"The last thing you should have to do is fight for a job when you come home."

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(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

(CNN) -- -- First lady Michelle Obama announced Wednesday that 270 private companies have pledged to hire 25,000 veterans and their spouses by the end of 2013.

The companies are part of a trade group called the American Logistics Association. Their commitment , she said, would fulfill one-quarter of the president's call for private sector companies to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by that time.

The first lady's announcement preceded a speech by President Barack Obama at a joint military base in Virginia, the third and last day of his bus tour aimed at pressuring Congress to pass his jobs package.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/politics/obama-jobs-tour/




excerpts from President Obama's and the First' Lady's remarks at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton. Va.: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/19/remarks-president-and-first-lady-american-jobs-act-and-joining-forces


First Lady: (T)oday, I am proud to announce that the American Logistics Association has said they’re going to step up and do something about that. So today they’re committing to hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses in the next two years. They do not want to miss out on your potential. They want America’s businesses to have the best, most talented, most hardworking employees around.

Now, this announcement is a huge deal -- which is why the President is here. It's huge enough for you to even be involved. This commitment includes 270 companies of all shapes and sizes, which makes this the largest coordinated effort by the private sector to hire veterans that we’ve seen in years. And this commitment puts us a quarter of the way toward reaching the President’s challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 vets and military spouses by the end of 2013.

The businesses making this pledge include name brands like Proctor and Gamble, Tyson Foods, Hewlett-Packard -- but also smaller companies like Prime Team Services, which is planning to hire hundreds of military spouses and veterans next year alone.

And today’s announcement really builds on the efforts of businesses and organizations already underway all across this country. Siemens has hired hundreds of veterans already this year. Sears is increasing the number of veterans and military spouses in their workforce by 10 percent. We just made that announcement this week. The Chamber of Commerce has hosted job fairs for veterans in cities across the country.

And then companies like Kmart and Sam’s Club have promised us that if a military spouse who works at their stores has to move to a new duty station, they will do their very best to have a job waiting for them when they arrive.

So these are bold commitments. And these are companies that are making these pledges not just because it’s the right thing to do or because it feels patriotic. They’re also doing it because it’s good for their bottom line. It's good for business. Because they know that veterans and military spouses, like all of you here today, represent the best our country has to offer, and they want you on their team.

And really that’s what Joining Forces is all about. It's really about tapping into all of that goodwill that’s already out there all across this country in every sector of society. And it's important for you all to know that, because I know sometimes it feels like a struggle, like sometimes we don't know as a nation what you sacrifice, what your families have sacrificed. But know that people are stepping up. They're doing it every day, and they're doing it with pride and with pleasure. And channeling all of that energy into making a real difference in the lives of our veterans and military families is really what we want to do for you. And truly, it is a win-win for everyone.

The motto of Joining Forces is very simple: Everyone can do something -- everyone can do something -- to honor and support the brave men and women who have served us all so well.


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(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President:Over the past decade, nearly 3 million service members, like many of you -- our 9/11 generation of veterans -– have made the transition back to civilian life. They’ve taken their leadership experience, their mastery of cutting-edge technologies, their ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and they’ve become leaders here at home. They’ve become leaders in businesses all across the country . . .

Now, of course, as Michelle mentioned, there are far too many veterans who are coming home and having to struggle to find a job worthy of their talents. There are too many military spouses who have a hard time finding work after moving from base to base and city to city.

That’s not right. It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make sense for our veterans. It doesn’t make sense for our businesses. It doesn’t make sense for our families. And it doesn’t make sense for America.

If you can save a life in Afghanistan, you can save a life in a local hospital or in a local ambulance. If you can oversee millions of dollars of assets in Iraq, you can help a business balance its books here at home. If you can juggle the demands of raising a family while a husband or wife are at war, you can juggle any demands of any job in the United States of America.

We ask our men and women in uniform to leave their families -- our Guardsmen and Reservists to leave their jobs. We ask you to fight, to sacrifice, to risk your lives for our country. The last thing you should have to do is fight for a job when you come home. Not here. Not in the United States of America.


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(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

So this has been one of my top priorities as your Commander-in-Chief. That's why we are fully funding the post-G.I. -- 9/11 G.I. Bill, which is helping more than 600,000 veterans and their family members pursue a college education.

It’s why we fought to make sure the bill included non-college degrees and on-the-job training. It’s why I directed the federal government to lead by example and hire more veterans -– including 100,000 as of this summer.

And it’s also why we’re here today. As Michelle mentioned, back in August I challenged American businesses -- I challenged them to hire or train 100,000 post-9/11 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013. And now, just a few months later, thanks to the many extraordinary companies who are here today, we’re already a quarter of the way there. Already, they’ve committed to train or hire 25,000 veterans and spouses in the next two years.

And this is incredible. It’s a testament to their good business sense. It’s a testament to their sense of patriotism. It’s a testament to the fact that these veterans and military families are some of the most talented, trained, and experienced citizens that we have. It’s a testament to these businesses’ commitment to this country . . .


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(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)


But considering how many veterans are out there looking for work, we can’t stop with today’s announcement. We’ve got more work to do. Some of you probably know that last month, I sent Congress a piece of legislation called the American Jobs Act. Now, this is a bill that’s fully paid for, and it’s filled with the kind of proposals that traditionally Democrats and Republicans have supported in the past -- tax cuts for every small worker -- every worker and small business in America; funding to rebuild our schools and put our teachers back in the classroom so our children can get the education they deserve; a tax credit for small businesses that hire America’s veterans.

The idea here is even though so many companies who are here today have committed to hiring our nation’s heroes, we want to make it even easier for the businesses that haven’t made that commitment yet. It’s the right thing to do for our veterans and it’s the right thing to do for America. You give smaller companies who may be interested in hiring but are having a tough time -- give them a tax break if they hire a veteran. Give them an even bigger tax break if they hire a disabled veteran.

Now, so far Congress hasn’t acted on this proposal. But I want you to know that I’m pushing them a little bit. I’m going to keep pushing them a little bit. In the coming weeks, we’re going to hold a series of votes in the Senate on individual pieces of my jobs bill. And one of the votes I’m going to urge members of Congress to take is on whether or not they think it’s a good idea to give companies an incentive to hire the men and women who have risked their lives for our country. And I’m hopeful we can get both parties on board for this idea.

When I first proposed this idea in a joint session of Congress, people stood up and applauded on both sides of the aisle. So when it comes for a vote in the Senate, I expect to get votes from both sides of the aisle. Don’t just applaud about it, vote for it. Vote for it.

Standing up for our veterans is not a Democratic responsibility or a Republican responsibility -– it is an American responsibility. It is an obligation for every citizen who enjoys the freedoms that our heroes defend. And it’s time for us to meet those obligations here today.

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full text of remarks: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/19/remarks-president-and-first-lady-american-jobs-act-and-joining-forces

related:

White House (First Lady) Joining Forces to Rebuild 1,000 Homes for Veterans
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/17/joining-forces-rebuild-1000-homes-veterans

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1. so the military groups fight for the empire

and then wonder why the empire sucks so bad.

Because empires suck. Period.

[Zoeisright]

2. Fuckin' A.

Suck on that, repukes.

[strategery blunder]

3. So watch those same companies fire 25000 workers who already have jobs.

It's all a shell game. Hire veterans for the publicity, quietly use the veterans to replace older, more expensive labor. I don't expect any NET job creation to come of this, sadly. :(

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4. I'd give the frickin thing a chance

. . . before I trashed the 270 companies who've agreed to participate. Folks are already being hired as a result of this initiative.

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5. .

(ureccing an effort to find jobs for veterans . . . assholes.)