To be or not to be...discriminated?

2015-10-18T13:21:52-04:00

How many of you have felt or experienced being discriminated against because of your prior military service or just simply because you are a veteran? In any case...you name it...than you discuss it here please.this is just a mini survey of my own.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 18 at 2015 1:32 PM

2015-10-18T13:32:16-04:00

I have seen a veteran try to gain employment at the VA, but they asked him bogus questions in the interview that were completely unrelated for the job. Later we found out the VA manager was posturing to hire her friend.

Response by SSG Michael Hartsfield made Oct 18 at 2015 2:05 PM

2015-10-18T14:05:58-04:00

Honestly, I haven't seen it not unlike my Brothers and Sisters from Vietnam (not saying it doesn't exist, just that I haven't personally seen it or been victimized by it). What I have seen are businesses fall over themselves to hire Veterans so that they can call themselves "Veteran-friendly businesses" IOT build street cred.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Oct 18 at 2015 2:08 PM

2015-10-18T14:08:05-04:00

Being a veteran has never been a negative factor for me.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 18 at 2015 2:48 PM

2015-10-18T14:48:17-04:00

Generally no. In fact even in San Francisco (known for somewhat ant-military politics) I had numerous times when people would come up and thank me for my service when I was wearing my uniform; I never had a negative encounter there. One time, however, when I just started a job as a paid executive for scouting I told them I was in the reserves and they warned me that I need to be available on weekends and they said being in a reserve training on weekends would be problematic (which is a violation of the law.) Since their pay was very low anyway I resigned.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Oct 18 at 2015 3:18 PM

2015-10-18T15:18:49-04:00

I was very fortunate to be stationed in Hawaii following my tour of duty in Vietnam. Thus, I missed most of the hatred and bigotry directed at veterans in those days. Since discharge and return to CONUS I can honestly say I never experienced but one case of discrimination. Surprisingly it came from a clergyman in a congregation where I worshiped. Surprisingly until I learned that he had been an antiwar activist. Apparently he never outgrew his hatred. That, of course, had nothing to do with employment. So, no, I never faced discrimination as a veteran in regards to employment although I spent most of my working career as an independent consultant and my military service was never a subject in that regard.

Response by SGT Mark Stevens made Oct 18 at 2015 5:42 PM

2015-10-18T17:42:58-04:00

Not having my medical training in the military but from a private college after discharge is part of my problem. My environment was more aggressive prior to the medical side and I find it turns people off or puts them on edge. A friend of mine in a human resources position explained it to me like this:
In the medical field they like to hire prior medical or new medical people because they feel they have the calm compassion needed for the position. Where as a soldier not from the medical field is used to aggression. Those who have currently served more then likely could be a liability then an asset and the facility would rather error on the side of caution.
I argued this is unfair and discriminatory but not easily proven during a hiring process.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Oct 18 at 2015 9:08 PM

2015-10-18T21:08:11-04:00

SFC Private RallyPoint Member I have never felt that way. I know some guys retired 10-15 years ago who are still whining.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 19 at 2015 10:13 AM

2015-10-19T10:13:51-04:00

Back in the day, when I was a Reservist for a time, my bosses would schedule me to close the store on Friday, then re-open on Mondays - which made for sleep-deprived drill weekends. They didn't do anything other than that.

More recently, in Boston, I was going to audition to be a keyboard player in a garage band, and after quick introductions, as I was plugging in my keyboard, they asked me what I did for a living. When I told them that I was in the Coast Guard, one of the guys grabbed my amp-plug and yanked it out of the board, saying quietly, "Get out. We don't want any baby-killers here."

Yeah, I left - but my only thought was, "Dude, didn't you hear me? I said, COAST GUARD!!"

That's the only time I feel my military standing caused problems.

Response by PO2 Derek Moody made Aug 29 at 2016 8:40 AM

2016-08-29T08:40:23-04:00

In Italy during a deployment I went to dinner with a group and they had a group of mine sit outside in the cold because it was the "American Only" seating... then some guys walked by and pretended to shoot each other, pointed at me, and said "American Terrorist"

In the United States, not at all.