What are the best resources for Veterans & Service Members?
Military Career
Communications
Mentorship
Resources
A discussion started by MAJ George Hamilton in another section is a good resource and starting point. The entire discussion can be found here: https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/the-holistic-transition
The topic itself is copied below:
As a Veteran transitions out of the service and starts on the path to finding a new career, there is no shortage of things that must be considered, planned and prepared for. The most important in most cases is finding employment upon leaving the service.
Since this is quite possibly the most important thing a Veteran does during the transition, why does it seem that it’s the one thing that most Veterans are most ill-equipped to do? As I have spent the last year since leaving the active Army working as a Program Manager for Veteran Hiring Initiatives, I have noticed some trends in how Veterans approach post military employment.
Here are my observations:
1. Paycheck – The entire reason that we work is so we can earn money and take care of our families and ourselves. In the course of dealing with Veterans looking for jobs, I have noticed two trends that bother me a great deal. The first is the salary/pay expectation of the average Veteran, which seems to be well above their market value. Just because you were a high level manager in the military, does not mean you will get the comparable job in the civilian sector – anymore than the Army would take a corporate executive and immediately make him/her a Battalion Commander if he/she decided to suddenly join the Army. Think about it – you are starting over, and you need to take the opportunities that are presented, even if the salary is not up to your perceived worth. Secondly, and this is the point of this post, pay is only one part of the equation, and I have watched many Veterans throw away opportunities because the salary was 10K lower than they wanted, when everything else was exactly what they wanted/needed for themselves and their families.
2. Location – Are you open to moving to where the opportunities are? One of the most common issues I run into is an unwillingness from Veterans to move to the places where opportunities are the most plentiful. Just because you move to an area of the country that isn’t ideal for you, doesn’t mean you have to live there for the rest of your life, but it may be the best place to get your career rolling in the right direction. The short of it – be open to location.
3. Culture – Does the company that you are attempting to go to work for fit you as a person? Culture is one of the most important considerations that you must think about when starting out on a new career. Do the values of the organization fit with yours? What kind of business goals does the company have, and do they compliment your career aspirations? No matter how good the paycheck is, if you are not a good fit on the team, you will be miserable and much more likely to be unsuccessful in the position.
4. Ask yourself the right questions – When you look at a position as you leave the service, are you really looking at what you want to do for a living? Are you finding a corporate culture that compliments your own values and aspirations? Are you pigeonholing yourself by only wanting to move to a specific city/state? Does the paycheck get in the ballpark of your expectations?
You must look at a career search holistically. Amidst all the noise about resumes, interviewing, and preparing to make yourself attractive to civilian employers, remember to take time to make sure you are developing a situation that is going to be of all around benefit to you and your family if you have one. Flexibility is key, and once you land the position, you can then proceed to show your new employer why hiring a Veteran is one of the best business decisions they can make.
The Holistic Transition | RallyPoint
As a Veteran transitions out of the service and starts on the path to finding a new career, there is no shortage of things that must be considered, planned and prepared for. The most important in most cases is finding employment upon leaving the service. Since this is quite possibly the most important thing a Veteran does during the transition, why does it seem that it’s the one thing that most Veterans are most ill-equipped to do? As I have...
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A unique idea to create a permanent perpetual funding stream exclusively to be used for Veteran’s health needs and family support not covered by the VA. To also help fund Veteran Small Business Consortiums nationwide.
What military records does NARA have?
The National Archives holds Federal military service records from the Revolutionary War to 1912 in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. See details of holdings.
Military records from WWI - present are held in the National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC), in St. Louis, Missouri, See details of holdings.
The National Archives does not hold state militia records. For these records, you will need to contact the appropriate State Archives.
http://www.archives.gov/research/military/
Military resources available at the National Archives and Records Administration
The National Personnel Records Center-Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR) is the repository of millions of military personnel, health, medical records of discharged and deceased veterans and other military records from all services from World War I to the present. The NPRC is one of the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) largest operations. NPRC-MPR stores medical treatment records of retirees from all the services along with records for dependents and other people treated at naval medical facilities.
https://kb.defense.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/688/~/obtaining-copies-of-military-records
Obtaining Copies of Military Records
The National Personnel Records Center-Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR)is the repository of millions of military personnel, health, medical records of discharged and deceased veterans andothermilitary records, from all services: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/.
