Military veterans across the country have a whole range of concerns this election season, from the high rate of suicide to special challenges for female vets. But like everyone else, they're especially concerned with health care and jobs.
The nation's obligations to some 2 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan pose a challenge for the next commander in chief. Unemployment for post-Sept. 11 vets is about 2 percentage points worse than the national average, and veterans want solutions.
In Orange Park, Fla., south of Jacksonville, a town built around Navy and Air Force bases, the VFW hall is smoky and loud with conversation among veterans from many different wars.
"I was with the Air Force Reserves," says Elisa Rosemond, "and my question is how you're going to help the troops coming home, active and reserve, find a job that they can support their families with?"
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressed that issue in a speech to the American Legion in August: "To make it easier for veterans to find employment in skilled trades," he said, "I will work with the states to create a common credentialing and licensing standard, and encourage organizations to recognize and grant credit for military training."
President Obama said something similar at Fort Bliss, an Army base in Texas: "If you've been a medic in theater, you shouldn't have to start at nursing 101 if you decide you want to go into the medical profession here in the United States."
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