This Veteran's Day, Let's Remember To Thank Veterans and Hire Them, Too

I am honored today to say thank you to the finest among us: the men and women who have volunteered to serve this great nation as members of our Armed Services. America has always relied on its best and brightest to defend our liberty. Each answered the call of duty when they took the oath to, ‘Support and defend the Constitution of the United States.’

Since the birth of our nation, over 1 million men and women have sacrificed their lives so that we could remain free. Each was a loved one cherished by family and friends. Each was a loss to their community. Our debt to these heroes can never be re-paid but our gratitude and respect must last forever.

This Veterans Day finds us, once again, a nation at war. Let us all pause to remember and express our gratitude to the individuals and their families who are currently answering the call to serve. Our veterans have accomplished their mission with honor and great distinction. Because of their sacrifice, we remain today, as we have been for 235 years: a free nation and a beacon of hope to all people.

Yesterday I complimented the Administration for working with the private sector to link American veterans with job opportunities through the recently announced Veterans Job Bank. I previously criticized the White House for rejecting this approach in its USA Jobs initiative. In a report identifying $1.4 trillion in savings, I had identified $58 million in potential savings from outsourcing these types of projects.

Rather than trying to compile its own list of job opportunities, the cooperative effort of the Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs instead turned to private sector search-engine companies and job-posting websites to quickly push job information to veterans.

By using the private sector’s existing resources and capabilities, our government was able to conceive and deploy the first version of this valuable tool within 90 days. It is a noteworthy accomplishment and a demonstration of how turning to the private sector is often far more efficient than trying to replicate commercial products inside government agencies.  It should serve as an example in our efforts to limit the growth of government and make the government we have more efficient.

As someone who hires veterans, I can tell you they are excellent employees. The U.S. military has the world’s best training programs, and its service members embody the finest qualities our nation has to offer. Not only does our nation owe veterans its gratitude, our economy benefits incredibly when veterans’ talents are put to work by employers. The Veterans Job Bank helps veterans quickly find opportunities specific to their skills across a range of job-posting sites. It’s a win-win, for veterans and for employers.  It's time to resurrect a slogan from a bygone era:  "Don't forget, hire the Vet!"