Breaking News

Dallas Hudson, a resident of the Yellow Creek area in Dickson County for decades, started a business. He and wife Doris made a close-knit family together. He’s grown watermelons on the family’s nearly 50-acre farm and was known for “selling” them using the honor system. 

Hudson has lived a good life, which was celebrated Thursday on his 98th birthday. 

He is also among the roughly 200,000 World War II veterans still alive in the United States from the estimated 16 million people served. 

Though a little hard of hearing, Hudson was able to communicate his memories and thoughts on nearing the century mark. 

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s good to be alive, I reckon,” Hudson said. 

Hudson, who was born and raised in Humphreys County, moved to Dickson County after meeting his wife Doris, whose family also lived in the Yellow Creek area. She died in 2019 from lung cancer. 

Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com Click here and subscribe today.

The chairman of Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard, Inc. has been charged with two felonies after the nonprofit improperly paid board members and employees and filed false information with state charity regulators, a warrant affidavit said.

Richard “Doc” Russo — who also chairs Melbourne’s annual Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion at Wickham Park — was arrested Thursday.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates charitable organizations, charged Russo with two third-degree felonies: submitting false information on a document and failure to register as a charitable organization.

Russo remains held on $2,000 bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex, and his initial court appearance is scheduled this afternoon. Message seeking comment were left on his cell phone. Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard President Richard Hickman declined comment.

More:World War II surviving veterans continue to dwindle as decades pass, history slips away

More:Military veterans at 211 Brevard fielding calls for help from thousands of fellow vets

Russo is chairman/vendor coordinator of the Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion committee — which bills itself as the nation’s largest veterans reunion. Hundreds of veterans and their relatives flock to Wickham Park every year, and dozens of military and civic organizations participate.

WINCHESTER, Va. (WDVM) — Private First Class Nelson Ritter, a combat infantryman with the 1st Division Air Cavalry [Airmobile], leaped out the frying pan into the fire when the “Point Man” in a rifle squad volunteered to become a “Tunnel Rat” during the Vietnam War.

Tunnel Rats were soldiers who crawled headfirst into tunnels and caves the Viet Cong used as storage and staging areas against U.S. forces in the Central Highlands where PFC Ritter was based.

“You didn’t have anything on except a .45 caliber pistol and a flashlight when you crawled into a hole in the ground,” said Ritter.

1911A semi-automatics like the one the Rat below is carrying were disliked because of the muzzle blast that temporarily blinded and deafened them in a tight tunnel. That’s why many Rats preferred silencer-equipped .38 Specials.

Ritter says being a tunnel rat was one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. Army because death was only a heartbeat away and the enemy always had the advantage.

“Their eyes were acclimated to the darkness,” said Ritter, “And we were in broad daylight descending into total darkness. So it took a while for our eyes to adjust.”

Rats depended on their sense of hearing and smell to determine where the enemy was lurking.

“I hear Charlie [the name GIs used to describe the Viet Cong] releasing the safety on his SKS assault rifle,” Ritter said.

He said that he could also smell the enemy’s bad breath long before they came face to face.

“I’ve been almost eye to eye with ’em; closer than you and I are sitting during this interview,” said Ritter.

Tunnel Rats only used flashlights they carried to explore tunnels and caves after they silenced enemy sentries. Ritter says the one who fired first usually survived, “Or the one who was the scaredest.”

At one point, he came upon a Viet Cong guerilla pointing a rifle at him in a tunnel, but both the “Hunted and the Hunter” didn’t open fire. Instead, Ritter said, “We backed away from each other.”

Once outside, Ritter hurled some grenades and explosive charges into the tunnel but doesn’t know if the enemy soldier survived

“It was unreal,” said Ritter.

Tunnel rats slithered into holes in the ground like snakes that the Viet Cong would hang from the ceilings of tunnels they dug underground. The Bamboo Pit Viper was one of their favorites.

Americans called the highly-poisonous reptiles “Two Step,” because two steps were about all U.S. soldiers could take before they dropped dead after being bitten by a Bamboo Pit Viper. The Viet Cong would hang them at eye-level in tunnels to make sure they didn’t miss unwanted guests.

