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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 10/08/2019 09:49:54

Good Morning.

We'll dive right in today. I'm not sure of the source here (Washington Examiner? That's a Trump rag, isn't it?) but in any case, there's an interesting statistical quirk that's being reported.


We've been reporting on this off and on for years; veterans transitioning back to civilian life, with varying degrees of success. I am proud to be a personal part of this, as last year Old Town Trolley forged a partnership with a veteran's home here in Boston that has yielded some fruit. We've got a number of drivers and sales reps that were formerly unemployed veterans. But nevertheless, it's still a tough transition, especially among combat troops.


War veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan struggle to find jobs despite nationwide unemployment reaching a 50-year low last month.

The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans rose from 3.9% to 4.5% over the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making them the only group of veterans to see a rise in unemployment. Veteran unemployment as a whole dropped from 3.4% to 3.1% during the same time period.

"The biggest reason is that transition out of the military is included in the younger veteran unemployment numbers," Eli Williamson, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and co-founder of Leave No Veteran Behind, told the Washington Examiner.

"Transition is a very hard process that veterans infrequently get right on the first attempt," Williamson said. "More often, veterans turn over in that first job out of the military because it's not a good fit or not enough to support their family. There's a natural learning curve as service members transition and older veterans have more experience."

Lack of planning plays a large factor, said Joe Karle, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan.

"From what I've seen [from] guys that get out and are unemployed, it's usually because they don't have any plans," Karle told the Washington Examiner. "They take like a year off, kind of like some college kids do. That really sets them up for failure."

Younger veterans using GI Bill tuition assistance may also account for the unemployment statistics.

"Vets who are full-time students are classified as not in the labor force because they are not currently available for work," Williamson said.

Workforce participation among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans dropped from 81.4% to 80.3% in 2018, according to the labor bureau. The veteran workforce participation rate as a whole dropped from 49.6% to 49.2%.

The Department of Defense has attempted to improve the transition from military to civilian life with various assistance programs and counseling. Some major companies have formed programs to assist in veteran employment, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched its Hire Our Heroes initiative in 2011 to help connect veterans with job opportunities.


We'll re-visit the Nine-o-Nine crash briefly this morning. Of course there is going to be a knee-jerk reaction to ban all such heritage flights, because it's the Federal Government. Statistically, riding in a vintage aircraft is still safer than crossing the street every day.


Federal investigators will take a hard look at the possibility of restricting or banning rides for the public aboard World War II-era aircraft following the fiery crash of a restored B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber in Connecticut last week that killed seven and injured eight.

"That is something we will look at down the road," National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy said when asked whether the owners of vintage aircraft should be permitted to keep taking paying customers up for brief flights at airshows and heritage events.

"We're still at the very early stages of this investigation and we'll have to determine that at the appropriate time," Homendy said at an Oct. 4 news conference at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, where the B-17 crashed last Wednesday in an emergency landing attempt.

The NTSB is expected to make a preliminary report on the crash later this month, but recommendations on what actions the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should take to ensure the safety of vintage aircraft flights will likely not be made for several months.

"Our mission is to determine what happened, why it happened and to prevent it from happening again," Homendy said. The B-17 that crashed was owned and operated by the Massachusetts-based Collings Foundation.

The record of previous fatal accidents involving heritage flights of World War II-era bombers will play a part in the current investigation, she said.

Since 1982, when the NTSB began tracking safety issues in the heritage flights, there have been a total of 21 accidents involving World War-II era bombers, resulting in 23 fatalities and one injury -- not counting the death toll last Tuesday, Homendy said.


You can be sure I'll remain in the forefront to keep 'em flying. Ask me about the flaming hoops the town of Stowe made the Collings Foundation jump through just to open a museum in town.

But - that's a story for another day. I've got limited time this morning, so that will do!


 
 

23 comments (Latest Comment: 10/08/2019 20:21:08 by BobR)
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Comments:

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Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2019 13:34:43
Mornin' all!

Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2019 13:57:33
Morning

Comment by BobR on 10/08/2019 13:57:36

I need two cups this morning

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 14:11:19
Good morning, friends.

