Paul Reickhoff, president and CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, has an idea about a great, untapped American resource. He believes national service models based on AmeriCorps to harness and leverage the skills of military veterans and can “help people think about us as the cavalry, not as a problem."

It's a terrific idea – especially when you know the stories of vets who are riding to the rescue every day. They are the community service embodiment of the cavalry, not a condition.

Disaster Calls Vets to Action

A deadly, headline-making EF-5 tornado a thousand miles away instigated a New York American Legion Post 1080's disaster relief drive that collected a flatbed truck of supplies. Two days later, a four-man volunteer team of veterans that spanned eras and conflicts arrived in Joplin, MO.

"I was shocked when the New York guys pulled into our parking lot," said Howard Spiva, a local Legion post commander. "I was even more shocked when they opened the back of the truck and I looked in. It was more than I ever dreamed it would be."

The cavalry had arrived.

Global Mission Team Comes Home to Help

Jake Wood and fellow Iraq veteran William McNulty formed Team Rubicon with other Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to provide disaster service relief efforts around the globe. In 2011, the team came to Missouri with dozens of their fellow veterans, raised tens of thousands of dollars in disaster response donations, and saved lives and dreams.

Kasey Sands, 27, was one of the Joplin residents who received help from Team Rubicon. When she returned home, she discovered a dozen of the team members removing toppled trees from her yard.

“I asked them who they were, and they said they were veterans,” Sands told USA Today. “They said they like to help with peace and not just with war.”

The cavalry had arrived.

Leading the Way

Earlier this year, the Missouri House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution honoring the more than 300 AmeriCorps members from across the country who played indispensable roles in the Joplin recovery. The volunteers saved the area tens of millions of dollars and accumulated more than 49,000 hours of service. Joplin's citizens certainly know the value of our veterans here at home.

During his State of the Union Address in January, President Obama said that our freedom endures by “enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our nation.” Whether one takes this figuratively or literally, our fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are already coming home to continue their service by leading national and community service efforts.

Less than 1 percent of Americans have served their nation in combat. There is no doubt that many of us have faced challenges and continue to carry the wounds of war, both visible and hidden, yet those wounds do not define us. During the next five years, more than a million veterans will come home. As we welcome them back, it is important to remember that our veterans are not this nation's problem and they are not a condition.

They are the cavalry.

Koby Langley is an Iraq War Veteran, and serves as the Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior, Veteran and Military Family Initiatives at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

As we celebrate the 4th of July, we celebrate our patriotism and the millions who have shown their love of country by wearing the uniform. There are a few Veterans among us -- 16,000 so far -- who came home and volunteered for a second time and served their communities though AmeriCorps.
 

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) just announced a tremendous commitment to support veterans and military families at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service. From expanded grants to increased “people power” in areas of need, we are ready to stand with our soldiers to provide opportunities that will help them continue their service here at home while we serve their special needs.
 

For an aging individual coping with the loss of mobility, lack of proper foundations in and around a home can lead to difficulties remaining independent and mobile. This is especially true of our nation's veterans and as a nation, we have a duty to take care of these individuals how have sacrificed so much for our country.
 

My grandmother lived in Texas, and she would remind me that everything was bigger there -- including their hearts. The work of one person, empowered by a Corporation for National and Community Service program, demonstrates how thousands of people are making a Texas-sized impact on the lives of our nation's veterans.
 

African American History Month has ended, and while the official celebration is over, our contributions to society don't end on any given particular day. Likewise, our African American service members continue to contribute and make history, even after they take off their uniforms for the last time.
 

Service has many meanings. To a member of the Armed Forces, service is duty, pride, and honor. Those of us who wear – or have worn – the uniform have a deep sense of conviction and purpose.
 

Today, a group of young men and women, many of them veterans, will stand up and pledge to “get things done for America”. They will join a legion of more than 750,000 Americans who have served in AmeriCorps and become the first class to also serve as VetCorps members.
 

Helping homeless veterans get off the streets feels like work Duane Magee was made to do, and his tireless quest puts him behind the wheel for thousands of miles each year to find them. He is living proof to vets that recovery from homelessness and incarceration is possible because their story is his story, and his quiet mission to assist them led to his nomination for a 2012 Martin Luther King Drum Major for Service Award.
 

Of the 130,000 veterans in Idaho, more than 30,000 are registered with the Idaho Department of Labor to receive employment resources and job training. However, budget cuts have put this program in jeopardy.
 

