll hear me say the word partnerships so many times, because that is what it really is about. Making sure that our federal partners are working together, making sure that we avail ourselves of the leadership of people like president and mrs. Bush, making sure that we are working with our friends in the Business Community, making sure that we are learning everything we can. Earlier this month, i had the privilege of traveling to three different cities with secretary mcdonald, and secretary castro, because what we were trying to do was give light to a significant issue that we are making progress on, but which we have more work to do. That is the issue of veterans homelessness. Travel to houston, and we met with mayor parker, because you stand has announced the creation of a system in her community that ensures that all veterans who need Housing Assistance will be quickly linked to Supportive Services and permanent housing. Ago,se, five years president obama set forth an ambitious goal of ending veteran homelessness by the end of this year. We invested 38 Million Dollars in partnerships with Nonprofit Service providers who are Homeless Veterans Reemployment Program to help struggling veterans get their jobs. In houston, they have set up a system so that they are wellpositioned to meet that goal by the end of the year. Salt lake city and phoenix have already installed systems so that they have been able to effectively end chronic veteran homelessness. We will continue that work. The thing about this is when i go to the city, it is not something the numbers and the data and the partnerships, it is really the people that we meet for the most remarkable. In tucson, and medical i name cliff, it was not the first time i met him. We do a point in time survey every year to measure how many people are homeless across america. This year, i traveled to tucson. Military. Ed in the when he got out, he fell on tough times. He was in the criminal justice system. He got out, and wanted to better himself, and as a result of some of our investments, he was able to do just that. Now he is a counselor, working with veterans and in the last your he has helped over 400 veterans get back on their feet. Cliff, himself, was formerly homeless and now he is a leader in preventing homelessness. People like him inspire me. People like a woman i met named genevieve, inspire me. A single mom, a veteran, who served with distinction, fell on hard times, and again, experienced homelessness. With the help of our investments in our partnerships and the leadership of so many folks in the community, she is back on her feet. She was so proud because she just got her degree in social work. To get a masters in social work, and what she wants to do is help other veterans because she has walked in their shoes and she can and she will help them. What she said to me, really epidermolysis where we are at, she says, the help that we got, they were not handouts. They were a hand up. They helped me turn my life around, and it is not just about me, it has given my daughter a brighter future, too. That is why were all in this, because people like genevieve and cliff had given so much to our nation and we only to them to redouble our efforts, and that is why i am so grateful for the work that the chamber is doing. That is why i am so grateful for the partnership that we have with others to make sure that the Transition Assistance Program is working well. The Transition Assistance Program as you know is a joint venture with dod and the v. A. And the department of labor. We are making it better and better with every passing year because we are learning from our hearing says. And we are measuring our progress, so for instance, we did a servant we did a survey recently of 11,000 participants and the taft program and 91 reported that they would use what they learned in their own transition planning and 89 reported that it enhanced their confidence in transition planning. So, that is another aria were once again, partnership at work is serving Service Members at scale. Another aria of investment that we are all in on is a british it. I believe that apprenticeship is the secret weapon for employing so many people across this country, and we have been working collaboratively to make sure that veterans have access to apprenticeship. I often referred to apprenticeship as the other college. Except without the debt. Apprenticeship has application not simply and the skilled trade, but in i. T. , and health care, and cyber security. In summary different areas, and we are working together to make sure that enter our grantmaking, we are giving opportunities for apprenticeship to summit a veterans and veterans were eligible to use their post9 11 g. I. Bill to supplement apprentice wages while they participate. That is a real pathway to the middle class, and that is why we continue to work to expand and grow apprenticeships. Another thing we have to do and we need to do this together, and i saw this firsthand when i worked at a state level, as we need to work to eliminate barriers to credentialing and licensing. Every time ive been to a military base i will ask the co, how many times have you moved in your career ecco your career . As someone has been her 16 years, it is usually double figures. I do not need to speak to you because you know that from your own it. Says. The challenge that you have is when you move from one state to the other and your spouse may be a teacher or your spouse may be some other profession that has licensing that it is hard to get that license. In the other state. I will never forget the combat medic that i met when i was up at aberdeen. He served in a war zone and had been a paramedic there, then you install by the state of maryland that he was not good enough. I cannot understand that. We need to address those licensing barriers. I think we can all agree that it is hard to understand how someone who was an explosive ordinance tax in the navy and served to combat tours overseas is somehow not qualified to work demolition on a highway construction crew. That makes no sense. That is the most polite description i can get of that. Number of states have taken action in recent years to identify and address these unnecessary licensing barriers. These steps are critical to ensuring Economic Opportunity and mobility for servicemembers and their spouses. In order to encourage this, the president s budget proposes a 15 Million Investment to help states and those efforts. We know that this affects Military Spouses because, again, moving credentials from state to state can be timeconsuming, frustrating, and expensive. So that is why we are continuing to work on these efforts, and we need your help. We need traffic advocacy at a state levels that we can do this. I want to talk about a resource that has been a linchpin in our efforts for progress. That is the 2500 American Job Centers across the country. When a veteran goes into those job centers they receive priority of service. By law, they go to the front of the line because they deserve to be at the front of the line, given all the service that they have provided. American job centers provide expert, Personalized Services to help you find that right career path. To Access Training opportunities and to put yourself in front of employers. We are working hard to make sure the coreranslate competencies that you have as a Service Number into the civilian workforce. So often we are from Service Members, i was in one of my going to do . You have game, theres a lot that you can do. What we are doing is serving at that translator so that employers understand the various skills that you bring to the table, and it is not only the hard skills, but it is a team skills, the essential teamwork skills, showing up on time, understanding how to work under pressure. You know what devcon one means, and you translate that working under pressure into