“DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS WRITTEN ON BEHALF OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH WALMART AND THE INSTITUTE FOR VETERANS MILITARY FAMILIES (IVMF). ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. SEE MY DISCLOSURE/PRIVACY POLICY.”
You countdown the months, weeks, days and hours. You mark it on your calendar and you try to wait patiently. Your soldier is coming home! It’s a day like no other. The end of a journey and the start of new paths.
The life of a military spouse includes many countdowns but I think the one I remember most is to the day my husband would finally be home from deployment. I couldn’t wait and I’m sure my excitement was no where close to what his must have been.
Once he arrived home we entered that period of adjustment. What would his routine be? How would he integrate back into the life my children and I created why he was gone? It wasn’t always easy but through patience, love and support – we made it work. We learned how to make him part of what had become our daily routines. School drop-offs, pick-ups and after school activities. We made sure that not only did he feel a part of them but a value to us. Small things like this helped him return to the life he had been absent from for so long.
After my husband’s retirement, those questions turned to the thought of a new profession. He had been a soldier for over half his life! What was he to be now? How could he used the skills he’d perfected in a civilian life? This is something many soldiers face. The choice of a career after the military. Many choose to stay within their area of training whether that be law enforcement, computer technology, engineering, etc. Others choose to take their skill set and create a business and career path of their own becoming entrepreneurs and business owners.
Thanks to initiatives like the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment by Walmart soldier’s can go from being our nation’s heroes to civilians with achievable goals and purpose.
The Support They Need
Most recently Walmart in partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at their Veteran EDGE event to boost their support of veterans who are pursuing their own businesses through entrepreneurship. Veteran EDGE is a first-of-its-kind 3 day conference focusing on offering training, guidance and a support system to help veterans find success in their own businesses.
Walmart also announced their own vision to support soldiers coming home through it’s Veterans Welcome Home Commitment. Walmart is committing to hiring veterans right her in North Carolina and giving them options and opportunities to move from soldier to civilian through a career path that has a future and room for growth.
— Walmart guarantees a job to any eligible, honorably discharged U.S. veteran who has separated from active duty since Memorial Day 2013. Walmart is working to hire 250,000 veterans by the end of 2020 and is more than three quarters of the way there.
— In North Carolina alone, Walmart announced it has hired 8,860 veterans and promoted more than 1,150 roles of greater responsibility since launching its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment in May 2013.
— More than 1,300 new veterans and their families return to civilian life every day according to the Department of Defense. The Veterans Welcome Home Commitment helps veterans find career opportunities
Walmart’s commitment to the soldier coming home is one that will not only support and encourage that solider and their family but our economy as well.
Did You Know?
Wait! There’s More!
Hiring Our Heroes —Walmart, Sam’s Club and other employers have recruited tens of thousands of veterans through hundreds of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes’ career fairs.
Coalition for Veteran Owned Business — As a founding member of the Coalition for Veteran Owned Business, Walmart is committed to help the organization grow and support veteran owned businesses in communities throughout the U.S. The Coalition provides economic opportunity to veterans, their families and the communities in which they live by offering leadership and a national platform to support military spouse and veteran-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and suppliers.
Greenlight A Vet — In its third year, GLAV continues to encourage communities to mobilize around a shared purpose of showing appreciation to our nation’s veterans through volunteering with veteran organizations, raising awareness on social media and signaling appreciation by changing one light to green in one’s home or business.
Military Family Promise —Walmart guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel and military spouses employed by the company who move to a different part of the country because they or their spouse have been transferred by the U.S. military.
Military Leave of Absence (MLOA) — Since 2008, Walmart has offered differential pay to associates taking a leave of absence for specific military assignments lasting more than three days and through the duration of leave. If an associate’s military salary is less than what they make at their job at Walmart, the company will pay them the difference while they’re on MLOA. In May, Walmart announced enhancements to this policy to include any eligible military assignment, including basic training, allowing associates who are considering enlisting in the Armed Forces to do so without fear of losing wages.
Spread The Word
If you know a Veteran who has come home and is looking to find their civilian career path tell them to check out the Walmart Welcome Home Campaign by visiting this site.
Veterans can also learn more about the Veterans EDGE Conference by visiting here.
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2 thoughts on “Coming Home”
I think it’s great that Walmart is committed to helping our veterans and offering them employment opportunities. I definitely wish that more companies would follow suit. These men and women put so much on the line for our safety.
Yes! I am so happy when I can support a Company that understands the importance of supporting Veterans.