Hiring Heroes Luncheon: Veterans Find Fraternity And Work

As part of the 2009 AAHSA Annual Meeting, the Hiring Heroes Luncheon brought together military veterans and human resources workers to discuss the possibilities and challenges veterans face as they enter the workforce.

Hiring Heroes USA is a nationwide organization based out of Alpharetta, Ga., that helps veterans make the transition to civilian life. To date, Hiring Heroes has provided over 200 veterans of all branches of the Armed Forces with jobs across the country.

The veterans of Hire Heroes USA

Justin Callahan, Hiring Heroes’ veteran relations manager, emphasized the unique skills veterans bring to the workforce, such as management experience, leadership training, and adaptability to change. However, one of the biggest challenges veterans face, he explained, is the need to “civilianize” their skills.  Many in attendance at the luncheon agreed, including Dennis Eibe, a veteran himself, and vice president of corporate compliance for Wesley Homes, a nonprofit organization that provides care for seniors in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

“Not many HR people understand the military perspective or skill set,” Eibe said, “[But] what organization other than the military provides direct, hands-on training in leadership and management?”

Both Eibe and fellow vet David Decker, board chair with Southern California Presbyterian Homes, reinforced the specific benefits a military background can bring to  aging-services organizations. Decker asserted that a veteran has experience in management and a commitment to service of others, both of which are vital for many positions in long-term care and care for seniors.

Doris Hoffman, lifestyles coordinator for Chicagoland Christian Homes Inc.,  summed up the spirit of the luncheon:

“There is so much these heroes can do, with our organization and others like it.”