the workplace. That is what we do in the workforce system. Now we are set to become an even more Potent Network because last year and overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the workforce innovation and opportunity act was passed. It is set to take effect july the first. The reforms that are contained give jobseekers additional tools to punch their ticket to the middle class. So, were going to continue that work. Partnerships are continuing. Just a few weeks ago i was with someone at the Consumer Financial protection bureau, because what we have done is join forces with the cf to launch new initiative providing financial coaching to veterans. So as 35 American Job Center side nationwide, we will better serve that by providing them with a credential financial coach who has an understanding of the veterans community, military families, and the challenges they face here it these professionals provide oneonone free coaching to help them craft a personalized plan. Because that is critically important. How to manage her money. Were making these onestop centers truly onestop centers for all of the need that veterans confront. I want to say, in closing, i want to say thank you. Because, we all play different and president and mrs. Bush are playing a remarkably important instrument in the front of the orchestra, the Business Community im a trial lawyer, so i drift the Business Community is playing a critical role, because you cant you keep a plain folks. Now were moving into sectorbased partnerships, so the entire construction industry, as opposed to simply one or two companies have made a commitment to hiring veterans. Are educators have made a commitment to tailoring programs toward veterans. This dough pipe implosion that we are seeing in the federal government is working for veterans. We are working with our state and local partners to make sure that we eliminate those licenses and credentialing barriers that i talked about. Faithur nonprofit and communities, they are in this orchestra, so we play different instruments. But we are all in the same orchestra. It is the orchestra of opportunity. And with your leadership here at the chamber, with the leadership of remarkable people like president and mrs. Bush, remarkable leaders like president obama, mrs. Obama, jill biden, the Vice President , we are commanding an orchestra that is her markable. We have changed as a nation. I remember the vietnam era, we did not respect our veterans. And we have changed that. We only to our veterans as a nation, and we have specific work to do with post9 11 veterans, because we still have Unemployment Rate that are even elevated. There is no spike and the football, even though the and implement rate is coming down. We need even more people in this orchestra. Even though it is already a robust orchestra. You have my assurance that we are going to continue to play our instruments as long as it is necessary to enable our servicemembers who have earned that right to be treated with dignity, to make sure that they have a seamless transition to the middle class. Because America Works best when we feel the full team. And when we feel the full team of servicemembers who have served with station, then our team is simply the best team in america. You have seen that, that is why employers have stepped up. We have seen that at the department of labor, that is why 30 of our hires are veterans. We see that across the federal government and america sees that. That is why i have chronic optimism that this progress will sustain itself for many years to come. Thank you mrs. Bush. For setting a high bar and making that bar high. Think you president obama for making sure we are sustaining that progress and mrs. Obama and dr. Biden and Vice President biden. We honor the memory of beau by making sure we serve our nations military and we make sure that we give them opportunities in the aftermath of their service. Thatorchestra is humming we have more work to do, there is no letting up. Think is a much for having me. Thank is much for your presence. It isnt much to tom donohue and the chamber for your leadership. [applause] all right. [applause] that is a tough act to follow, but good morning everyone and thank you so much for including mary and me and this important discussion. What a Great Program that the whole team has put together. I want to thank tom donohue and the chamber for putting us in the chamber. It is a great place to will this event. We, in uniform, are really very grateful to the military Service Initiative in hiring our heroes, that whole team, for arranging this Mission Transition event. Starting at the top, this means migos, eriche dos an and miguel. And the whole organization for what you have done. And of course, we are very grateful to the president and mrs. Bush. It goes without saying that your gift of personal attention to this effort is immensely important and deeply appreciated by all of us. Thank you so much. Thanks to all of you for being here. [applause] thanks to all of you for being here and for your endearing support for veterans including recognizing their potential as employees once the transition of the military. These men and women have raised their right hand and volunteered. They have donned a clot of our nation and they have gained valuable training and experience. They have briefed and a culture of integrity and hard work. It have become leaders under stressful conditions and many of them in many cases have sacrificed the before country. They have grown personally like nobodys business. And they, and their spouses, are now a tremendous winwin opportunity that should be everybodys business. As much as we would like to keep them all, and as with those with the many generations before them, huge numbers of them are shifting back into civilian life and are eager to find honest work. As president bush said over the next five years, over one million of these volunteers are going to make this transition. Yet, despite the see of goodwill generated by the literally thousands of nonprofits and Veterans Services organizations, dedicated to helping with their transition, too many of them are finding it difficult to find a job. While the overall veterans and implement rate has fallen below the national average, the post9 11 rate is not there yet. But there are good reasons why american businesses should hire our veterans. Israel room is a critical part of getting the word out on that. First, our people are motivated by the right ideals. Our recruiting statistics show that most of these people enter the military because they wanted to do something important. It is ano surprise signature characteristic of the millennial generation. In fact, a recent survey about what he will join the military found that the number one reason was pride, selfesteem, and honor. Followed by a desire to better their lives and then duty and obligation to country. Then Everything Else you would imagine came after that. I would sure what to hire someone, mature enough, at a young age, to think of country before self. Factcans can count on the that we have only added to that maturity over their time in uniform. I was exposed to this early on in college. Many years ago, when i became friends with a fellow who had flunked out of college and join the navy during the vietnam war. When he left the navy, he came to georgia tech, where i was a student, and literally aced the course and aerospace engineering. That pretty much captures how motivated amateur began people can be. Amateur. We have artie talked about what business it is to hire a veteran. We even invested a lot in these people, including those of taking advantage of it, additional education. In many cases, these veterans offer Technical Expertise directly relevant to the job for which they are applying. In other cases, they bring the ability to quickly absorb new training and a skill similar to what