On the recordFebruary 16, 2012
Earlier this month, I met with the executive director of the not-for-profit organization Helmets to Hardhats. Since 2003, Helmets to Hardhats has partnered with the Department of Defense, over 82,000 American businesses, and organized labor to help returning veterans prepare for and find work. The current unemployment rate for returning veterans under the age of 24 is an unacceptable 38 percent. Helmets to Hardhats gives veterans the tools they need to start long-term careers in the construction trades. In 2008 alone, the organization placed nearly 1,800 military veterans into construction careers. Mr. Speaker, the last of our combat troops has left Iraq, and we are winding down our military operations in Afghanistan. These veterans have put their lives on the line overseas, and they deserve the assistance of a grateful Nation when they return in order to ensure that they can participate in the economy and in lasting careers. With that in mind, I congratulate Helmets to Hardhats, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. ____________________
