Operation: Job Ready Veterans
One participant’s testimony about an Operation: Job Ready Veterans seminar was unforgettable to its organizers. The unemployed man in need of a new direction began the free weeklong transition-assistance program with a blunt statement: “I hate people.”
A week later, the same veteran’s wife hugged seminar organizers and told them that the program had saved their marriage and possibly prevented his suicide. “She said, ‘I was going to leave him at the end of this week if this didn’t work,’” explained John Spanogle, director of strategic initiatives and development for the nonprofit 501c(3) program, which is offered to veterans, their families and caregivers. “On Tuesday of the next week, the veteran had a new career. On Friday that week, the employer called and wanted more veterans who had come through the program.’”
The nonprofit organization’s cornerstone – Veteran Employment Transition Seminar (VETS) – provides multiple career-building services, along with camaraderie among other veterans, financial assistance in emergency situations, GI Bill information, VA connections and even new clothes for job interviews, if needed. Nearly 900 veterans have been helped – including some coming out of jail, others trying to get off the streets and many who simply need a job that pays a reasonable wage to cover basic family expenses.
Of the 82 seminars given so far in Indiana, six were conducted in August alone. The program aims to connect employers and veterans with jobs that pay at least $15 in hourly wages or annual salaries of $52,000 or more. “Our goal is career placement,” Spanogle said.
Spanogle, who delivered presentations about the program Saturday and Monday during the 98th American Legion National Convention in Cincinnati, knows firsthand the immense challenge – and the psychological strain – of making the transition from military to civilian life. The combat veteran and Legionnaire said exposure to heavy fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq did not cause mental and emotional distress after he retired as a decorated Army officer. Finding a decent job did.
“My feelings don’t come from multiple tours in the combat zone … no sir they don’t,” he told attendees of his Monday presentation at the convention. “My feelings come from the multiple rejections for employment in my hometown. How can I look at my wife and two sons in the face and tell them daddy can’t get a job? A Green Beret who commanded and led the finest soldiers in the world in combat. How can it be this accomplished soldier can’t find a job? Transition is tough.”
His personal struggle to find a career path fitting his military training and skills, along with bachelor’s and master’s degrees he had earned along the way, led him to wonder about other post-9/11 generation veterans.
“What about the young non-commissioned officer or officer that was given a pink slip by the U.S. government? As a senior officer, I was the bearer of bad news and let these fine soldiers know they wouldn’t be retained. Most cried openly and didn’t know what to do because they expected to retire a U.S. Army soldier. These young men and women have approximately six months to figure out what to do. Some have wives and small children.”
The VETS program of Operation: Job Ready Veterans is designed to help entire families, including spouses, caregivers and career-age children of those who have served their country in uniform. CEO Gene Anderson stated on Saturday, “The seminar is special because we target the transitional issues each individual has when returning home after service.” The program not only concentrates on the veterans (active duty, National Guard or reserve) but also spouses and caregivers.
Lindsey Banter, director of marketing for OJRV and a spouse of an active-duty officer, said, “Most organizations don’t think of the spouse in transition. The spouse and family members transition every bit as much as the individual servicemember.”
OJRV prides itself on being a veteran organization that takes care of the entire family.
Spanogle said the program has partnered with many organizations that assist with veterans. OJRV has partnered with homeless shelters, veterans service organizations and Veteran Treatment Courts. OJRV works with Indiana Veteran Treatment Courts and assists participants after successful completion of the court’s program. The court participants are offered the opportunity to continue their success by attending the VETS seminar and become successful in career placement and in life.
Operation: Job Ready Veterans received a Small Business Employer of the Year Award Saturday from The American Legion’s Veterans Employment and Education Commission. Spanogle said the program can be replicated anywhere and is a perfect fit for American Legion posts. “American Legion posts know the employers and have the (job) leads,” Spanogle said. “Every part of our class can be replicated.”
He added that 56 percent of participants are post-9/11 generation veterans, but only about 10 percent of them are members of a veterans service organization, presenting an opportunity to make new members of successful seminar graduates. More importantly, he said, American Legion posts put veterans in need of transition services in a more comfortable setting to succeed, getting help from their fellow veterans and families. He said VETS classes are even conducted at the VA Health Center in Evansville, Ind., which gives participants exposure to Department of Veterans Affairs services, as well. In Indianapolis, the VA has agreed to have VA case managers visit the OJRV office weekly to ensure the veteran and family members have been enrolled and are receiving the benefits they are due.
To learn more about Operation: Job Ready Veterans, visit the organization’s website at www.ojrv.org online. And connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Email: OJRVAdmin@jobreadyvets.org
9130 Otis Ave, Suite A
Indianapolis, IN 46216
(855) 456-2732