Comment by livingonli on 10/08/2019 14:13:28
Good morning. Even in secure mode, this site is still slow loading.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 14:14:12
I am feeling like this is going to be an 'I wanna throw' things day.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 14:23:33
He invited Erdogan to the White House?!?

My god.





Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2019 14:37:30
Blizzard suspends pro Hearthstone player & revokes their tournament winnings because they professed solidarity with Hong Kong protestors

This one hits pretty close to home for me. Activision Blizzard has never been a particularly friendly company to good causes, but this goes over the line. They're censoring the people who play their games & make them popular.

And that's why I've been all over my gaming Twitter account this morning pushing popular streamers & gamers to boycott them.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 14:54:24
Quote by Scoopster:
Blizzard suspends pro Hearthstone player & revokes their tournament winnings because they professed solidarity with Hong Kong protestors

This one hits pretty close to home for me. Activision Blizzard has never been a particularly friendly company to good causes, but this goes over the line. They're censoring the people who play their games & make them popular.

And that's why I've been all over my gaming Twitter account this morning pushing popular streamers & gamers to boycott them.
Is Blizzard an American company?




Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2019 14:57:15
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
Blizzard suspends pro Hearthstone player & revokes their tournament winnings because they professed solidarity with Hong Kong protestors

This one hits pretty close to home for me. Activision Blizzard has never been a particularly friendly company to good causes, but this goes over the line. They're censoring the people who play their games & make them popular.

And that's why I've been all over my gaming Twitter account this morning pushing popular streamers & gamers to boycott them.
Is Blizzard an American company?

Yep they are - tho they're more of a global corporate mosntrosity these days.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 15:12:19
Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2019 15:18:51


Wait, the building is still open and they are convening but they cleared protesters off the sidewalks for this? Don't they usually close the building too? Trying to remember past "suspicious packages" at government buildings.

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 15:21:47







Comment by BobR on 10/08/2019 15:35:38
Comment by BobR on 10/08/2019 15:49:07
Comment by Scoopster on 10/08/2019 16:04:15
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
Blizzard suspends pro Hearthstone player & revokes their tournament winnings because they professed solidarity with Hong Kong protestors

This one hits pretty close to home for me. Activision Blizzard has never been a particularly friendly company to good causes, but this goes over the line. They're censoring the people who play their games & make them popular.

And that's why I've been all over my gaming Twitter account this morning pushing popular streamers & gamers to boycott them.
Is Blizzard an American company?

Yep they are - tho they're more of a global corporate mosntrosity these days.

Heh.. looks like they're feeling major heat. The company just locked down their official subreddit to avoid bad publicity

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 16:48:14


Narrator:

He Does.


Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 17:09:22
Day made!

Natasha Bertrand liked my tweet!





Comment by wickedpam on 10/08/2019 17:34:12
Quote by Raine:
Day made!

Natasha Bertrand liked my tweet!






:D Fangirling with you! How cool!

Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 17:41:11
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Day made!

Natasha Bertrand liked my tweet!






:D Fangirling with you! How cool!

I'm a nerd.

Comment by TriSec on 10/08/2019 17:47:43
Hey Kids!

It's time for TriSec's Handy Facebook Defenestration guide!

Just answer the following questions:

1. How long have I "known" this person? (Over 30 years)
2. Did they surprise you with their political beliefs? (Yes, she's always been rather mild-mannered.)
3. Did they just post something so fucking retarded that you wanted to reach through the computer and throat-punch them? (Yes)
4. Maybe you didn't really "know" them after all. (Might be time to sever the old link.)

Back to your regularly-scheduled blog!



Comment by Raine on 10/08/2019 17:58:01
wait wut?







Comment by BobR on 10/08/2019 20:21:08
Quote by Raine:
wait wut?





Loving the comments:
"Now I know why you don't charge Donald for legal advice: He gets what he pays for."
"If Trump and Giuliani ever find out who the whistleblower is, I wouldn't be surprised if the "discrediting" also involved concrete galoshes."
""what if we just threw you into a lake and decided your innocence based on whether or not you drowned"
"they also didn't go on national television and admit to witchcraft, then in the same televised interview perform more witchcraft."
"When you're using the Salem Witch Trials as a positive example of jurisprudence, it's time to be quiet and just think for a little while."