Many years ago, I stepped off a plane from Iraq and onto the tarmac at Pope Airfield in Fort Bragg, NC. The scene was filled with open arms, cheers, the sound of muffled grunts of joy as weeping kids jumped into the arms of their parents, and spouses' soft cries of love and longing. The sounds of reunions were deafening as they bounced off the high walls of the hangar -- it was a sound that I welcomed, and remember to this day.
 

As America's heroes return from war zones and transition back into civilian life, many are facing challenges finding work. Last month, more than over 857,000 veterans were unemployed, and the jobless rate for post-9/11 veterans is 13.1 percent.
 

As America's heroes return from deployments abroad and transition back into civilian life, many are facing challenges in finding employment. With the unemployment rate among recently returned veterans hovering around 12 percent, these men and women who volunteered to courageously serve our country should not have to return home with bleak opportunities in sight.
 

Madison Street Veterans Association began about three years ago with a group of homeless veterans living in an emergency shelter in Phoenix. The veterans decided that they should band together to improve the conditions in the shelter for themselves and any veterans who showed up in the shelter. What a difference they made!
 

The mood was merry when Dr. Jill Biden hosted a fourth-grade class from White Oaks Elementary School in Burke, Virginia at the Vice President's Residence on Monday, Dec. 12. The festive event focused on helping children understand the challenges faced by military families during the holiday season.
 

Operation Honor Card has successfully collected 14,000,000 pledged hours of service from Americans who want to honor military families and veterans through acts of kindness, big and small, showing appreciation for their sacrifice.
 

When our armed forces return from combat, the impact it has on their lives is lasting, though not always evident. For many, they are returning with invisible wounds, that left untreated, can turn into scars.
 

On the National Service blog, the past few weeks have been dedicated to veterans. We've shared stories of WWII and Gulf War vets, of vets inspiring and helping young people, and of vets serving their country on the battlefield, and off.
 

Veterans Day should remind us that our veterans deserve much more than our thoughts and kind words. The transition from the battlefield back to civilian life is never easy, but long and multiple deployments and a weak job market make this one of the most difficult times ever to be a veteran.
 

Supporting our nation's troops, veterans, and military families is critical to our national security and to strengthening our communities. It is also a top priority for of Corporation for National and Community Service, stemming from the bipartisan Serve America Act.
 

Among the milestone events that have marked our nation's history, World Word II is one everyone knows of but few remember. The heroes of that war, their shared sacrifice and their continued dedication, shows they truly are the greatest generation. Montana's Bernard Mulder, 89, is one of these heroes.
 

Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifice that veterans have made for our country and an opportunity to create a more meaningful experience for the veterans in your community. One way you can create a lasting memory of service is to record the story of a veteran in your life and contribute it to the Veterans History Project.
 

Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices that military service members and families have made while protecting our nation.
 

On Veterans Day, November 11, we honor the brave men and women who have selflessly served our country and risked their lives to protect our freedoms. There are many ways to give back to the more than 23 million vets who have sacrificed so much.
 

It's no secret that personal attention in the classroom can deliver big results on a report card. For children of military families, that extra kindness can be even more crucial.
 

Chuck Hundley, a Marine Reservist throughout college was never deployed overseas because his skills as an AAV Technician were needed back in the states. That didn't stop him from trying however, “I wanted to go so badly and support my fellow troops, but I got the orders to stay back.”
 

Todd Schnittke proudly served his country during the Gulf War as a Multiple Launch Rocket System Technician from 1989-1993. Yet, he had a will to continue his service to the United States that never disappeared. Now, he proudly serves under another title – AmeriCorps member at the AMVETs Career Center in Mansfield, Ohio.
 

As Veteran's Day nears, we look to honor those of the "Greatest Generation" who so valiantly served our country during World War II. Today, these heroes are still serving today – tutoring and mentoring at-risk youth, serving veteran and military families, and helping fellow seniors stay independent in their own homes.
 

Though retired from the service for 14 years, 68 year-old veteran Larry Mills found he wasn't done serving. He answered this call by serving fellow veterans through the Senior Companion program, one of three Senior Corps programs at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
 

Three of the biggest stars in America are lending their voices to Joining Forces, the initiative started by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr.Jill Biden to bring attention to the unique needs and strength of America's military families.Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have each created public service announcements (PSAs) that tell real stories about America's military families and call on all Americans to give back to ensure service members and military families have the support they have earned.