Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao
Archived Speech — Caution: Information may be out of date.
Remarks Prepared for Delivery by
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Department of Labor’s Salute to Veterans
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thank you, Chick, [Ciccolella, Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service].
Let me recognize Chick, John McWilliam, Jeb Wilkinson and the entire VETS team for the great work they do on behalf of America’s servicemen and women, and veterans. And we are so pleased to welcome three previous Assistant Secretaries for VETS, who are with us today: Assistant Secretaries William Plowden, Jr; Donald Shasteen and David Ritterpusch.
Let me also thank our friends from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs for being here and for the tremendous work you do on behalf of our men and women in uniform.
Finally, let me thank the Disabled American Veterans for providing refreshments, the Military District of Washington color guard, and the 257th Army Band from the District of Columbia National Guard. Following the formal program, there will be a performance by the 257th Army Band in the Great Hall. And there are also 16 information booths displaying the many programs to assist veterans the Department has in partnership with the National Guard and veteran’s service organizations. We thank everyone for participating.
Next Tuesday, November 11th is Veterans Day. It is a day when we reflect on the many sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made all over the world so that the rest of us can live in freedom. Today, the men and women of the U.S. military are the finest, most capable, and technologically-advanced fighting force in the world. Each year over 318,000 military members return to civilian life. And there is no more appropriate way to celebrate Veterans Day than to focus on them, and what we can do to help them make a successful transition to civilian life when they return.
At the Department, it is a privilege to deploy our resources to help the returning veterans, to whom we owe so much. We are so pleased to have veterans’ employment representatives ready and eager to provide specialized services to transitioning veterans at the nearly 3,000 One Stop Career Centers managed by the Department nationwide.
And I would like to recognize a very special group of these veteran employment representatives and state workforce professionals from Missouri. Each year, the Missouri program uses their incentive awards funding to send their best veteran employment staff to Washington to attend our Salute to Veterans! Could I ask the delegation from Missouri to stand and would you please give them a hand!
One of the Department’s top priorities is protecting the jobs of our reservists and military members when they’re called up to serve. In December 2005, our Department issued the first-ever regulations implementing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act — known as USERRA — which was passed in 1994. Ten years after passage, these regulations have finally been established to help clarify the law and further protect the employment and reemployment rights of veterans who leave their civilian jobs to perform military service.
Veterans, as we all know, have so many of the highly marketable skills and professional qualities that employers are looking for: leadership, devotion to duty, commitment to excellence, and loyalty to the team. The Department’s HireVetsFirst campaign is a major public information effort to spread the word about this terrific pool of talent and the value our nation’s veterans can add to any organization. The Department’s Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, also works closely with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to help veterans learn how to market their unique skills and experience to maximize their post-military opportunities.
And we are especially focused on our wounded and injured veterans. Let me mention one very special program that I launched four years ago: REALifelines. So far, REALifelines has provided one-on-one job training, counseling, and re-employment services to over 7,000 seriously wounded and injured service members who cannot return to active duty. These men and women are an inspiration and it is an honor to serve them, and their families.
And just last August, the Department launched another important addition to this effort, the America’s Heroes at Work. It is a joint effort between VETS and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that focuses on the unique employment challenges of returning service members who are living with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Our men and women in uniform make so many sacrifices to preserve and protect our freedoms and our way of life. These programs are just one way of recognizing their sacrifice and thanking them for everything they have done for us.
Today, we have a very special guest with us who will give the keynote remarks. I met Robbie Doughty in 2005, during one of my visits with our wounded warriors at Walter Reed Hospital. He had just returned from Iraq, where he suffered grievous wounds while protecting his fellow soldiers and our freedom. His mother was at his bedside. And later on, during a second visit, I met his wife Krissey, who is with us today as well. Krissey, can you please stand up?
While bedridden or undergoing painful and difficult physical therapy programs, Robbie impressed everyone with his optimism, determination, and can-do attitude even as he fought to rehabilitate his body and life. Like so many of the wounded warriors and families I met, there is not an ounce of self-pity among them but a tremendous sense of patriotism, pride and sense of duty. Following his long, courageous recovery, Robbie returned to Kentucky and decided to become an entrepreneur. In February of this year, he and a friend opened up a franchise restaurant of Little Caesars Pizza and are already on their way to opening a second restaurant. If you ever get to Paducah, Kentucky, you’ve got to pay Robbie a visit at his restaurant and try some of his great food!
I’ve never forgotten the courage and spirit of Robbie Doughty his wife Krissey, his mother Diane and his family. Robbie told me he wanted to find ways to offer hope and help to fellow wounded and injured veterans. He wanted them to have the confidence that military service is great training ground for future success. He wants to share his entrepreneurial experience with other veterans — especially wounded and injured veterans — and let them know how to start a new business and become self-employed.
Robbie's story is truly inspirational. He and his family are an example of the best our country has to offer: of courage that never fails, of hope that has no limits, and optimism that always lifts up others. So, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in giving a great hero’s welcome to an outstanding American and a true patriot, Robbie Doughty!
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Archived Speech — Caution: Information may be out of date.