they might have been doing in the service. Or even not similar, they just know how to learn. The reality is that military experience confers on Service Members skills and experiences that are highly sought after in business and industry. It is a Diverse Workforce that made the cut to getting into the military from the first place, from a generation in which only three out of 10 people qualify. Years of peerreviewed, academic articles from several fields suggest that there are a number of Key Attributes are hard for successful business and industry that we, in the military put into our veterans. These include being entrepreneurial, assuming high levels of trust, being adept at skills transfer across contexts and tasks. Leveraging their advanced Technical Training and their ability to learn. Being comfortable and adaptive in working and discontinuous environments. Bringing high levels of resiliency, exhibiting advanced team building, having strong levels of organizational commitment, leveraging crosscultural experiences, and definitely being unable to work in diverse settings. Who would not want these characteristics and their workforce . That is before you consider the tax credit that are available under several programs in which you can hire a veteran. Third, these young men and women also bring values, vital to any organization, including loyalty, integrity, and teamwork. When asked about employees, they have recently released employer most often cite character flaws rather than gaps in skill as their rationale. We are pretty good at ironing out character flaws in the military. At, Many Companies higher for skill set, listed in a vacancy announcement, not character. A study done by the Corporate Executive board aimed at capturing the Value Proposition of veteran employees, they found a better and performance is 4 higher than for nonveterans and that veterans experience 3 less turnover. When you apply this to a company with a workforce of only 25 veterans, that translates into at least an extra percent or two in annual revenue. I will also point to a monster survey that noted that 99 of employers believe that their veterans perform better, or as well, as their nonveterans years. Those of you here in business already have helped veterans and you know that you have seen their adaptability, their interpersonal skills, and their ability to perform under pressure and go the extra mile when it is required. We just need to also help ensure these folks are getting a job that is the right its. We want to make sure that they are successful on their first try. There are other imperatives about hiring veterans that do not translate into the bottom line. In this regard, i would ask that we advocate not looking upon hiring a veteran as an act of charity, but that it can be an act of patriotism. Because, it actually contributes to our military future. That is because, and i believe again, president bush mentioned, next version of Service Members will be influenced by how all of those before them are treated. One of the most important drivers for a young person signing up in the first place is key influencers with served in the military before. A positive narrative from one of these veterans and open the door to others who have a willingness to serve. So what are we in the military doing to help our members with their transition . We recently redesigned our Transition Assistance Program. To provide contemporary, relevant, and mandatory information, tools, and training to ensure that our members are prepared for civilian life. This year, the services will begin implementing the military life model into their programs. Including, grabbing onto whatever equivalency survey certifications that we can find. We recognize that simply breathing people as they walk out the door will not lead to their success. Rather, this model design is to ensure our members careers are aligned with their civilian career goals. And highlight things that they should address before they separate. Successful transition is ultimately an individual responsibility that requires planning and deliberate execution. The veterans employment transition roadmap that you will hear about later and that i believe give a copy of, the dos amigos will probably talk to about it, will be very helpful in this regard. We have also made transitional leadership priorities. I believe it is going to take it while to get our program right. We definitely need your feedback. But we are looking for is Continuous Improvement over time. Even with such a program, veterans still face idiotypes that can create barriers to their ability to find implement. Many prospective employers are scared off by the question that veterans offer is proportionately from ptsd. Indeed, 46 of Hr Professionals decided by the society ptsd and Mental Health issues as potential barriers to hiring employees with military experience. What a shame. The reality is that while a small minority of veterans to experience ptsd and mild dramatic brain injury, their susceptibility to it is no greater than the average american. Moreover, these conditions can be treated and they probably might have been treated better for some veterans in any other sector of society, though i would side with someone else in saying that there is much much more that we can do. There is no data that confidently links ptsd with a propensity for violence, so we need to dispense with that narrative. I will close by saying that all americans should take an interest in successfully transitioning our nations veterans. For over 40 years, we have relied on volunteers to fill our ranks. Raising one hand and taken an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States has regained their rightful place of dignity in our land that it unfairly lost decades ago. The dignity is extended and i would say leveraged in good and honorable and profitable way, when the silliness of magnificent men and women come home and their talents are put to use in the private sector. I do not use the phrase give him a job. That sounds like a handout. I much prefer, recognize their exceptional potential to make a solid contribution to the bottom line. It is a winwin or them and it is for american business. Veterans maintain stability and their lives and business does well by doing good. I again, think the organizers of this Mission Transition event for getting the word out on that. If anything i said today can help you do that, then i have done my job. This is a room will a passionate advocate. A powerful ocean and amazing network, and is a member of that network, i would like to include alan dont this has been will be our next chairman. It is so important to have her in this audience today, and thank you for being here. [applause] this is a powerful network in this room. All you have to do is see the many connections that are being made on the many, many familiar faces that we can so many thing is that we have and its passionate caring for military members and veterans is incredible. So thank you for your continued support for men and women both in, and transitioning out of uniform. We have much more to do. But you are making a big difference. And may god bless those soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guards, and marines who are on watch this morning across the globe, protecting our nation. They give very much. [applause] please welcome the former first lady of the United States, mrs. Laura bush. [applause] mrs. Bush thank you all. Thank you very much. Thank you, i am thrilled to be here. This has been very interesting to hear. A little bittalk about what is coming up next in the next panel, and that is the people that we do not want to leave out, this Military Spouses. I know. I know what it is like to be the spouse of a leader. Thanks to the u. S. Chamber and the commander for hosting this mission, transition hiring our heroes, summit. Miguel and the lieutenant, thank