First lady Michelle Obama urged world leaders today to hire veterans whose skills can help millions of people across the globe.

"Are you building roads or schools or shelters? They've done that," Obama said during a speech at the Clinton Global Inititiative. "Are you establishing health clinics in remote parts of the world? They've done that, too. Are you trying to recruit and manage teams of volunteers? Are you working to get clean water into a village? Are you trying to move people to safety in the wake of a natural disaster?


"That's all in a day's work for these folks.


"These are highly valuable, highly transferable, highly marketable skills, skills that I know many businesses, including those represented here today, are desperate to find.
"Yet the fact is that right now, more than 150,000 recent veterans are still struggling to find jobs."


Obama, who has made veterans' families one of her major causes, said employers in the USA and elsewhere don't really know the range of skills that ex-military people possess. They have often been called upon to act as "diplomats, social workers, mediators and educators," she said.


And yet, she said, "in one survey, more than three-quarters of veterans reported having difficulty translating the expertise they gained in the military into a resume that makes sense to civilians. And 61% of employers admitted that they didn't fully understand the skills our veterans had to offer.


"Right now, the human potential of America's veterans and military families is both vast and woefully under-utilized, and that's not just an issue for those individuals or for this country. It also significantly impacts what you and so many others are trying to achieve, not just here in America, but around the world."


Full Story: Michelle Obama urges world leaders to help veterans land good jobs - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency


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Our country has fallen disgracefully short when it comes to providing for our veterans. I think Michelle Obama is a great spokesperson for this cause and appreciate her drawing attention to this issue.