CAMP SHELBY, Miss. -- "For the first time, it seems like all the entities are working like one," said Sgt. Maj. Julio Rivera, Mississippi National Guard's 112th Military Police Battalion. "Our Soldiers have been given an opportunity to be competitive in this job market."
Rivera, a native of Puerto Rico returned from his sixth deployment last week. On Monday, April 30th, he was present as First Army and National Guard Employment Representatives placed a new Hero 2 Hired Kiosk at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center internet café. The H2H kiosk allows Service Members to register to participate in the Hero 2 Hired program.
"Once they register, they can then go to a job fair, a web site and get the rest of the benefits of the H2H program," explained Lynn Holloway, DoD Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Specialist for Louisiana and Mississippi.
"Our focus will be on Warriors to Citizens," said Maj. Gen. Mark J. MacCarley Deputy Commanding General, Support, First Army. "We have to deal with two important things; one would be any health issues they have; the second is jobs."
As part of the demobilization process for Reserve Component Soldiers redeploying from theaters of engagement around the world, First Army Division East provides benefits and employment resources and information as well as providing medical, dental, behavioral health and other care and assistance.
It's only right when they come back, we have the resources here to assist them in finding jobs in a competitive environment, said MacCarley.
"This is an important tool for our Reserve Component Soldiers, especially in today's tough economy. A significant number of our Guard and Reserve Soldiers return home from their deployments overseas without a job or even a prospect of a job to come back to. Initial statistics collected over the last two years across several states show unemployment rates for these new Veterans of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan between 15% to more than 34%," MacCarley explained.
First Army worked in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, state agencies, the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Program, and the U. S. Army Reserve Command's Employer Partnership Team to initiate, host, and support the Department of Defense's new 'Hero 2 Hire' jobs program at its demobilization centers across the country, beginning at Camp Shelby.
"I found several jobs in my area, a lot more than I expected," said Sgt. Tony Smith a native of Canton, Miss. "This is a great tool for Soldiers coming home."
The kiosk is not just another job posting board; it is a tool Soldiers can use to register and then translate their military skills into matching jobs. The site includes several thousand job listings that allow the Soldier to search by city using their military occupations specialty as criteria for the search, according to Jackie Sharp the program support technician for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
For instance a search for full-time jobs within 50 miles of Hattiesburg, Miss., yielded 1,052 matches.
Redeploying Soldiers may not have internet access readily available during the demobilization process. By placing the kiosk at the internet café, Soldiers are able to access it throughout their demob process. For those Soldiers with personal computers or smart phones the site can also be accessed at https://h2h.jobs/.
Sgt. First Class Jenny George, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Brigade Support Battalion faces unique job challenges when she returns to Mankato, Minn.
"I am going back to nursing school in August, and I have a leadership course in July," said George. "The program has given me a lot of resources, not only for me but also for my Soldiers."
The Hero 2 Hired program has several components that make it easy to use and readily available to any Soldier looking for employment.
A mobile version of the website, available on smart phones, provides all of the features and functionality available on the website. It also features an employer search by GPS and allows users to opt in for push alerts by location and profile, explained Sharp.
The Facebook application grants registered users' access features of the website through Facebook, share job posts, and network with other job-seeking vets as well as with employers and subject matter experts, Sharp continued.
A virtual career fair lists 28,000 available jobs from 45 employers nationwide. This allows employers to recruit from across the United States. Soldiers attend a job fairs without traveling, and can link the job fair to their career page and website, Sharp concluded.
"I consider a critical piece to be the military job translator," said Maj. Gen. David Elicerio, the commander of the 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota National Guard. "Not everyone knows what it means to be an operations sergeant major, and that it has many applicable job skills."
"With all that these Citizen Soldiers have done for our Nation, we are taking the extra step to facilitate the challenging transition for many of them from Active Duty to civilian life. A big part of that is getting them back to their civilian jobs. If they don't have jobs, and are not returning to school, then this great Team at Camp Shelby consisting of committed members of the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, and the State of Mississippi, coordinated through First Army will give these heroes the assistance they need to identify employment opportunities and turn these opportunities into good jobs. The 'Hero 2 Hired' program with its kiosk and counselors provide invaluable, one-stop employment assistance," concluded MacCarley.
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