Imagine coming home from a war zone like Iraq and Afghanistan to find one's job gone and the prospects of finding another slim at best.
Yet that's what thousands of soldiers, including many in the 104th Training Division of the U.S. Army Reserve in Vancouver, face once their assignments are over.
To combat the problem, dozens of local businesses signed a covenant last week at Vancouver Barracks agreeing to support, rehire and employ servicemen and women. "When they come back, remember to do everything you can to get them back in the game," said U.S. Army Reserve Brigadier General Daniel York, who presided over a ceremony attended by Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard and U.S. Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.).
With unemployment at 13.9 percent last month in Clark County, the jobs situation for returning members of the National Guard and Reserve has never been quite as bleak. According to Army Staff Sgt. James Morrow, nearly half of his fellow reservists – some coming home from dangerous supply posts in Iraq – lost their jobs during recent mobilizations.
Anxiety over civilian jobs back home exacerbates other long-standing problems like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is more common among Reservists, according to York. "Unlike the Guard, there is no shared experience. No one in your hometown knows where you've been," he said.
The Sept. 18 signing in Vancouver may be one the last ceremonies of its kind at Vancouver Barracks. Over the next couple months, the headquarters of the 104th Division will move from its 60-year home in Vancouver to Fort Lewis.