Some of the larger tunnel complexes in the Central Highlands contained a hospital, sleeping chamber and storeroom. This one could house more than one-hundred Viet Cong guerillas.

It took a special kind of soldier to become a tunnel rat.

“Usually the person who became a tunnel rat in my unit was small enough to get down into the entrance hole,” said Ritter who was very skinny; 5’8″ and 120 pounds.

Once in a while Ritter, who has been diagnosed and treated for PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, says he’ll have a dream about something that went on over there, “But I’ve never had nightmares or anything like that.

It took almost two years before Nelson Ritter felt comfortable talking about his experience as a tunnel rat.

“When you came home, you didn’t talk about it,” said Ritter at the end of our interview at American Legion Post 21 in Winchester where his common-law wife is the post commander. “But sometimes it gets a little rough talking about it.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he hung his head down.

When WDVM’s Ross Simpson asked why it hurts so much after so long, Ritter said he wished he could answer that question.

“If I could, it would solve a lot of problems.”

Ritter doesn’t expect the pain to ever go away, saying, “I don’t think anybody who goes to war ever loses what they have experienced.”

Ritter was awarded an Air Medal for 80 hours of flying combat missions in a 1st Air Cavalry Division helicopter and was written up for a Bronze Star that he never received.

According to the Department of Defense, a total of 700 soldiers served as Tunnel Rats during the Vietnam War. Of the number, 36 were killed and 200 injured.

Ritter says it just depended on the situation and where you were. Some areas were okay. Some areas were hot spots. And you never knew what awaited you below ground.

WINCHESTER, Va. (WDVM) — When U.S. Army Corporal Carmel Whetzel landed in France with the 26th Infantry Division three months after D-Day on June 6, 1944, some soldiers thought the war in Europe was winding down, when in fact, Germany was getting ready to “go for broke” during the Battle of Bulge in December.

Whetzel drove trucks and jeeps for the “Red Ball Express,” a convoy operation that hauled food, ammunition and other supplies from ports in France to the front lines in Germany. Whetzel was with American troops when they arrived in Rodalbe, a small village in eastern France near the Rhine River where they were ambushed and captured by German troops when the Fourth Armored Division pulled out when they ran low on fuel and ammunition.

“When we saw a German tank coming down the street, two buddies and I fled to a barn that was attached to the farmhouse where we had parked our vehicles, and we burrowed down about three feet in the haymow. That night German soldiers slept on top of us, but didn’t hear us,” said Whetzel.

Whetzel and his buddies spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday hidden in the hay, but decided to come out when they heard American weapons being fired.

“They have a different sound than German weapons,” said Whetzel.

But he didn’t know German soldiers were firing some American weapons they had captured.

“Those who weren’t captured were killed, and you didn’t dare put a potato peel in your mouth, or you’d be hit in the head with a rifle butt by a German guard,” said Whetzel, who spent the first day in captivity peeling potatoes for the enemy’s evening meal.

The next day, Whetzel and other soldiers in the 26th Infantry Division were marched to Stalag XII, better known as Stalag 2-A, just inside Germany.

“It was raining, and we had to sleep on the ground for two days without food or shelter,” said Whetzel.

Unlike their Japanese allies in the Pacific, the Germans allowed prisoners of war like Carmel Whetzel to notify their loved ones that they had been captured. Whetzel’s wife in Baltimore received this card from her husband in November 1944.

During the next six months until the camp was liberated, Whetzel says the Germans fed them very little food and worked them like slaves.

When Whetzel noticed their Nazi guard often failed to lock the door on their wooden barracks, he and his buddies made plans to escape.

One night when the guard failed to lock the door, Whetzel and his buddies used a pair of wire cutters they had acquired to cut a hole through the fence and slip past the guard tower.

“We were free for 15 days before we ran into some Germans in a forest and were recaptured.”

There was a standing rule in German POW camps; escapees will be shot if they are recaptured, “but we were lucky. We were only sentenced to three weeks on bread and water,” said Whetzel.

He weighed only 90 pounds when the POW camp was liberated after Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.

Carmel Whetzel, one of ten kids who grew up on Wilkins Moutain in West Virginia credits his hard-scrabble upbringing for his ability to endure six months as a prisoner of war.

