FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; OP-ED
(From GCSEN Foundation, 291 Wall Street Kingston NY 12401)
TURNING OUR NATIONAL HEROES INTO DOMESTIC ECONOMIC DRIVERS: OUR VETERANS CAN DO IT -by Mike Caslin
Once upon a time, America was the global problem solver and the world’s economic driver. We defeated the bad guys in WW2, rebuilt Europe, democratized Japan and created the necessary stability, at home and abroad, to generate the first true global economy. Prosperity around the world, as shown in every economic measure, has grown to unimagined heights in every corner of the planet since 1945, as led by the United States. But today, most Americans feel left behind.
And incredibly, the Americans who are the very most left behind, among all the folks here who feel the strain, are our own US Military Veterans, our “Vets”. Every year, approximately 200,000 Veterans leave the military and reenter civilian life. Some brass and lifers retire with fairly decent pensions and nice homes near military bases, but the vast majority in transition join the ranks of the economically dispossessed.
Our Veterans have many strengths and business-ready skills, developed during their military service that could provide a solid foundation for success in life and career, and as a social entrepreneur business owner. These include integrity, confidence, grit, perseverance, resilience, discipline, overcoming adversity, attention to detail, problem solving, flexibility, stress inoculation, clear communication skills, resourcefulness, teamwork, comraderie, mentorship and leadership. All developed under adverse conditions and sometimes under fire.
Yet, the numbers, data driven, are painful. In 2024, there were 17.5 million Vets in the US civilian population. About 9 million were over age 65, most receiving social security and retirement benefits, but now subject to potential government cuts. 8 million are working Vets, but 60%, 4.5 million, are considered under-employed And, over 250,000 were completely unemployed. At least 48,000 US Vets are homeless today. Most shockingly, since 2001, there are over 6,000 Veteran suicides in America annually and the rate is ever increasing.
Despite the myriad alphabet soup of government programs offering assistance to Vets, the numbers just get worse. Consider that the VA is dramatically laying off 80,000 staff (mostly Veterans), cutting critical services and shuttering clinics and outreach facilities. And that the Dept. of Defense has proposed an additional 80,000 jobs cut, including active duty service personnel. So perhaps it’s time for some old-fashioned USA problem solving.
The Problem: We are failing many of our Vets, just when we need them more than ever in our economy. Transitioning into and “maintaining” in civilian life isn’t easy after years of service. There’s often employer misunderstanding and mismatches between Veterans’ skills and civilian job requirements. There is also discrimination against Vets; some have service-related disabilities and substance abuse challenges. And the military pushes a form of dependency on those who serve: clothing, food, shelter, pay, training, orders, deployment, chain of command all come from Uncle Sam, from above. This is natural for a fighting force, but when returning Vets transition back, many lack the confidence and supports to thrive. While in the military, they are rarely exposed to the skills and mindsets required to function independently, such as self-reliance, initiative, understanding of basic economics and long-term planning. All the skills required for success in setting up a business venture.
A Solution: Many Veterans want to start their own businesses but need a realistic vision, ownership-readiness training and meaningful long-term business support. Academic classes in business train in theory and government programs are generally not trusted. Programs that offer practical training in “4 P” social entrepreneurship best practices, for “People, Profit, Planet & Place” can be a solution. Since 1945, many US corporations and small businesses were started by Vets, but the numbers now are way down. Innovative programs, such as GCSEN’s Veterans’ Programs, offer Vets a jump-start into personal stability and sustained economic prosperity via business venture development. It’s time that the nation again turns to our Veterans, not with a hand-out but with a hand-up, pivoting our national heroes into the domestic economic drivers we know they can be. Our many Veterans can have a second career, built on the skills they developed in the military, renewing their passion and purpose as “4 P” social entrepreneurs. Such social entrepreneur ventures, where businesses and nonprofits “give back” based on the profit motive to their families and communities, may be a solution for our heroic Vets and for the USA.
GCSEN Founder and President Mike Caslin is an American Fulbright Scholar for Social Entrepreneurship in Ireland. He has ten years’ hands-on experience teaching start-up business venture best practices to college students and adult learners in the USA and Caribbean and has pivoted to assisting US Military Veterans in social entrepreneurship.
-Mike Caslin, President, GCSEN Foundation, Kingston NY
For more information contact:
GCSEN President Mike Caslin email: info@gcsen.com or website: www.gcsen.org
Harv Hilowitz, GCSEN Outreach, email: harv@gcsen.com Tel: 845-590-0925
