Legion takes part in  milestone Hiring Our Heroes event
Mark Erskine, Department of North Carolina District 8 commander, interacts with participants during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Hiring Our Heroes Transition Summit April 28.

Legion takes part in milestone Hiring Our Heroes event

More than 700 transitioning servicemembers and spouses stationed at Ft. Bragg , N.C., attended a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Transition Summit April 27 and 28.

The summit marked event number 1,000 in the Hiring Our Heroes lineup since the initiative kicked-off nearly five years ago. Along with stakeholders, other agencies and community partners, the Chamber of Commerce has successfully helped countless active-duty and veteran job seekers break into the civilian workforce during multidimensional events held in major cities and aboard large military installations.

Chuck Hodges, Senior Director of Events and Programs with Hiring Our Heroes, was elated to host an event of such magnitude at a base like Ft. Bragg. “A significant number of people transition from here each year," he said. "Anywhere from 8,500-9,000 troops return back to their civilian lives from Ft. Bragg. There is a tremendous need here. The companies we work with always tell us they would like access to more veterans. We are proud to partner these companies with great military talent.”

Throughout the two-day event, job seekers had access to informative workshops, interactive briefs and panel discussions on a variety of topics ranging from personal branding to federal résumé writing.

“We wanted to cover a variety of topics and include some of the information that doesn’t get covered during separation briefs," Hodges said. "It is important that servicemembers and their families understand how to effectively transition to back to civilian life.”

For many soldiers like Sgt. Stephen Gubenia, the thought of leaving the military and job hunting is extremely stressful. Although he is six months out from the end of his contract, the soldier expressed how eye-opening his process has been – even in the beginning stages.

“I thought I was coming here to network," Gubenia said. "I had no idea that a lot of these companies offered such a tremendous amount of opportunities and incentives for veterans. They have more diverse jobs positions available than people think."

The culmination of the event was a hiring fair and career forum, allowing transitioning troops to brush up on their elevator pitches and gather feedback on their resumes.

Gubenia said he was surprised by the amount of good advice, résumé feedback, and information on available resources he received from employers and community service providers.

American Legion Department of North Carolina District 8 Commander Mark Erskine and Glen Borg, District 8 vice commander, volunteered during the job fair, sharing resources with servicemembers and answering questions concerning the Legion. Erskine expressed his gratitude to work with future veterans like Gubenia.

“I’ve really started to see an increase in the amount of younger people that are interested in The American Legion," Erskine said. "This is a great forum to reach them and answer their questions because they don’t really understand what we do. All they know is that we do good things.”

Erskine admitted that he attends numerous hiring expos, oftentimes representing the Legion at similar events nearly seven days a week due to his experiences after leaving the service. During his transition from the service, there was no support available for him.

“I’m glad that I could be of assistance and refer people to the resources they need," he said. "I get satisfaction in helping veterans. I don’t want them to go through what I went through."

The American Legion, in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others will host a hiring expo at PNC Park in Pittsburgh May 3 .