Employment After Returning From the War? Profile of a Returning Veteran

According to the 2009 Careers After Combat report , "produced by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, war veterans are not only finding "their skills are not understood by civilian employers or face employment discrimination because of the stigma associated with psychological injuries" but they also would often "earn lower wages and have lower incomes than their nonmilitary peers. Considering the experiences of previous generations of veterans, veterans of current wars would face these problems for years to come."

SAN JOSE, CA – Reintegration into the society has never been easy for soldiers in any era. During this economic crisis, it has become even more difficult for the thousands of men and women returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The 2009 Careers After Combat report estimates that 17% of veterans are unemployed in comparison to 9% of civilians during normal time.

San Jose, the third largest city in California and the hi-tech center of the world, is experiencing its share as many of its sons and daughters are having a hard time assimilating back into their home communities.

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of young San Jose residents – many only 18-years-old at the time – decided to join the military to defend their country. Joshua Moley, then 19, acting on his impulse, went with the United States Marine Corps.

Beginning with three months of infantry training at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, Moley learned about team camaraderie, rifles, battle fighting, and survival tactics. However, these trainings, he emphasized, are designed for warfare, not for civil society.

By March of 2003, Moley was sent to Kuwait. A year later, he was deployed to Iraq around the time the country was preparing its first-ever open election to select a new government in the post Saddam Hussein era.

During overseas postings, Moley was a member of the HMLA 369 unit (Marine Live Attack Helicopter Squadron) in Kuwait and the MEU unit (Marine Expeditionary Unit) during his 3 month stay in Iraq.

Assigned to communications, “my unit was not in the line of fire,” explains the young veteran, but the danger was certainly real as bombs and gunfire could happen anytime, anywhere. He remembers feeling scared. “I did not know what would happen, but at the same time I knew that I was with a group of soldiers and that as long as I was with them, we were all going to come out alive,” Moley says.

Returning to the United States in 2005, Moley was among the lucky ones as he decided to take electrical classes and successfully landed an electrician job.

“These same men and women return from the Iraq war and face barriers to gain employment,” said Dave Lopez, director of employment training for Swords to Plowshares, a local service agency for veterans. With limited education and non-military work experience, most don’t know what to do next, Lopez emphasizes.

Unfortunately after a few months of gaining his first civilian job, Moley lost the position when he started to consume alcohol to deal with the stress of re-adjusting to life in America. After that he began a string of odd jobs to support himself. He understands using drinks to cope with stress had become an even bigger problem for him so he’s been working on his sobriety.

Lopez said our society is witnessing a generation of young people “who are helpless.” Besides job counseling, “We are seeking to provide some kind of mental health treatment,” he added.

In 2008, the Marine Corps requested Moley to come back for a 3-month stint to help transport international status officials. Once finished, he leveraged his communications skills to obtain a job in HP communications till May 2009, which also marks the end of his four years of military service as an “inactive member.” And that’s when he returned to San Jose.

Moley wished “he didn’t have to take the temporary job,” because in these tough economic times he is unable to find a secure job.

Being unemployed for the last five months, he is weighting his immediate options: return to military duty or continue in his studies to become an electrical and solar system technician. But Moley also has a dream of one day opening up his own business.

Guadalupe Bellavance is a writer at Alianza News

Related info:
* Careers After Combat: Employment and Education Challenges for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans