Donna Bachler News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> this is a light one. >> reporter: after 12 years in the national guard, donna bachler is still in fighting form. in fact, the one-time drill sergeant would love a career as a fitness trainer, but there is a problem. >> it's an issue when you come into an interview and someone sees the cane. >> reporter: it's the cane and unstable ankle she says kept her from her dream job. but the ankle isn't her only struggle. she developed ptsd after helping collect remains from the world trade center attack. neither prevented her from deploying to kuwait but she has been job hunting for a year so far not...

Sho-in the job as opposed to thinking of taking it off thinking it will cause me to lose the job. >> reporter: a bill before congress seems to smooth the transition between military and civilian life. with the ongoing reduction in troop strength it is likely that donna and erin will only have more competition for the limited jobs that are out there. bret, we should point out currently 15% of returning veterans are women. that number is on the increase. >> bret: wow! john, thank you. former alaska governor and vice presidential nominee sarah palin is hitting the road. she announced a bus tour...

People and we don't give them a tiny piece of paper saying this is what your military skill means in the civilian world. >> reporter: veteran groups are trying to change that and deployed donna and other vets to capitol hill to twist a few arms. >> we have to tell them that the folks are not ticking time bombs, they're not the stereotype you have in youro hire. >> the v.a. has been making changes and has nine programs targeted specifically toward helping women vets prepare for civilian jobs. for the moment, donna is working hard to improve qualifications, earning a masters in fine arts. erin m...

John roberts explains. >> this is a light one. >> reporter: after 12 years in the national guard, donna bachler is still in fighting form. in fact, the one-time drill sergeant would love a career as a fitness trainer, but there is a problem. >> it's an issue when you come into an interview and someone sees the cane. >> reporter: it's the cane and unstable ankle she says kept her from her dream job. but the ankle isn't her only struggle. she developed ptsd after helping collect remains from the world trade center attack. neither prevented her from deploying to kuwait but she has been job huntin...

>> we spend money training people and we don't give them a tiny piece of paper saying this is what your military skill means in the civilian world. >> reporter: veteran groups are trying to change that and deployed donna and other vets to capitol hill to twist a few arms. >> we have to tell them that the folks are not ticking time bombs, they're not the stereotype you have in your head they are dynamic, dedicated and the people you want to hire. >> the v.a. has been making changes and has nine programs targeted specifically toward helping women vets prepare for civilian jobs. for the moment, d...