Whetzel dropped out of school in the fourth grade. He said, “Hillbillies like me know how to survive.”

A few years ago, the 97-year-old soldier wrote a book about his experience as a Prisoner of War.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in calling for changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Caregivers Program. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, on which Senator Blackburn serves, found that the VA denied 88 percent of applications to the program between October 2020 and August 2021. The VA Caregivers Program offers support and services for eligible veterans and their caregivers, including caregiver education and training, mental health counseling, respite care, and a monthly stipend.

“We write to express concern regarding the number of applications to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Caregivers Program) denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the need for better guidance from VA to the veteran community on how to navigate the Caregivers appeals process,” The Senators wrote. “As you consider regulatory changes to bring the Caregivers Program into line with Congressional intent, the Department must also provide clear guidance for veterans, caregivers, and advocates.”

The Senators cite in their letter, “In December 2021, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals estimated 40,368 Caregivers Program cases will be appealed to the Board in fiscal year 2022, and 52,043 cases in fiscal year 2023.”

The Senators also discuss the previous administration’s decision to narrow eligibility for the program and urge the Biden administration to reverse the change. 

The Senators write, “As a nation, we must ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans, their families, and their caregivers is at the forefront. Because of this, we also continue to urge VA to reverse the previous administration’s regulation limiting eligibility, such as the activity of daily living (ADL) and the 70 percent requirements to ensure that veterans and their caregivers may receive the support that they deserve.”

The Senators are specifically calling for the VA to ensure that it has enough Caregiver Support Coordinators to effectively manage the workload and deliver quality, focused assistance to veterans and their caregivers, as well as provide congressional offices and Veteran Service Organizations with uniform guidance on how to best serve veterans as they navigate the appeals process.

Dear Secretary McDonough:

We write to express concern regarding the number of applications to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Caregivers Program) denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the need for better guidance from VA to the veteran community on how to navigate the Caregivers appeals process. As you consider regulatory changes to bring the Caregivers Program into line with Congressional intent, the Department must also provide clear guidance for veterans, caregivers, and advocates.

Between October 1, 2020, and August 1, 2021, VA received approximately 97,100 Caregivers applications. The total rate of denied applications for this period is 88 percent, according to your August 2021 letter in response to Chairman Tester and Senator Murray’s inquiry.

While we believe VA needs to take all measures to ensure that decisions are made correctly the first time and are in the veteran’s best interest, thousands of veterans will appeal their denied Caregivers Program application in fiscal year 2022 and 2023. In December 2021, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals estimated that 40,368 Caregivers Program cases will be appealed to the Board in fiscal year 2022, and 52,043 cases in fiscal year 2023. If these estimates hold, the Board would not have the resources to process these appeals.

Veterans in our communities and across the country are receiving letters notifying them of their denial and the option to appeal their Caregivers Program application. However, congressional offices and Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) do not have clear and uniform guidance on how to best serve veterans as they navigate the appeals process. For that reason, we ask VA to conduct outreach and provide information to both congressional offices and VSOs, so we can best assist our veterans.

We have also heard from our constituents that VA’s Patient Advocates are not able to provide guidance on navigating the appeals process. We ask that you ensure that there are enough Caregiver Support Coordinators, equipped with all necessary resources, to effectively manage the workload and be able to deliver quality, focused assistance to veterans and their caregivers. VA care like the VA Caregivers Program should not require hurdles and exclusive access on best practices for applying and appealing.

As a nation, we must ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans, their families, and their caregivers is at the forefront. Because of this, we also continue to urge VA to reverse the previous administration’s regulation limiting eligibility, such as the activity of daily living (ADL) and the 70 percent requirements to ensure that veterans and their caregivers may receive the support that they deserve. Finally, we ask that VA take a holistic approach to how it proceeds with the VA Caregivers Program, including allowing for consideration of how the current backlog in disability ratings decisions and appeals due to COVID-19 have likely led to claims-related obstacles for entry into the Caregivers Program.

The VA serves as a cornerstone of our nation’s system to provide care for veterans. We thank you for your committed leadership to veterans and look forward to the update VA can provide on the VA Caregivers Program.

