After defending our country in locations all around the world, many veterans find more battles await them when they return home. A new initiative was announced today to support and ease the reintegration of returning service members, veterans, and their families as they search for jobs and support services.

Retired Gen. George Casey, former chief of Staff of the Army, and AmeriCorps Director Bill Basl joined officials from Points of Light, ITT Exelis, and a coalition of 55 veteran and military service organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies from across the country to announce the Community Blueprint launch.

The Blueprint's mission is to improve the outcomes for the more than 1 million military members who will come home during the next five years as they seek access to services and support that will enable them to become future leaders and problem-solvers on the homefront. The idea for the initiative sprang from a 2010 gathering involving a coalition of military support organizations, and its goal is to establish 200 cities and towns as Community Blueprint communities by 2014.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is proud to support this effort, and Basl attended the event to lead this year's class of the Veteran Leader Corps (VLC) in the AmeriCorps pledge. The VLC currently operates in seven states and its members serve in volunteer centers and workforce development nonprofits while they enhance their leadership skills by supporting America's soldiers.

This just one of the many veterans' groups CNCS is supporting with $6.2 million in AmeriCorps grants this year alone. In addition to the 27,000 veterans involved in national service, CNCS programs serve 600,000 veterans and military families in more than 200 communities nationwide. Some of the services CNCS provides include employment placement, behavioral health counseling, community rehabilitation, homeless veteran support, and financial literacy.

“Today we welcome even more veterans into the AmeriCorps program as part of Points of Light's Veteran Leader Corps,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “We are honored to work with our partners in the military and nonprofit communities to create economic opportunities for veterans and their families.”

In the spring of 2011, a Marine stood on the porch steps of his new home in Annapolis, MD. He was not thinking about the beautiful row house that he would now share with his wife and four children, but was looking down at the porch that he helped build with his own hands. He was contemplating his spirit of service with a renewed vigor and hope.
 

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.
 

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.
 

This afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling to deliver hundreds of toys that White House staff donated to Toys for Tots, an annual holiday toy drive organized by the Marines. She thanked volunteers and military families for their hard work and dedication to the 60-year old program.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.Gov blog. In this series, we showcase news highlights that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

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.
 

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.
 

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.
 

A few years ago, as I began to travel around the country and talk to all sorts of people, one set of stories always tugged at my heart.They took my breath away.They inspired me.And they motivated me to learn more.They were stories of strength, courage, and patriotism that define our nation's military families. And I know that Fayetteville is filled with them.
 

After a long career with the U.S. Military, retired Lieutenant Colonel and Vietnam Veteran Howard Parker Rice found himself unable to stop serving. RSVP of Allen County provided the opportunity for him to continue serving by helping active military members and their families through the hardships of deployment.
 

Watch a video from the Independence Day celebration at the White House. The President and First Lady joined more than 1,200 military heroes and their families for a barbeque, a special USO show featuring Train and Amos Lee, and a viewing of the fireworks over the National Mall.