Local veterans react to Governor Josh Stein tour promoting smoother veteran workforce transitions

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina Governor Josh Stein spoke at UNCW Wednesday as the final stop of his statewide tour, aimed at helping veterans and military spouses find jobs and build their future.

Local leaders, employers, and veterans packed into the Burney Center for the “Unlock the Veteran and MilSpouse Roadshow.”

The event focused on helping veterans transitioning back to civilian life and finding opportunities in the workforce.

Governor Stein said hiring veterans and military spouses is a win-win for businesses and noted the hurdle some veterans face with marketing their skills and talents in the military to prospective employers.

“A lot of time, when people leave the military and have been in that world, they don’t necessarily know how to translate their experience into civilian experience so that an employment manager would immediately understand what they learned in the military,” Stein said.

Stein’s speech resonated with members of The American Legion Post 68 in Leland, a veteran support group based in Leland.

Eric Mens is a Vietnam War veteran, who transitioned into civilian life with little to no help or support.

Mens said he appreciates the number of organizations and support lines that are in place now compared to the 1970s and now works with Legion Post 68 to ensure others have the support he lacked.

“The the worst thing that can happen to a veteran, especially someone who served in combat, is to be alone and to feel like they’re isolated from the community,” said Mens. “We try, through our events in the community, to reach as many veterans as we can, to make ourselves available.”

Legion Post 68 Commander Tom Powers said his transition was smoother thanks to the Guard and Reserve, finding work at multiple military bases and focus on personal data systems.

Now, Powers says service members searching for work have to better market themselves with the skills they picked up in the military.

“A lot of people can’t adapt when a situation changes, and they don’t have the ability to sell themselves because they’ve always been part of a team where they had an expectation attached to who they were and what their based on their MOS or AFSC, depending on their branch of service,” says Powers.

“When you’re in the workforce, you’re an individual. You have to find your way. You’ve got to find what you can give and whether an employer wants it.”