Elden Ring may be a new franchise for FromSoftware, but if you’re familiar with the studio’s past work, you know that this latest project borrows plenty of systems, mechanics, design elements, and its general feel from all those games.

Whether you’ve been playing since the days of Demon’s Souls when no one knew what a FromSoftware is, or you jumped on along the way, these Elden Ring tips are for you. Here, we’re going to go through a number of tips and point out specific quirks that will only make sense if you played Soulsborne(kiro?) games.

While what we’re going to touch on will benefit everyone, newcomer or veteran, the tips are intended for those of us who know their way around a bonfire. So without further ado, let’s see what changes Miyazaki and co made to the formula this time around.

Poise and super armour are big deals

Your character’s poise vs those of enemies and bosses has always been something you had to be aware of if you wanted to improve your survival in Soulsborne games. The same is true for super armour. Elden Ring brings back the two systems, but they’re brought to the fore in a new way.

Having a higher poise than your target effectively means your attacks cannot be interrupted, while theirs can. Think about how easy it usually is to land hits on a mage, and you’ll get the idea. Your armour is largely what affects your poise (you can see that value under stats). For enemies, the heavier they look, the more likely their poise is going to be high.

Super armour, particularly for bosses, is another element that you’ll need to engage with. While Elden Ring doesn’t actually show you a super armour bar or anything like that, it’s always present, and you always need to chip away at it. Super armour regenerates slowly over time. The best way to keep that from happening is by continuing to attack the boss. Even when you need to back away, remember to throw a dart/arrow or two at them. This will prevent them from regaining their super armour.

Once it’s broken, you’ll hear the big boom, letting you get a critical hit. Super armour can be broken multiple times during a fight, so keep at it.

You can move while chugging flasks

Series veterans will be happy to know that while drinking your Flask of Crimson and Flask of Cerulean Tears, you can move. This is a bigger deal than it sounds, because you won’t be locked into a corner as you try to regain some of your lost HP/FP.

That said, you’re going to be moving very slowly, so keep whatever you’re fighting in frame so as to anticipate any upcoming attacks. Obviously, if you get interrupted, you’re going to have to start the animation all over.

There’s no weapon durability

FromSoftware has finally done away with the weapon and armour degradation mechanic. It never really made sense, and that’s likely more true now considering the gigantic size of the game’s world.

In Elden Ring, you won’t have to worry about repairing your weapons and armour, which is just great news. This actually leads us into the next tip.

Illusory walls are back

Yes, as unsurprising as that might sound, Elden Ring brings back secret areas/entrances/chests hidden behind illusory walls. Most of these can be found at a certain academy, and in some caves and catacombs.

If a wall looks too clean or out of place, don’t be afraid to smack it. You won’t have to worry about degrading your weapon’s durability or damage. You should probably also help your fellow players and leave a note letting them know.

Two-handing weapons offers a damage boost

This is another returning mechanic that we’re happy to see again. In Elden Ring, wielding your weapon with two hands offers a clear damage boost. You can track how much that is for any given weapon by simply equipping it and consulting your stats page before and after.

Doing this also unlocks a new moveset for every weapon, so take a moment to
experiment with the different combos. The new Ash of War skills – basically Weapon Arts from Dark Souls 3 – mix in particularly well with the two-handed stance, too.

You won’t be entirely defencless, either. Holding block will still negate some damage, just like a shield – though nowhere near as effectively. You can track every type of damage mitgation your weapon does by browsing its stats.

To see this content please enable targeting cookies.
Manage cookie settings

Don’t lock yourself into one play style

As much as you might be used to finishing FromSoftware’s games with the same weapon and same armour set, Elden Ring will challenge you to let go of that notion. The game is balanced around juggling ranged with melee combat.

This is also true for spells and incantations. You’re going to need to invest in Faith or Intelligence to keep up with the game’s challenge. Most classes’ starting FP, and the cost of those skills themselves, sets you up to easily include them in your repertoire of moves.

If you’re yet to git gud, check out our Elden Ring Beginner’s guide.

Brunswick police and local veterans on Sunday will collect American flags that are worn out beyond repair for a retirement service this summer.