you both for your leadership at the Bush Institute. As the kernels as the kernel as we know, you are not the only members of your family served. Your spouses serve as well. While our servicemen and women are deployed, their spouses are the ones who take care of the families at home. They care for the children. They manage the finances. And they pray that their husbands and wives will return home safely. Master Sergeant Rodriguez and his wife marlene joined as at our ranch in 2013 and 2014 for the bush centers annual bike ride. When she talked about his years of service in the air force, she served 25i say we, years. I lived every deployment with him. Every trial and regulation. But the day i said yes to him, i did not realize the impact it was going to have on me. And that is why it is so important to make sure that while our servicemen and women receive the support that they need, that we care for their families, as well. As we have heard this morning, employment support is the Perfect Place to start. Studies show that post9 11 veterans face higher rates of unemployment than their civilian counterparts. And, the consequences of that unemployment are or underemployment are only financial. Of course, when one Family Member suffers, the entire family suffers. Military spouses face a similar set of challenges. Studies show that there primary concern is Military Spouses or more likely to have Young Children at home. They may spend their marriage moving their family around the country or the world. To maintain it hard a consistent employment. On average, military families moved to a new Community Every two to three years. Periodsplacement causes of unemployment and produces a week professional network for the spouses. Female Military Spouses aged 18 to 44, the Unemployment Rate is almost three times higher than their civilian counterparts. The department of defense estimates that nearly 25 of Military Spouses are unemployed and roughly 40 are underemployed. Though these spouses are often highly educated, they also earn less. 38 less than civilians on average. , many Military Spouses use their own experience to help advise other spouses. Amy bontrager, on our next panel, is Program Manager for blue star careers, where she provides career and education to Military Spouses. Amy holds a masters in nonprofit management and philanthropy, but even with her skill set, because of dutyusbands changes location, amy had difficulty finding employment herself. Masters and years of Work Experience at one duty station, the only job she could find was at was as a receptionist at the local baptist church. Now at blue star careers, amy is using her experience to help spouses of the military find meaningful employment. Rachel o heard is the caregiver and selfdescribed rehab partner to her husband, who is injured in afghanistan in 2011. As a fulltime caregiver of an injured husband with many needs, rachel can seek other employment, but when cap to know oherdscaptain condition improved, she got a job at the quality of life foundation. As executive director, she works with other caregivers who did daily care to wounded veterans, just as she has done. Because spouses are typically subject to their Service Members and flexible schedule, they develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Patricia, a Military Spouse and Small Business owner, embraced this entrepreneurial spirit when she started navy rack packs. 10 years ago, pats husband told her that light streamed through like chiefs cloth through his cheesecloth through his curtain. So they sent him a better curtain. Sewed him a better curtain. Within weeks, she was swamped with orders. A breakvy rack packs is and mortar operation based in st. Marys, georgia. Pat sells directly to navy ships, coast guard cutters, as well as individual servicemen. She attributes her success to the training and skills she learned while her husband served in the navy. Her story is a testament to the resilience, determination, and the ingenuity of our Military Spouse community. Pat representnd many Military Spouses who give years of steadfast support and devotion to our men and women in uniform. Their commitment to their marriages, to their families, and to our country is an inspiration to us all. Toamericans, it is our duty support the men and women who volunteer to defend our country, who risk their lives, and too often gave their lives so that the west the rest of us might ever know terror again, and, of course, to support their loved ones who are here at home. Thank you all very much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome [applause] we are going to transition to a fireside chat. The format will change a little bit. Ladies we are now getting to the power session. If you really want to know whats happening, this is one of my favorite subjects, talking about Spouse Employment. Askingwe get started, these ladies about their experiences, i want to give a big shout out to the chamber. I remember four years ago when this was all in its infancy. Working with noreen at that time , we were talking about doing the Spouse Employment conference , and we did one as well for caregivers. I remember the first one for caregivers am a we did it in the basement of a hotel up by walter reed. The number of participants i came in. There was one gal who came in i was out with registration and she walked right out and was in tears. I go in the room. Why was she in tears . It was because it was the first time she had anyone had actually thought of her and what she was going through. Where we come from that basement and having a handful of spouses with incredible experience and getting to where we are now, having you all there, is fabulous. I recently had an opportunity to go down to dallas. It was the coolest thing. I went into la quintas ceos office. On his board, he had gold stars and silver stars. Ametimes youre looking for job, the silver stars. Sometimes you are looking for a career, where human around in a company, and those were the gold stars. Sometimes you need the job, sometimes you really want to make it a career. La quinta is one of the many examples out there. Thank you also for the special emphasis on our Military Spouses. Mrs. Bush already went and told you some of the statistics about the average there are no average Military Spouses. I wont go over some of those they gave me earlier, other than it is hard for us to find a career that we can transfer. I was very fortunate, i worked for a defense contractor for many years. They were very proactive with working with me. For many out there, this is not the case. We are going to talk about this spouses are more active volunteers that are civilian counterparts. We dont have time. We are usually in a place for two years. We get in, we start volunteering, we take over the finances of organizations, we get it done. Civilians will take their time. I think that is one of our strong characteristics as well, and we are very flexible and whatever comes our way. But we are talking today specifically about transitioning and Military Spouses and employment. To going to be listening their responses, because my spouse is transitioning soon. Any ideas out there from the audience, from the panel, i will be appreciative of. We are going to start with amy and her current job. Your previous job was soldier for life. You closely worked with spouses who are transitioning. Service members who were transitioning. Why do you feel it was important for those spouses to have employment and keep it . Meaningful employment is obviously vital for the wellbeing of the family, particularly during the time of transition. It is going to create stability. Begins thatmily transition, they are going to go through a challenge of insurance is going to change, there is going to be new financial obligations. Base house allowance does not exist in the civilian sector. So if that spouse is