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Remarks Prepared for
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Department of Labor’s Salute to Veterans
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Thank you, Chick [Ciccollela, Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service].
I would like to recognize Chick and the members of his team in VETS for all the great work you are doing on behalf of America’s servicemen and women and veterans. And let me give a special thanks to Jeb Wilkinson for organizing this great event and the displays here today.
We are very fortunate to have the 257th Army Band here from the District of Columbia National Guard.
Let me also thank our friends from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs for being here and for the tremendous work you do for our men and women in uniform.
And thanks to our friends in the Congressional Affairs community for your support, as well.
Today, our U.S. military is the finest and most capable in the world. And its greatest assets are its people. More than 43 million Americans have answered the call to defend our freedom during our nation’s history. And currently, more than 165,000 are fighting in the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As President Bush said during his visit in September to the al Asad airfield in Iraq’s Anbar Province, we are making real progress in the region. And the brave men and women of our U.S. military deserve much of the credit for this success.
Each year, over 318,000 military members return to civilian status. And, the Department helps these individuals transition into the civilian sector through a variety of job placement and employment assistance services.
For example, many of our nation’s One-Stop Career Centers have veterans’ employment representatives ready and willing to provide specialized services to transitioning veterans.
Our men and women in uniform are known for their intelligence, strong work ethic, loyalty, discipline, and leadership abilities. They have the highly marketable professional qualities that employers are looking for. And so, the Department’s HireVetsFirst campaign has helped employers appreciate the value of hiring them.
Through the Department’s Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, we work in conjunction with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to help veterans learn how to market their unique skills and experience to potential employers.
And we are especially focused on our wounded and injured veterans. The REALifelines program that I started three years ago at Walter Reed Army Hospital provides one-on-one job training, counseling, and re-employment services to seriously wounded and injured service members who cannot return to active duty. So far, REALifelines has helped over 4,000 wounded or injured veterans and their spouses or caregivers build new and rewarding careers in the private sector.
Finally, one of our Department’s top priorities is protecting our military members’ jobs when they’re called up to serve. In December 2005, I announced the first-ever regulations implementing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 — known as USERRA. These regulations have helped clarify the law and further protect the employment and reemployment rights of veterans who leave their civilian jobs to perform military service.
Before I close, I would ask everyone who has served in the military to please raise your hand. Let us all give them a round of applause.
America’s veterans were there for us. And now it’s our turn to be there for them by providing the training, education, and services that can help them find new careers. Again, thank you all for being here.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America!
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