Iraq vets struggle to find jobs at home

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=IRAQVETS-09-14-05&cat=AN

A year ago, former Sgt. Jaquaie McAtee was in charge of the most-sought-after service in Iraq.

McAtee, a mine expert, was responsible for locating and detonating the most effective weapon in the arsenal of the metastasizing insurgency - improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

After three tours of duty, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, McAtee returned from battle as one of the most competent men in his field, working against the roadside bombings that take so many soldiers' lives. He led 12-man teams into the fray of Fallujah at the height of the coalition's mission to rid the town of rebels, yet has come home to the stigma of being unable to hold a job as simple as herding crowds of raucous Pittsburgh Steelers fans through the gates of Heinz Field.

"We left with nothing, and we came back to nothing," said McAtee, a 23-year-old veteran who lives in East Liberty, Pa. He has fought two wars in two countries and now struggles on the front lines of the job market, fighting unsuccessfully for work.

He's not alone. Soldiers in his age group have the highest unemployment rate in the country, which both surprises and frustrates him. "What else do I have to prove to my country? Do I have to get shot to get a job?"

[madmax]

1. Same old song

different war. Viet Nam vets had the same problem. I had a few friends who served and they were completely disgusted with how they were treated in the job market.

My friend 'Peto' made Sargent at 19, won a Purple Heart and couldn't get hired as a local policeman because of a ridiculous height requirement. I believe he was either 1/8" or a 1/4" too short. :mad: