Out of the Navy for less than three months, Pamela Tedder has yet to find a job.
“It’s really difficult and extremely stressful now,” said Tedder, especially since her husband is still in the Navy, deployed overseas on a Norfolk based ship, and most of the jobs she can find require her to move to another city, away from her family.
“With ERB and PTS, so many military in this area are all getting out at the same time, and the job market is flooded,” said Tedder. “It’s hard to find a job around this area trying to stay local.”
So this Navy vet and mom came out to the Fort Eustis Job Fair Thursday to hopefully find a new career.
Many of the employers were local sheriff and police departments, and one of the bills in front of Congress this week actually had to with helping veterans get jobs as first responders.
The Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012 provided $1 billion for cities and states to hire those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
An idea of President Obama's, the bill was still considered bi-partisan by veterans’ groups.
When it came up on the Senate floor Wednesday, 40 republicans still voted against it, saying it would add to the deficit.
So we asked Pamela and other veterans still looking for work what they think.
“It’s extremely discouraging. We have sacrificed so much, me and my husband… we spent so much time apart, and now they are making it more difficult for us to find job and stay together as a family,” said Tedder.
Grant Meyer, another Navy Veteran looking for work, wasn't exactly sure how he felt on the bill's failure--especially since the country doesn't know what's going to happen with the so-called "fiscal cliff" on January 1st.
“I’m upset about it, very much so, but I don’t want something to get kicked off, and give us hope, but then they say, ‘We don’t have any money, can't help anybody else,’” said Meyer.
Still, the one thing these veterans all can agree on is that not enough has been done for those coming back from war.
“It comes down to Democrats and Republicans just sitting on their feet,” said Meyer.
“It’s politics, just a muddy mess,” said Tedder.
