They have given us so much, they should be at the top of our hiring list
HISTORY OF NATIONAL HIRE A VETERAN DAY
The word ‘veteran’ itself means ‘old’ — from the Latin root word ‘vetus.’ Across the globe, this word is used to refer to someone who has had a long career in any particular occupation or field. The U.S. primarily uses this word to describe someone who has been discharged from the armed forces.
As long as there have been wars, there have been veterans. This military personnel has been honored across the ages by various famous figures — near the end of the Second American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln famously called for the good treatment of veterans. This war also produced some veterans organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans.
The treatment of veterans changed after World War I. Discontented vets took up arms and protested the way were being treated. One of the most important protest movements took place during the Great Depression, in which the Bonus Army of unemployed veterans marched on Washington, D.C., hoping to get the bonus that Congress had promised them for years in the future.
The Second World War brought some changes to the treatment of veterans, partly due to the experience with the First World War veterans. Most participating states in the war, including the U.S., set up elaborate veterans’ administrations. Established veterans’ groups like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars pushed for the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill. This was a law that provided benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (who were commonly referred to as G.I.s). While the original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, this term is still used to refer to programs created to assist some of the U.S. military veterans.
Marine Corps veteran Dan Caporale, also the founder of the national non-profit Hire Our Heroes, spent many years working to employ veterans. In an interview, Caporale mentions how he wondered what would happen if there were a special day designated for hiring veterans. This question led to him creating an online career fair to connect veterans with prospective employers. From there, the idea of a special day took flight, and National Hire a Veteran Day finally began being observed around the country. In 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) and a special HIRE Vets Medallion Program was also created to award those employers who demonstrated an outstanding commitment to hiring and retaining veterans. This Act further supported National Hire a Veteran Day.
