MilitaryStars Blog

Making Vacations For Military Families

Making the time to take vacation is just as critical a part of civilian work life, and of stress management, as anything else covered here.  I greatly enjoyed this story because the people involved have found a way to give wounded veterans and their families some time to themselves.  Vacations for Veterans, founded by a married veteran couple, offers free vacation home stays and discounted travel, all donated by people who want to support veterans.  A wonderful idea, and one I think could spread as a thank-you to any military family!    

Veteran Hiring Awareness and Big League Dreams

I'm playing fantasy baseball for the first time this year (Lance Berkman! Knock on wood!), but this guy's living it, and for a great cause.  Hal Myers is a recent Army retiree with 80% service connected disability, and basically will be interning across the country, donating his time without pay, for any minor league club that will have him.  That's how badly he has always wanted a job in baseball, and he also hopes his quest raises awareness for veteran hiring in general.  Seeing a veteran pursue his dream with this dedication, a dream no doubt shared by many of us, is fantastic publicity.  The link also includes a preview of his site, where he will be blogging about what should be the journey of a lifetime.   

New York State Jobs, Education Bills for Veterans

Having recently been in Secaucus for our Northeast event - thank you to everyone who attended! - it was excellent to see the veteran assistance legislation on the agenda in New York state.  The legislators in the link (Newsday) are committed to getting this done, and mention that veterans groups advocating for help are a big reason why.  The bills are rather comprehensive, featuring many aspects of the best state legislation I've seen recently: full tuition packages to public universities, tax credits for employers who hire veterans, and much more.  Here's to success for this collaborative effort.  Have a great week!   

Memorial Day

Every one of us here is passionate about our work.  We aren't doing it because we all get to hop in private yachts at the end of the day.  All of us are passionate about helping military veterans, most of us because we served, the rest, like me, because we honor that service, because we want to show it, and because showing it through our work every day is incredibly gratifying and a career unlike any other.

I've read things here and there as this holiday approaches noting how important it is to hire veterans right now.  That's true, but for us, that's true every day.  And Memorial Day is about everyone who ever served this country, writing a blank check as the popular quote says.  It's about every veteran here at home enjoying a cookout, and every man and woman across the world who isn't yet, because both have given their service to ensure the custom can continue.  Not about jobs or politics or absolutely anything else.  From all of us here, it's simply about saying thank you.

How To Really See Veterans' "Intangible" Skills

This is just an awesome piece.  The end details the fight for the "21st century GI Bill".  The first few paragraphs will give you chills.  It is written by Marty Conatser, National Commander of the American Legion, and when he states the following, he certainly speaks for me: "Business leaders shouldn't just hire veterans simply out of gratitude. They should hire veterans because it is smart business."  Anyone who has any doubts needs to check the link; anyone who knows it to be the truth would do well to as well.  "Intangibles" that veterans provide have rarely felt so tangible.   

Military and Veterans: Get Hired Tomorrow in Dallas!

Part 2 of our hiring doubleheader tomorrow is only a time zone later, and features employers with opportunities from Dallas to around the world!  Sales, security, logistics, it's all here, even careers in explosives (Dyno Nobel, named for dynamite creator Alfred Nobel himself).  There are dozens of employers with hundreds of opportunities, so take your time if you want even a glimpse of everything available to you.  Remember that these employers are here because they want military experience, and show them how right they are!  Thank you for your service and for making the commitment to be there, and best of luck!       

Military and Veterans: Get Hired Tomorrow in Secaucus!

For all of you heading to Secaucus for our Northeast Regional Career Expo tomorrow, thank you for your service, thank you for making the commitment to be there, and best of luck!  To illustrate how military-friendly our client employers truly are, the CEO of one attending tomorrow, Emtec, devotes spare time to the Veteran Entrepreneurial Mentor program at Farleigh Dickinson University.  We are big on entrepreneurial opportunities for veterans here - know that our client employers are, too!  Special thanks go out as well to the National Football League for donating official merchandise for our prize giveaway - believe me, that does not happen at every event.  These are companies who believe in you and who we are honored to have helping our cause, creating oppotunities for military job seekers!       

Free Outdoor Adventure For Transitioning Military

Some of you may have heard of Outward Bound, an organization that hosts wilderness adventures for everyone from kids to adults.  They now offer a veteran program, with courses offered at various base camps from Maine to California.  Best of all, they recently received a grant to pay for 1,500  transitioning veterans' airfare to the camps and equipment!  The link (MileHighNews.com) demonstrates the connections the veterans are able to re-establish with one another, while making new connections with the civilians who run the programs.  More of both kinds of connections are always needed and this is a one-of-a-kind way to make them.

Veterans Helping Veterans Run Better Businesses

About a year ago, I checked out Syracuse University's excellent Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV).  The program is veteran-founded, for service disabled veterans, and this year will also be offered on the campuses of UCLA, Florida State, and Texas A&M.  Air Force Link's story above provides great details on the difference that the program has made for veterans and their businesses.  Also of note, participants in EBV come from all branches of service and have ranged in age from their 20's to their 50's.  You can apply to EBV year-round and also find franchising opportunities year-round at any of MilitaryStars' hiring events! 

Navy Veteran CEO Talks Boxing, Transition Tips

Really cool interview here with "Bad" Brad Berkwitt, a 20-year navy veteran who has made himself an excellent outside-the-box career through boxing.  Berkwitt is the CEO and publisher of Ringside Report, a highly respected and respectful boxing website.  Throughout the interview, he describes his transition to civilian life, the differences between his military and civilian careers, and how his military training has helped him in running Ringside Report.  He's asked how his military background has potentially hurt him in civilian business, too - he basically responds that he's not used to sugarcoating things, and has to learn how to sometimes now.  Gotta love that.  For fight fans, he discusses legendary fighters and boxing vs. MMA; for everyone, he is an example of doing what you love.  Hope it inspires you and have a great week!