Saturday’s event drew job-seeking veterans, servicemembers and military spouses.
Dozens of job-seeking veterans, servicemembers and military spouses learned about potential careers and networked with local companies during a Hiring Our Heroes job fair at The American Legion’s 107th National Convention in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 29.
Among the businesses on hand were representatives of First Command, which earlier in the day officially received the 2026 Employer of Older Workers Award from the Veterans Employment & Education Commission. Based in Texas, the financial advisory agency has branches in 45 states and Guam.
Chuck York’s own experience with a financial advisor during his transition from service prompted him to become a financial advisor himself.
“I’ve lived through these pitfalls where when we get out, we don’t really know the benefits available to us until it’s too late and we’ve lost them. I started working with a financial advisor about three years ago before I got out who helped me understand all that, I wanted to kind of carry that on,” York said.
One of the success stories he experienced from events like Saturday’s was one of his first clients.
“Because we hire military spouses, one of my very first clients, I was able to hire his wife. She didn’t have a job, and she needed flexibility in her schedule because of childcare and all those things. A young E5 can’t just call in and say, ‘I can’t be at work today’; she has to do that sometimes. But it’s ok because we can do telework, we can do things over the phone, texts and all, where between her and I, we can make the business side of it work. She still gets a good paying job well above minimum wage here in Kentucky,” York said.
David Blaylock, a veteran business consultant with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Jobs for Veterans State Grants, shared one of his success stories.
“A couple weeks ago, we had a veteran who had a bad felony on his record, but we managed to get him a great job, get him started, and he’s doing great,” Blaylock said.
A Marine veteran himself, Blaylock said he enjoyed “getting to work with these veterans who have sacrificed bravely for our country, and then we’re serving them again. …. Now I’m helping my fellow brothers and sisters in the military to get back started.”
- Convention