able to grow and develop skill sets throughout their Service Members career, they are going to be able to take that and help that ease the transition for the family. I think that is very vital for the success of our transition of Service Members. On that spouse has a skill set when that spouse has a skill set, they are going to be able to contribute. Also, for our active duty it is vital for meaningful careers as our Service Members continue to serve. At some point in the conversation, as an active duty spouse is how are we going to retain our top talent, these leaders that have experienced . That question comes up in the home, do i stay in the state or get out . It is a lot easier to say, lets serve our country, winner spouse is able when the spouses able to find meaningful employment. I think it is twofold. We have to look at that transition servicemember, that also those families that are serving as they continue their career. I would agree, it is not only stability for the family, which reduces financial pressures, which can translate to issues in the family that are not good for the military, but if they can find a military member throughout my time being married in the military, you see a lot of poor families. It becomes a stress item, the job, the Military Spouse, whether or not she can keep her job or find meaningful employment when she is gone. Transition to the skill sets of our Military Spouses and caregivers. What do you feel they have to offer . Of things with that, caregivers and spouses both i think have a tremendous amount of experience in collaboration. I was was in germany, working with v. A. , nonprofits, the chain of command, all those moving parts. Texas,ity im from theres nothing we cant fix with wire and duct tape. You havent seen creative until you get to a rehab center. We have tried all caps of things. We are going to get to making this work. I think this goes back to not necessarily a skill set, but the core value of making this happen. We are mission focused, mission driven, and we are going to get to yes. Host amy, you were stationed at fort polk. While you were there, you said you had a hard time finding Corporate America. Explain that and tell what may be helped. Said, my first lady husband was returning from his fifth deployment. I need to keep our family together, i was going to have to make this move to louisiana. Position, i was traveling the country very meaningful, rewarding work. I found myself in louisiana. I learned quickly there were no gs positions or contract positions will stop thank fully, contract positions. Thankfully, i found a position at the church making 10 an hour. A minute clear that they did not want me doing anything but answering the phones. About a year to find a position. I ended up working as a contractor for soldier for life. I started in that position as a counselor, working with soldiers. Within about a month of me in the position, became available, the liaison officer. Me,of my supervisors told dont apply, you are new. The transition manager is going to want a green cedar, so it is kind of a detriment. Something said, amy, reply, and i did. I pay tribute to that transition manager because she saw something in my skill set and drive and took that chance with me, if you will. We were able to implement some great ratings and programs at fort polk when that mandate was informative. What Corporate America can take away from that is that, you have these employees who come in him a Military Spouse is not going to wait around. They need to be advocates for themselves. So when they are applying for the next position to move up, even when it has not been a month, or maybe it is six months, that you really look at those skill sets and drive and talent. Because what their contribution can be to your company, it is they are able to create products a lot quicker than their civilian counterparts. They are driven, pushed. With that is, understand your talent base. Dont underutilize it. I was thankfully able to access that at fort polk. And i think it is a challenge that spouses face underemployment, they are getting these entrylevel jobs and are not able to progress. To corporatervice america, because you could be tapping into a greater skill set if you of valueadded the talent if you evaluated the talent that is there. Thankfully she saw through all of that. I saw she had a good thing here. Hopefully. A greatd you made impact. Something i can definitely not answer, but i bet our panelists can what is it like to be a millennial and the job market . There are some negative stereotypes out there, we will steer clear of those. Are known for, prioritizing education, pushing marriage back to focus on education and career aspirations. That,ays to connect with i would say, flexibility is important, and that would certainly resonate with a Military Spouse or caregiver, whether that is telework or starting in a position in an into ato translate virtual position. I think the important thing to remember you touched on development opportunities. Millennials want to learn, we want to grow, we want to get awesome at a lot of things. We need development because we are not quite there yet. Iknow program management, know caregivers, i did not know budget management. And my president said, ok, i will work with you. He took time out, and that worked well for organization. I am grateful for that opportunity. A lot of our spouses may not even be millennials, but weare an awful lot of want to make an impact. We want to believe in our work. Host yes. We want to believe in what we are doing. That rolls into what Corporate America could potentially do, how can they help us to make this a stronger of got a couple of things on that. I think setting clear goals. Ive heard 100,000 jobs, 200,000, ive heard personages. Percentages. The other thing i would say with that, you need to make your organization friendly to military families. Are some take their wedding rings off, because theyre afraid of questions. What does your spouse do . Are you moving . The corporate sponsor for my organization has a Conference Room that they let me use, and they have pictures of their military affiliate employees with their Service Member in uniform. I thought, what does it say when you walk into an interview and you see Something Like that . Wow, this organization values my lifestyle. Trade some more tangible a lot of us have student loan reimbursement for any kind of transfer. You are an Insurance Company and you have a nurse on staff inch reviewing claims for you. If she is moving, consider reimbursing him or her for those cost. Those are some things that we can look at. Development, about so maybe educational stipends. Telework is something we are starting to realize is vital. We live in a world with a lot of of transition. Currently, i work for blue star families. Is it really works with the military lifestyle. In fact, the majority of our positions are in telework. Military spouse is, she is able to work with blue star families, continue her career, and grow with this organization after servicemember as her servicemember serves. There are Larger Companies using this model too. Of technology we have right now, how can Corporate America tapping to tap into telework positions him about also financially is it employeesy viable for for companies to have employees work and telecommunication type positions. It is definitely something to look at and review on a model, on how that can be financially viable, but also how that will allow Military Spouses to come work for your company and grow with that organization. I am a true believer a spouse who starts off at a call center that thatto say spouse does not end up as vp or president of that company . Each place they go, they can grow skill sets. To be able to tap into that, even at the entrylevel position you could be looking at your next vp in the future. Host thats right, you never