Posted by Secretary Janet Napolitano
One of the most gratifying parts of my job is meeting DHS employees who are dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of communities across the country. People are often surprised to learn that almost 90 percent of the men and women of DHS are not located in the Washington, DC area, but work in all 50 states and in 75 countries around the world.

Today, as part of the Department’s commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we are launching Faces of Homeland Security: Heroes on the Front Lines to tell the stories of some of the inspiring DHS employees who have gone above and beyond to prevent terrorism, secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws, safeguard cyberspace and prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.


The stories we are highlighting are just a few examples of the thousands of dedicated professionals working everyday to keep our communities safe and secure. Just as inspiring as their dedication is their spirit of cooperation with our many federal, state, local, and private sector partners. As we often say, DHS isn’t the team; we are part of the team. So over the next few months, we will be spotlighting examples of these essential partnerships as well.

I hope you will take a few minutes to read some of the stories behind the extraordinary men and women of DHS and our partners across the nation.

As citizens and businesspeople, families and communities, we all share the responsibility for our security. The dedication of these men and women to service exemplifies the very best of the American spirit. Together, we are making America safer, more resilient and stronger than ever.

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security. As I said in my “State of America’s Homeland Security” address in January, our nation is more secure than it was two years ago, and more secure than when DHS was founded. Nonetheless, our work never stops.

I am joining my predecessors, Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, today at a public commemoration of the Department’s 8th anniversary. We’ll speak to the history and progress of the last eight years, and to the dedication and service of the more than 230,000 men and women of DHS. A live video stream of the event will be available here.

Since it was formed in 2003, DHS has achieved remarkable progress across our key missions: preventing terrorism; securing our borders; enforcing our immigration laws; securing cyberspace; and ensuring resilience to disasters.

But we know that we have more work to do to counter the evolving threats we face. We must remind ourselves that our mission – a secure homeland – requires our constant vigilance, hard work, and determination to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorism and other threats.

As I often say, homeland security begins with hometown security. Working hand in hand with first responders, state, local, tribal and territorial governments, community groups, international partners and the private sector, we have made great strides in protecting our nation from terrorism and other threats while building a culture of resiliency and preparedness in our communities. Security is, indeed, a shared responsibility.

I invite you to watch and to learn more about how DHS is working every day to secure our nation. I look forward to the coming years, as we build on the foundation we celebrate today.

Janet Napolitano

Earlier today, the Secretary recorded a message honoring our nation’s veterans, nearly 47,000 of who continue to serve today at the Department of Homeland Security. These veterans bring with them special skills and experiences that are invaluable to our ability to carry out our mission. As the Secretary said in her message, we are proud to have as many veterans among our ranks as we do, and we’re working actively to bring even more veterans – along with their proven skills and dedication to protecting our nation – on board.

To support our recognition and recruiting efforts, we launched a new page on the DHS website last night to provide more resources for veterans who want to work at or with DHS. At www.dhs.gov/veterans, you can see profiles of a few of the 47,000 veterans within the DHS workforce and read how their military experience prepared them for work at DHS, in their own words. We are grateful every day for their service, not just on Veterans Day - we encourage you to take a look at the new page, and share any thoughts you might have in the comment section there.

Dhs.gov features a number of programs aren't always in plain view. Operation Warfighter is a great example. It offers recuperating miliatry service members the chance to remain active in internships or temporary assignments during their convalescence. The Operation Warfighter page on our site explains the program, its benefits for employers and service members, and information on how to become involved. Check it out.

Interested in a career at the Department of Homeland Security? We're always updating career postings on dhs.gov. Check out the most recent opportunities from our Office of Cybersecurity and Communications here, and visit our careers page for openings from around the Department.