The event will take place at the police department on Pleasant Street in partnership with the Brunswick American Legion Post #20. The public is invited to drop off flags that are unserviceable between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Dave Watson, the commander of American Legion Post #20, said in an interview Thursday that flags will be kept then burned in a June ceremony in accordance with U.S. Flag Code. The ceremony is an annual event typically held at the Chamberlain Monument, Watson said.

The legion retires hundreds of flags every year, Watson said.

“We’re honoring the flag, we’re inspecting the flag and we’re retiring flags that are no longer usable for display,” said Watson, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966-70 and is also a town councilor.

Watson said that, to his knowledge, burning the flag as a method of retirement when it is beyond repair is the only appropriate scenario to do so. Otherwise, he said, it is a sign of disrespect.

“What people have to realize is that the flag does not represent the present administration,” Watson said. “Yes, it is a symbol of the country, but it represents the people of the country and it’s the people’s flag. That’s how I feel about it – it really represents all the people in the United States and to me that’s of significance as to why we need to honor it.”

Brunswick Police Chief Scott Stewart said that the event is designed to engage and educate the community. Stewart said that particularly in light of the events in Ukraine, it is important to remember what the flag means.

“We’re just trying to bring awareness to the flag, and to patriotism and exactly what that symbolizes,” Stewart said. “We here at Brunswick are a proud bunch and recognize our veterans here at the PD but also throughout the community. It’s a good chance to revisit that awareness and remind people exactly what that flag stands for.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the U.S. Flag Code on June 22, 1942, which provides rules that govern the display and use of the flag by U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Flag Code states: “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

« Previous

Related Stories

Philanthropy Roundtable believes every American should have the freedom to reach his or her full, unique potential and achieve economic security. The Roundtable supports organizations that eliminate barriers to upward mobility, expand opportunity and reward hard work and perseverance.

For more than a decade, red and blue states alike have worked to adopt a range of reforms that improve safety and justice. On the federal level, Congress has also made bipartisan progress on criminal justice, most notably with the First Step Act of 2018.

Despite such gains, a key issue has been largely overlooked: how the justice system manages men and women convicted of crimes who also have served our country in the armed forces. 

There are more veterans in U.S. prisons than total prisoners in all but 14 other countries.

Specialized courts that handle cases involving veterans with substance use disorders have begun to tackle that critical aspect of the challenge, but daunting problems such as lack of connections to critical services and access to benefits based on discharge characterization remain. Now, the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) is launching a full-scale initiative to document the unique issues facing veterans in the civilian justice system – and build consensus for reforms that enhance safety, health and justice.

In an interview with Philanthropy Roundtable, the project’s director, Col. Jim Seward, discussed the challenges and opportunities for progress.

Q: What is the overarching problem CCJ’s Veterans Justice Project is addressing, and how will this initiative solve it? 

A: We have come a long way from the widespread “broken veterans” horrors following the Vietnam War. But far too many veterans are incarcerated, and too few services are available to treat their behavioral health conditions, traumatic brain injuries and other conditions that contribute to the high rate at which they enter the civilian justice system. We will tackle these and other problems through a multi-year research, policy development and communications initiative that spans the full scope of the system, from transition out of military service through reentry into society. Aimed at building consensus and political momentum for evidence-based reforms, the project will be guided by a diverse committee of senior military and criminal justice leaders. A research team will establish key facts and context to inform the committee’s discussions and shape its findings. Those findings will become actionable policy recommendations that we will aggressively disseminate to federal, state and local policymakers and practitioners, and to the media and the public. Although veterans have been involved in the criminal justice system in significant numbers since the post-Civil War era, there remains a dearth of rigorous research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to address their unique needs as they transition back to civilian life. It’s time to change that – and elevate the issue in a national conversation.

Q: What has been the biggest obstacle in conducting this work?

A: The sheer magnitude of the issues. Diving into the work done by the Department of Defense to ease veterans’ transition from active service to civilian life, for example, is a massive lift. So is scoping out the work other federal agencies have done to care for veterans and treat their mental health needs and other challenges, and then getting a handle on various efforts underway at the state and local levels. This research is essential to understand the scope of work that is being done, what has worked and what is still relevant. Lack of data in other areas will be a further complication. For instance, identification of incarcerated veterans is not a uniform practice in state prisons and jails. While the Department of Veterans Affairs has an identification system available to law enforcement agencies, many don’t use it or even know about it. But these obstacles are opportunities: by elevating these issues and building support for solutions, we have a chance to make real change that can benefit veterans and their families.