know who was walking through your door. On the military side, i want to give a shout out Lisa Battaglia is here. It is important. Thank you all for being here, because it is important. Our more junior spouses see that this is something also not just on the activeduty side, but it is something that the spouses take very seriously and want to make that connection as well. Thank you all for being here. Anything else in closing you ladies would like to add to this . Hire a Military Spouse. [laughter] let them grow and develop. Host awesome. Thank you. [applause] obama we pay tribute to an american who put themselves in the thick of the fight. You either get them out alive or you drive or you die trying. President obama patrol is on foot heading into a village, and suddenly lights go out. Thats what happens. A mile away, the ambush could be heard over the radio. The patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from both sides. Four times, dakota and juan asked permission to go over all stop go over. Vee andped into a hum took the wheel. They were defying orders, but did what they thought was white was right. Dakota was exposed to fire. Finally got those trapped americans, dakota jumped out. All that chaos, dakota carried them out one by one. Because of your courage, four fallen american heroes came home. He has earned our nations highest military decoration my heroes are the men and women still serving. President obama the medal of honor. [applause] thank you. Thank you. Thank you. , thet to thank the Chamber Foundation, the Bush Institutes military and Service Initiative, for inviting me to come and speak. I am always grateful to talk about not only my experience, but the experience that so many of us post 9 11 veterans are facing. We are blessed to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth, founded by principles of freedom, independence, and equality. It is these principles that continue to make our nation strong, and i am proud to wear the uniform of such a great nation. Signing up for the marines was by far one of the greatest decisions i have ever made. And i will tell you the truth when i joined the marines at 17, just like a lot of us, i thought i had all the answers. As some of you know, they drill that out of you at parris island. [laughter] during my time in the marine corps, more than anything else, it taught me this you are never going to know everything, but you should always be able to handle anything. This is the mindset that i would rps, not only in the co but once i left the military as well. When i got out, i had no idea what i was going to do. I just remember thinking, what company is going to be looking for a sniper . I see now that i was looking at it wrong. In the marine corps, i was much more than a sniper. I led teams, i managed projects, i honed communication skills, and more. I advised, i planned, i strategized, all skills the companies are looking for. So to be honest, may be looking for snipers. [laughter] asour curriculum was just tough as Higher Education courses physics, target intelligence, weapons systems, and missions landing. Diploma, we got a special designation. This designation was something that no civilian and few marines will ever have. In spite of all this, the toughest fight we veterans will ever face is figuring out what we are going to do when we take off the uniform. Hundreds of thousands of Service Members lead the military and return to our communities every year. Unfortunately, many of them will struggle. But if there was any group of people that is known for rising to an occasion, it is our men and women who wore the uniform in our armed forces. Need is the resource is an opportunity that your organizations are providing for them. Many of the employers in this room have responded to the call of veterans by richard by recruiting veterans and Military Spouses. Rather than a handout, you decided to meet the need with an opportunity. That decision has paid off for those companies tenfold. As manyhere are Just Companies out there that have yet to experience this benefit. Say thisbusinesses, i it does not matter whether you are recruiting for a Large Corporation or a Small Business, i can guarantee that your Company Wants candidates that have the highest qualifications and a most character. At most character utmost c haracter. The transition process is something we as veterans have to own. It is something that we have to be prepared as possible to make the jump from the military to the civilian world. A big part of the preparation is knowing exactly what we did in the military and being able to show those skills to employers. I have seen resumes that just say logistics or intel or a sniper. Not meands alone do anything to employers. They do not demonstrate the state the skills that veterans possess. We need to start thinking of our military services are personal brand. We are men and women with worldclass training in medicine, logistics, information systems, and other critical fields. Also have intangible skills like problemsolving, reliability, and resourcefulness. We can do a lot with little. We can lead teams and accomplish conflict fast. Less than 8 of americans can point to their military service on the resumes. I think it is time for a that emphasizes on this, helping veterans tell their stories was exactly what we had in mind when the chamber, toyota launched a personal branding resume engine, an aline tool that turns military career into a civilian resume. We want to help civilians talk about their backgrounds and take it vantage of the opportunity they have earned. I am a Small Business owner myself. I will be honest, i am not going to just hire anyone, i will hire someone that demonstrates their value, someone that can show what skills they bring to the table. The best advice that i can give to those who are about to transition and become a veteran is to own your transition. There are so many great resources out there right now for transitioning Service Members and veterans, but we have to be the ones to take advantage of them. Own it like any information we have ever prepare for in the military. Identify an objective and develop a plan to achieve it. Do your research and understand everything we have to offer to these companies that need help, then get out there and execute. Thank you also much. I appreciate it. [laughter] [applause] clearly, when you offered to host here, you want to the homecourt advantage of audiovisual. You guys are out playing football. We are out fighting the nations wars. Company years has it been how many years has it been . 38 or 239. It wouldnt look like it but we have a lot in common. You are arnold schwarzenegger, i am danny devito. Im actually bald so. [laughter] we actually started. We have a lot in common. We started with our organizations about two years ago. As we were learning about this issue and starting to get smarter about it, we started to ask basic questions. Who are they . Who are the Service Members we are trying to serve . What are their challenges . How do we help them navigate the see of goodwill to find the best in class resources . We knew we would not figure that out on our own. The two of us, if i thesitioning transitioning Service Members were just in our hands, they would be in trouble. But there is a great team that already exists. Erik reached out and said, we would like to host the next hiring our heroes event at the bush center could we dont just wanted to be the hiring our heroes group. We want to bring in Community Leaders focused on this. He wanted to include jpmorgan hiring. The blackstone group. Independents like walmart and others. There has been work in the nonprofit. People like the institute for vets and families. Organizationseat mentioned. The thing was to have the government partners here. Those who have been leading the effort from dod to services. We brought that collective brain