Legion: Government must lead way in vets hiring - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Legion: Government must lead way in vets hiring

The national commander of America’s largest veterans’ group said Wednesday that the federal government is setting a poor example for private businesses.

Fang A. Wong, a retired Army chief warrant officer elected in August to head the 2.4 million-member American Legion, said the government expends a lot of time and resources trying to convince businesses that veterans have a wide range of skills and experience that would make them ideal employees in many settings — but fails to lead by example.

Testifying before a joint haring of the House and Senate veterans’ affairs committees, Wong said the veterans’ hiring pitch to private employers falls flat because 80 percent of veterans employed by the federal government work at one of three departments: Defense, Veterans’ Affairs or Homeland Security.

“Surely there is some place else” in federal service for veterans, Wong said. “The government needs to do more.”

“Military veterans are team players, problem solvers, trained to adapt to any situation or challenge the world can throw at them,” Wong said. “Military veterans can take on any task you put in front of them.

“The government needs to recognize this and ensure they are hired to enhance not solely traditional departments and agencies associated with military tasks, but across the broad spectrum of the entire government,” he said.