Q: What is something surprising you have learned along the way?

A: Two things. One is the extent of veterans’ entanglement in the justice system. In 2016, the last year for which we have reliable data, 107,400 veterans were in federal and state prisons, and roughly 181,500 were in local jails and prisons. Almost one-third of veterans have been arrested and booked at some point in their lives, a rate significantly higher than among civilians (18%). The other surprise is that more has not been done to improve criminal justice policies and practices to benefit the men and women who have served our country. There’s been almost shockingly little research and policy work. There is a giant gap to fill.

Q: How can those interested in supporting your work help out?

A: This project requires robust data collection, research and considerable resources to communicate the findings to the right audiences at strategic moments. CCJ welcomes help from anyone who can share current research and other information that would support the project. In addition, we welcome help from financial partners to ensure our extensive investigation and deliberations succeed in improving the lives of veterans, their families and their communities.

If you are interested in helping accelerate this organization’s impact, please reach out to Philanthropy Roundtable Program Director Erica Haines or contact Col. Jim Seward, project director of The Veteran’s Justice Project at the Council for Criminal Justice at [email protected].  America’s future is bright, yet dialogue, refinement of ideas and commitment to our country’s values and principles is fundamental to our future.

(CBS)

Major General Dustin “Dusty” Shultz is not leaving the service just yet, but she’s already preparing for her career after the military.

Shultz, a two-star general for the U.S. Army, told CBS News the transition is “pretty tough.”

Finding a job after their military service affects nearly 200,000 veterans every year. Only one in four U.S. veterans have a job lined up after leaving the armed forces, according to the Pew Research Center.

Shultz, who learned to speak multiple languages over her three decades of service, is looking to add something new to her toolbox — learning how to translate her skills into corporate language.

“Business is a new language, you know? In the military, we have our own terminology. I work in the G-357 and to most people, that doesn’t mean much,” she said. “But if I tell somebody, you know, ‘I work in the operations center of the Army,’ that means a lot.”

It’s just one of the issues service members face when transitioning to civilian life.

A U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study from 2016 found that 53% of veterans are unemployed for four months or longer after leaving the military. Veterans who spoke to CBS News cited a lack of resources, underemployment and not having a four-year college degree as some of the obstacles that prevent them from getting a good-paying job.

American Corporate Partners, an organization that assists veterans in finding their post-military purpose through a network of mentors, helped First Sergeant Manny Morejonreyes, who served as a senior aviation leader for more than 20 years, in his job search.

“I really thought that it was going to be a little bit easier to be able to find a job,” Morejonreyes told CBS News. “I concentrated my career on giving everything to the military. Most of the job descriptions do require you to have some sort of level of higher education.”

Because he didn’t have a four-year degree, Morejonreyes said most of his job applications were overlooked before T-Mobile hired him as a Human Resources manager.

Rich Comitz, senior vice president at American Corporate Partners, said mentors help veterans understand how they can convey the skills they learned during their military service on their resumes and in job interviews.

“They’ve learned some valuable skills from deploying service members overseas, the equipment maintenance, to all these different skills managing teams,” Comitz told CBS News. “Oftentimes it’s military jargon that they’re used to explaining, and they help them translate that into what the industry is looking for in the areas that they’re interested in applying to.”

The New York City-based nonprofit has two free programs to help veterans: a nationwide mentoring program with more than 100 corporate partners and an online network that offers career and employment advice. More than 22,000 veterans have completed the mentoring program, according to the organization.

Veterans have qualities that should make them appealing to private corporations, Morejonreyes and Shultz said.

“The biggest advantage that a lot of veterans have are all those soft skills that most of corporate America takes years to attain — loyalty, integrity, honesty and a great work ethic,” he said.

Shultz added, “They have the discipline. Sometimes they have just these phenomenally exquisite skills. And why are we not harnessing that?”

The corporate world is waking up to it, Shultz said.

“We still want to give the best of ourselves, and to be part of something bigger than ourselves,” she said.

Related

Copyright 2022 Fort Myers Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without prior written consent.