trust to the Bush Institute. We learned very quickly, who are they . There is no onesizefitsall. We did see as a clear pattern, young enlisted servicemembers under the age of 35, most of post secondary education but did not have a degree or certification. Those are the ones who are facing high unemployment, greater than 11 . That was the target population. First things we learned as a group. What are some of the major challenges they face . One, communication and a culture gap and barrier between jobseeking veterans in greattion, and you, the is this community, that one and need them. Business community that want them and need them. Second, despite advances from toolsa. To develop new and programs, as well as publicprivate partnerships, young servicemen and women are generally not prepared for that transition. How to do even know that planning. Leverage the tools that dakota talked about. That led us to the third question. How do we help them navigate the sea of goodwill goodwill . It is a collective effort. We want young servicemembers to have a guidebook that helps them navigate the process. Points them in the direction of great resources across the space. We did not want a onesizefitsall approach. We did not want to take that, but we saw commonalities between the transition process between all classes of Service Members. Elementis an essential to all servicemembers. We continued to work with the Great Coalition to develop tool we are releasing today. We have worked up until last night, quite frankly, on the tool you have before you. It captures and consolidates the essential steps and processes. There are three phases. The first is to prepare. Part of that preparation is the benefits analysis. This is a tremendous country and there are tremendous benefits at federal, state, and local levels. Skills assessment. The table as to transitioning Service Members and Military Spouses. Start that Strategic Planning process and how to work through that area that brings us to the second phase, transition. That starts with a Value Proposition that dakota talked about. How do i bring the you to your businesses and companies . The ability through marketing, networking, to articulate that Value Proposition. A great resume, elevator pitch. From there, you have to take it into a targeting process. To find of opportunities. To negotiate, a new skill set. Through that process, mentors play a critical role. It is at that point where we cannot declare victory as transitioning Service Members. That is where it really starts. That is where lead and succeed comes in. Cultural to be some commonalities. Just as we prepare for iraq and afghanistan, we have to prepare for the civilian business environment. There is connecting. With the new team and new businesses. Also within the community. Andave to take ownership management for our success within our new business environment, whether that means more directly taking of responsibility for training and education, but also our career investment advancement. This is really where you get to the meat and potatoes. S and familiesmber learn some easy things so they can go backandforth and pick up where they may have left off because of their busy lives. More importantly, there are great resources in here as well. It can be overwhelming to a lot of young servicemembers and servicemembers in general. These are best in Class Service resources. Thats right. What we are releasing is not designed to replace anything that exists. Way to aggregate and consolidate that so men and women who need the great and resources can better find and navigate through that process. We are asking for your assistance in two ways. The first, we want your feedback. The first generation of this important toolkit, to better arm and empower Service Members and veterans. We also need your help getting it out. Pushing it out to the population that needs it. You can find of the toolkit here at her website. Website. We are running out of time but i want to make one last point. This is not the last roadmap. There are other populations with challenges. We want to make sure we have a similar roadmap for Military Spouses. Caregiver population, as well as guard and reserve members. Any last thoughts . Go army. [applause] ofim the president and ceo the International Franchise association. We represent nearly 9 million jobs in this country. 800,000 establishments. 2 trillion in economic output annually. It was four years ago in this very building, on veterans day, 2000 11, that the International Franchise association made a commitment to higher 80,000 veterans, Military Spouses, and Wounded Warriors. Report we met to that goal and exceeded it by the end of 2013. May, we have hired in the franchise industry, 243,000 folks in our industry. Over 6000 Small Business franchise owners that are Wounded Warriors and spouses. We are proud of that a accomplishment. We knew we had a shot at meeting the goal. 66,000 veteran owned businesses. The great thing about veterans is they tend to hire veterans. Ath that, i want to give special thank you to tom donahue. My friend, eric, focused on the mission each and every day. Getting veterans hired. Thank our friends at capital one who have been great partners, as well as the Bush Institute and the great leadership of the secretary when she was here. With that, please draw your attention to the video presented by capital one. Thank you. We partnered with capital one to launch the hiring 500,000 heroes campaign. We wanted businesses to make commitments to hiring veterans, Military Spouses, and servicemembers. Hundreds of thousands of men and women reentering the civilian workforce. It is a perfect time to influence companies to recognize the challenge these men and women have. We surpassed half a million hires. A betterns make us enterprise. Theres houses do, as well. There experiences, dissipation in community. That are all traits countries like starbucks and others want in their company. My role in the army is not only spouse but car taker. Military spouse is more than waiting for somebody at home. The campaign is a community effort. It is about working with businesses of all sizes to higher and retain great veterans and Military Spouses. They have created significant Ownership Opportunities for veterans and Military Spouses. It is important to have support. Getting out of the military environment is different. Have made thatho transition previously and help you through it, that is helpful and makes the transition easier for military folks. We have a lot of work in front of us. We are going to see one of the biggest transitions. We need to make sure the private sector is ready. I think any sized company, anywhere, should take the initiative to hire veterans. It is the right thing to do. They bring skills, competencies, how they Work Together in a team. Persistence to overcome obstacles. The ingenuity to solve problems. [applause] in this session, we are going to be discussing a private sector leadership. I will introduce two panelist. Carolyn is responsible for the capital one National Community investment strategy. She leads initiatives that foster the link between quality education and Community Economic development outcomes. Both capital one and the Capital One Foundation invest in Economic Opportunity in the ommunity where the company operates. In 2012, she assumed leadership of the capital one market president network. Partnering with local executives. On pressing community needs. It is so nice to be with you. And also the Vice President for servicemember affairs. He joined in 1999. Affairse servicemember office where he is responsible for providing products and services tailored to the unique needs of military customers. This includes the development and implementation and ongoing leadership of the program. Digitalhat, he led the and mail service team. Before that, he was an Intelligence Officer in the u. S. Served withe several middle east th deployments. Why was it important for capital one to be part of this . 