As The War Ends Young Veterans Return to Scant Jobs
By: Stephanie Castillo
Updated: December 19, 2011
In Afghanistan, Cpl. Clayton Rhoden earned about $2,500 a month
jumping into helicopters to chase down improvised explosive devices or
check out suspected bomb factories.
Now he lives with his
parents, sells his blood plasma for $80 a week and works what extra duty
he can get for his Marine Corps Reserve unit.
Corporal Rhoden, who
is 25, gawky and polite with a passion for soldiering, is one of the
legions of veterans who served in combat yet have a harder time finding
work than other people their age, a situation that officials
say will grow worse as the United States completes its pullout of Iraq
and as, by a White House estimate, a million new veterans join the work
force over the next five years.
Veterans' joblessness
is concentrated among the young and those still serving in the National
Guard or Reserve. The unemployment rate for veterans aged 20 to 24 has
averaged 30 percent this year, more than double that
of others the same age, though the rate for older veterans closely
matches that of civilians. Reservists like Corporal Rhoden have a bleak
outlook as well.
In July 2010, their
unemployment rate was 21 percent, compared with 12 percent for other
vets.
The employment gap
cannot be explained by a simple factor like lack of a college degree -
despite their discipline and training, young veterans fare worse in the
job market than their peers without degrees.
Employers and veterans
seem to view each other as alien species. Managers, few of whom have
military experience themselves, may fear the aftereffects of combat or
losing reservists to another deployment. They may have
difficulty understanding how military accomplishments translate to the
civilian world.
Young veterans, whose
work history may consist entirely of military service, often need to
learn basics like what to wear to a job interview. More important, many
say, they are overwhelmed by the transition from combat
to civilian life.
(Copyright: New York Times) read more
(Copyright: New York Times) read more