http://www.goldenarrowresearch.com/
Golden Arrow Research-Research a Veteran
Trace the Steps of Your Individual Veteran, Military Service Records, After Action Reports and Much More!
http://military-law.lawyers.com/military-law-basics/obtaining-your-military-records.html
Obtaining Your Military Records
As a veteran, you can request a copy of your military records. The next of kin of a deceased veteran, can also request this information.
http://www.homeofheroes.com/valor/replacement_medals.html
Requests for the issuance or replacement of military service medals
When a young man or woman enters military service, a permanent record is kept of the nature of their service including dates, schools attended, unit assignments, awards and decorations, disciplinary actions, discharge, medical data, and more. Under the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) much of these records are available to the veterans themselves, surviving family, and even disinterested third parties.
Hire a Hero is a online job board for the military family.
Veterans of the U. S. Armed Forces are provided with unique training that applies well to the civilian labor market, and every year more employers are taking notice.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the unemployment rate for veterans 18 years and older was 5.5% last month, an improvement from last year’s 7% average unemployment rate ...
Since 1998, the Creating IT Futures Foundation has helped hundreds of military veterans get the training and certification they need to jump into the IT workforce.
In its 15-year history, the Creating IT Futures Foundation has helped hundreds of military veterans get the training and certification they need to jump into the IT workforce.
Our IT-Ready Apprentice Program, which currently operates in four locations, includes veterans among the other unemployed adults wanting to transition to a career in technology.
Information technology is an important backbone of most businesses today. That’s why IT is also a great field for military spouses, giving them skills that can accompany them as they transfer for duty assignments. - See more at: http://www.creatingitfutures.org/it-ready-students/veterans#sthash.Uk5sg7L0.dpuf
Are you concerned about identity theft? With so many stories about identity theft in the news, you’re not alone. IDTheftInfo.org was created by Consumer Federation of America to help you learn how to reduce the chances of becoming a victim, detect identity theft quickly if it does happen, and deal with the consequences. If you have a business, there is information for you about how to keep employee and customer information secure.
http://www.idtheftinfo.org/
Welcome to IDTheftInfo.org! A consumer oriented website seeking to help all consumers avoid the perils of identity theft.
Knowing identity theft facts is critical. Identity thieves are less likely to prey on a well-informed population. So the more you learn about identity theft facts, the less vulnerable you are. Become familiar with identity theft facts and you'll quickly see identity theft for the serious problem that it is.
http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/identity-theft-and-fraud/identity-theft-facts.page
http://www.identitytheftassistance.org/
Identity Theft Assistance Center - ITAC
The Identity Theft Assistance Corporation is a nonprofit dedicated to working with industry, law enforcement and government to help consumers prevent, detect and recover from identity theft. Founded in 2004, our mission was to put consumers and their experiences first in the fight against identity fraud. Our consumer-centric approach began with creating an assistance center …
ITC logoIn the last 36 months alone there were more than 30 million victims of identity theft in the United States. That works out to an average of more than 25,000 new victims every single day. To put that in perspective, that's more that the total number of burglaries, attempted burglaries, petty thefts, purse snatchings, pickpocketings, arsons, shoplifting, check fraud, and auto thefts combined.
https://www.identitytheftcouncil.org/
The FTC reported that only four percent of victims cited stolen mail as the source of personal information. Even so, U.S. Postal Inspectors, charged with protecting the nation’s mail system from criminal misuse, are leaders in the fight against identity theft.
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/mailfraud/fraudschemes/mailtheft/identitytheft.aspx
United States Postal Inspection Service
Last year alone, more than 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a crime that cost them roughly $5 billion.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) resources help protect service members from fraud, illegal business practice, financial deals, etc. More information and resources available online at the CFPB website:
http://www.military.com/military-report/military-consumers-protection-resources?ESRC=miltrep.nl
Military Personnel | Special Projects | NCLC
Predatory lenders and scammers often target service members and veterans, who have steady but often limited income and can be vulnerable to abusive practices.
http://www.naca.net/issues/consumers-military
Military Consumers- Consumer Issues for the Military Consumer | National Association of Consumer...
Military Consumer Issues, Consumer Problems for the Military Consumer, Payday Lending
http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20140926/BENEFITS/309260047/New-rules-cap-credit-interest-rates-troops?sf31654538=1
An article in Army Times about family troop debt issues.
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