American Legion rep shares cracks in military transition efforts during panel discussion

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Labor is staging a series of virtual and in-person panel discussions that are focused on Black veteran employment outcomes, barriers and interventions. The first such discussion took place on July 25 and focused specifically on the significance of the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces, its impact on civil rights movements, progress made toward equality in the military and Black veterans’ access to good jobs.

Included in the first panel was Joseph Sharpe, director of The American Legion’s Veterans Employment and Education Division. Sharpe, a U.S. Army retiree, spoke about the Legion’s efforts in the transition process from the military to civilian world, but also shared how there are cracks in the system on the military side that can leave veterans in the lurch.

“We visit various military installations around the country every year. We look at the transition program and the resources that are available for veterans as they transition out,” Sharpe said. “The current programs in many installations are very impressive. They assist veterans with employment. They talk about the various programs the Department of Labor has. You have various pathways. If you want to go the entrepreneur route, (the Small Business Administration) is there. If you want to work for (the Department of Veterans Affairs), VA is there at these installations.

“The issue is, for Black veterans, is if they’re going to improve the economic outcomes, they have to take advantage of the resources that are already there. In order to be able to do that and learn of the resources and the various programs the federal agencies have and the private sector has, they have to be allowed to take full advantage of those programs. That’s currently not happening. A lot of it is due to commanders’ input. They’re not allowing these individuals to get to these programs and take advantage of what’s out there in a timely fashion.”

Sharpe pointed to a specific example of this. “We were involved in a mega job fair in Fort Hood, Texas, just a month ago,” he said. “We had individuals coming up to us saying they had just returned from a major training exercise in Louisiana. When we asked them, ‘OK, what are you doing for employment? What are you doing for transition? Do you know your benefits? How much time do you have left?’ We were told two weeks. We had other individuals we spoke to. We asked, ‘What are your plans?’ ‘Well, we have nine months left, so we have plenty of time to transition out.’”

Sharpe said Legion reps asked the soldiers if they planned on applying for federal employment, and some said yes. “’Well, you know it takes them a year to even get back to you. So, you’re already too late,’” Sharpe said they told the soldiers. “We really believe that there should be a hybrid, in-person transition program for individuals to start learning about their benefits and where they plan to live and what they plan to do prior to them having two weeks left. Even though they say they’re giving folks a year to start planning their transition, that’s not happening in many cases. And if you’re a Black veteran from a depressed area, if you’re not being encouraged to take advantage or allowed to take advantage of the programs that currently exist, then your transition’s going to be that much harder.”  

The American Legion would like to see the start of the transition process begin much earlier for those in the military.

“For us, we would like to see that when an individual comes into the military, finishes basic training and gets to their first duty assignment, that they’re given some sort of counseling in reference to a career path for that individual (and) for that particular service,” Sharpe said. “If an individual goes into combat arms or infantry, there are aspects of that particular field that they can use due to leadership, training, those type of things. But if they’re also looking to, when they transition out of the military, to see what are occupations that are more transferable in that particular military service that will assist that individual if they want to stay in the military as a career and also start preparing for their transition out of the military. Which could be licensing, certification, going to a four-year school or starting their own business or starting a farm.”

Sharpe said the goal of his division “was always to ensure that when veterans leave the military, that they’re gainfully employed, that they’re able to take care of themselves financially and also contribute to their communities. We are aware that many of our veterans that join the military come from depressed areas around the country. When they transition, we want them to be able to transition into a world where they are gainfully employed and able to take care of themselves. We’ve always believed that once you join the military, you ought to be able to start planning your transition out to the civilian sector.

“We’d like to see more veterans, as they join the military, also be made aware of what career paths they have while they’re in the military, but also learn about their possible benefits and how they can improve themselves, so when they leave the military, they’re actually creating wealth for themselves and their communities.”

Also taking part in the panel was retired Lt. Col. Patricia Jackson-Kelley, a life member and current commander of Jackie Robinson American Legion Post 252 in Los Angeles. Jackson-Kelley served in the Navy Reserve, Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Army Reserve, and during the panel shared her experience as a nurse shortly after joining the military.

“When I went on active duty, I was 36 years old, which is not the norm,” she said. “I was assigned to a medical surgical unit at Travis Air Force Base. And the majority of my peers were young first and second lieutenants whose mean age was around 23-25. The head nurse’s age was around 30, so I found myself in a very unique situation.

“I was basically the only nurse of color, so I had many factors that affected my progression in the military at that time. As a result of that, I was led to seek out ways of learning on my own. One of the things we have to be mindful of is that environmental issues play a large part in people’s progression – especially in the military.”

Watch the complete panel discussion here.