Large Turnout at Hiring Our Heroes Job Fair

With unemployment at an all time high, hundreds of active duty soldiers, veterans and military spouses dressed up for the first Hiring our Heroes job fair at the Crown on Friday.

The employment program, Hero2Hired (H2H), is a collaborative enterprise between the Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

H2H is a Yellow Ribbon-funded project with a special mission to thank veterans, soldiers and their spouses for their service by assisting them get a start on their next career path.

The system connects job seekers directly with employers based on qualifications and needs, at a time when unemployment among young veterans and spouses remains high.

The program reaches beyond this event in our community and hosts a user friendly website that aims to connect reserve and active duty servicemembers with jobs through military-friendly companies looking for employees with specialized training and skills. The website provides an 'advice and training' section along with a job search database and a career assessment test.

Corey Thomas, a soldier with the 18th Airborne Corps, is less than one year out from getting out of the military. He came prepared with his resume, dressed in a suit, hoping to meet some prospective companies.

"The services on post have helped immensely with creating my resume and now it's up to me to seek out what options are available," said Thomas. "Being single, I am up for moving wherever my next career takes me."