Helping veterans help themselves

The daily reports from Iraq highlight just how difficult and taxing a soldier's job can be. Equally hard: the transition from the battlefield to civilian life as a military veteran.

I know quite a few veterans, and have witnessed their struggles coping with -- or escaping from -- the harmful psychological effects of war. And readjusting to family life and 9-to-5 careers is even more challenging.

MATCOR is addressing these issues through our Veterans Training Program, where we teach vets corrosion testing and engineering. The program gives veterans useful technical skills, and helps them get in on the ground floor in a tight job market.

This is often the first 'real world' job for soldiers who joined the military right out of school. And it gives older veterans the chance to re-enter the working world, in the event they do not return to their former employers. We also benefit from the skills of those who trained with the Army Corps of Engineers.

I'll be writing more about this program in coming posts, and hope to share some stories of veterans who have successfully completed our program.