2012, when literally hundreds of thousands of Service Members were returning home, there was an enormous issue that needed addressing. A need and opportunity to get engaged in meaningful employment of Service Members. Wherel one works in a way we first look at, what can we give and then what are the particular needs. We have always been in the people for educating jobs that provide progressive employment. This became a national a natural for us. We can make a meaningful difference. We turned to our partners in the Chamber Foundation and talked about the difference we could make. There came hiring our heroes. Business operations at capital one. My best teams start with the best people. If youre looking for the best people, and every company is or you should be looking for veterans and Military Spouses. We have been successful with hiring veterans and Military Spouses. Is aw our chief counsel navy veteran. At every level of our company, we have talented veterans and Family Members. We could not be more pleased. What is the impact on Small Business . Someone said, it is the right thing to do. Businesseswho run are like, it has to make business sense. Tell me about the impact on Small Businesses. Seven out of 10 jobs come from Small Businesses. They have just as much need as big businesses to hire great people. There is that piece of it. The other thing that is important, and was mentioned earlier, the skills that one learns in the service are great entrepreneurial skills. As more servicemembers are coming home and being entrepreneurial, starting Small Businesses, there is a role we in play in educating them the ways of the Digital World for example. So it is not necessarily just enough to have expertise in the product your business makes. To succeed in the business world, you need a set of Digital Skills that are unprecedented. That is another place where we can be helpful. Private sector. Why is leadership from the private sector so important . Hire to fill out my big teams. You are looking for the best talent. Veterans and militarys houses, they have the best talent. We talk about the skills and abilities. The ability to solve complex problems. That is what every company is looking for. We find it right there in the Military Spouses. I can imagine the private sector is more flexible. You guys can turn on a dime in a way that maybe government cannot necessarily make fast decisions and create new initiatives. We create new initiatives all the time to read cover these need to reinvent themselves all the time to the kind of talent that can reinvent themselves all the time. Which clearly this population has. The stats that folks gave about the retention of former military members is incredible. Also, they giving back. The sense of caring for community. That former military members have is incredible. There is a story of a gentleman who works at capital one. Former trainer, a former marine, and he trained afghan units on skills like medical issues, logistics, communications, operations. 350 members of this unit. If you ask a person like that what their skill set is, they have enormous skills that translate into our business. He never thought about capital one and we never thought about him. Through the u. S. Chamber, hiring our heroes initiative, we met there. Not because job fairs are the best place to hire people come about because you you meet people. Through that networking, what we learned about each other, he is not only an incredibly successful leader and analyst in our company now, he is one of the key folks that gives back. He goes to hiring fairs. He works with others in the military, so there is that sense of giving that is incredible. Have there been challenges you have had to solve . Has your perspective as a veteran been helpful fixing the challenges . Mr. Lamm absolutely. I go back to the skills that i learned and practiced in the military. Leadership, teamwork, problem solving. Those may be successful in the military and they have made me successful in the business world. Hiring veterans and Military Spouses is important that that is not the last stop. Into theition corporate world does not stop with the hiring. We have a transition program. Led by the 800 person military network. That is the recipe for a transition. That is a great point. The goal was 500,000. You hit the goal. Are you done . Ms. Berkowitz no. There are 250,000 more returning now. Jobsw the highest gap in for 1824 your old veterans. We have something to contribute to that end we will continue to contribute to that. I push it you guys. Thank you. I appreciate you guys. Thank you. [applause] we will be taking a brief fiveminute break. Thank you. Tomorrow on veterans day, interviews with two numbers of congress who served in iraq. A former marine corps officer. An army ranger that served in a unit that hunted saddam hussein. Then, live coverage of president veteransing part in day observances in Arlington National cemetery. That is at 11 00 a. M. Here on cspan. A signature feature of book of book tv. Ge coming up, it will be live from the miami book fair. Coverage starts at 10 00 a. M. Eastern. Authors include representative john lewis. With peggyin noonan. The story. Attack. Ook cyber first, p. J. Orourke takes calls. And then the book fracture. Miami on bookrom tv starting november 21. Be sure to follow and tweet your questions. A look at the origins, history, and motivations of the terrorist group isis. This is from the International Institute for strategic studies. It is about one hour. Welcome. An indepth conversation on isis. We are here primarily to avoid andconfusion about isis iiss. I have actually been asked about that. We have memorable guests. One, who has published a memorable book. From theournalist Washington Post to join the staff in 1996. Securityvered national and currently writes about the environment, where he won the pulitzer prize, years ago, i believe. His previous bestselling book, the trouble agent, helped inspire this book. I think it is in the introduction or knowledge mins. An associate professor at the department of social sciences at west point. Thenior associate at Terrorism Center at west point. More importantly, she will be joining us as a Senior Research iiss in bahrain next month. Im told to warn you, her views in no way reflect anything about the military or the army. We are going to have a discussion here for about 20 minutes. And then i will turn it over to the audience for q and a. First, i will ask about your book. It is focused on a number of individuals. Especially zarqawi and his rise in jordan. His release. His time in northern iraq. Iraq. Tely his demise in it also tells the story of a who try toey figures find him. The story of how he led the insurgency in iraq. I am wondering if you did this, took this approach for narrative reasons as a journalist, or if you feel the rise of isis is really the story of individuals and their own contingencies. In other words, could isis have been presented if he was still in a jordanian prison . Thank you and thanks again to for hosting this event and been such a great resource. Members of the public over the years. It is nice to meet you for the first time. Also to add to the they have thes problem of trying to explain they are not the bad isis. Good going on rearranging your letters. Me, as aing point for journalist i am a storyteller by nature. Zarqawi familiar with when he was still active in iraq. His importance as a terrorist leader was underrecognized and read what he was able to create was unique. Built in organization that became a problem form us. He did it deliberately, even is probably the least suited or qualified person to lead a terrorist movement. He never finished high school. He was a street hoodlum
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