American Legion Post 139

American Legion/Avue Launch Jobs Web Site for Veterans

Site Promotes “More Jobs, Better Jobs”

Washington, DC (November 27, 2007) - The American Legion and Avue Technologies have launched a joint Web site, www.vetjobs.us <http://www.vetjobs.us>, to substantially increase employment opportunities in the federal government for America’s returning veterans. 

The American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans service organization, and Avue is the leading private-sector provider of human capital management services for federal agencies. 

The new site will be free to all users and will not contain advertising of any kind.  In announcing the site, the Legion and Avue emphasized that the traditional focus of federal agencies on placement numbers, without regard to the long-term quality of the job opportunity, has resulted in inferior job placement and career tracks for many veterans. 

For example, while veterans have represented between 30 to 37 percent of new federal government hires during the past five years, only 14 percent and 26 percent of them, respectively, are placed in the two highest-paid labor categories.

The fact that veterans disproportionately take entry-level jobs for low wages, despite high qualifications, often means they will spend their entire career economically disadvantaged.

“We view quality civilian job opportunities and career growth to be perhaps the most critical issue that faces the more than 250,000 veterans exiting the military each year, and we are very enthusiastic to offer a solution that we believe will result in not only more jobs, but better jobs for veterans,” said Marty Conatser, national commander of The American Legion.

 

“Avue is the perfect partner for this project because Avue is not only the leading technology platform for information and outreach on federal jobs, it is also committed to supporting veterans, and its system is the only one that automatically ensures veterans preference is correctly applied in every hiring action,” Conatser explained.

“We are pleased to be able to join with The American Legion to ensure that veterans receive the very best in information and advice to maximize long-term career growth, identify local opportunities, improve compensation, and help ease the transition from military to federal civil government employment,” said Linda Brooks Rix, Co-CEO of Avue. 

The new joint American Legion/Avue program can be visited on the Web at www.vetjobs.us <http://www.vetjobs.us>. The Web site is expected to be one of many future partnering efforts on behalf of veterans between Avue and The American Legion.

The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and patriotic youth programs. The Legion’s 2.7 million wartime veterans work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation. Learn more about The American Legion by visiting www.legion.org <http://www.legion.org> on the Web.

Founded in 1983, Avue Technologies is the recognized market leader and technology innovator in public sector management platforms (PS/MP). 

The company provides the public sector with integrated technology and service solutions that dramatically increase enterprise-wide visibility and management effectiveness, workforce productivity, and manager and worker satisfaction.  Avue is a privately held company headquartered in Tacoma, Wash., with offices in Washington, D.C., and Victoria, B.C.  Learn more about Avue Technologies at www.avuetech.com. 

Your Help Urgently Needed [repost]

Fellow vets. As you all know, the Gold Star Mothers is an organization of women who have lost a son or daughter in combat. Renowned artist Andrew Chernak has been commissioned to design and sculpt the National Gold Star Mothers Monument in Washington, D.C. Chernak, of suburban Philadelphia, recently unveiled the original Gold Star Mother’s monument in Putnam, New York. Below is a photo of the Putnam monument, dedicated in early July of 2006.
A US Army Vietnam vet, Chernak needs help locating photographs of deceased Navy and Air Force veterans and their Gold Star Mothers. The plan is to etch and carve the photographs into the granite base. He has arranged for Army, Coast Guard and Marine Corp photos, but needs the Navy and Air Force Gold Star Mothers and their sons or daughters.

Preferred are full face photos of both the Gold Star Mothers, and of their sons or daughters in Uniform.

Anyone in contact with a Gold Star Mother who would be willing to submit a photograph of herself and another of her son or daughter should please put them in contact with Mr. Chernak at the following email address: gsmmemorial@vetsnet.us


Thanks, Veterans, for all you have done. We must also never forget to thank the Mothers of the sons and daughters who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their nation. The sacrifice of the Gold Star Moms must be counted, remembered and honored as well.


Thank you in advance for all your help on this matter, and thank you again for all you've done.