"For more than 250 years South Carolinians have served our nation in peace and war. For more than 71 years, since 1954, our Nation has paused each November 11th to recognize the men and women who have served in uniform to defend freedom with a federally recognized holiday- Veterans Day. That proud legacy of service continues today as more than 380,000 South Carolinians claim the title Veteran and over 65,000 men and women continue to serve in uniform at posts, bases, and stations across the Palmetto State.
Despite this long and enduring legacy of service for many in our state who have not served, or had close family who have, their understanding of Veterans can be complicated. South Carolina’s culture applauds military service but far too many people see the title ‘Veteran’ and still associate it with some of the negative outcomes that can stem from military service. Social media is awash with posts focused on stopping Veteran suicide (tragically estimated to be still more than 17 Veterans a day nationwide); or eliminating Veteran homelessness (more than 32,000 nationwide); or assisting the nearly 7% of Veterans estimated to have experienced post-traumatic stress since leaving service. With narratives like these it could be easy to stereotype those who served and sacrificed for our nation as a broken class.
That stereotype, however, would be fundamentally incorrect. Despite these real and tragic outcomes, Veterans in this state, and nationwide, produce much more in value then they consume from federal, state, and nonprofit coffers. These men and women, even those who stumbled after service, are highly desirable employees, productive entrepreneurs, and dedicated public servants. Unemployment rates for Veterans lags that of non-Veterans; Veterans vote at higher rates; and Veterans, as a group, are more likely to donate to charitable causes than others. In sum, Veteran success is South Carolina’s success.
The South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs remains charged to assist those who struggle but, increasingly we aim to amplify the Veteran’s voice and leverage their talents for our state’s vibrant and growing economy. Industries across South Carolina value Veteran employees for many reasons but three seem to stand out: Veterans bring an internalized sense of discipline from their military service to the workplace; Veterans know how to work on a team; and Veterans have demonstrated an ability to rapidly learn new tasks and accept coaching from others.
To further these aims, we recently launched a new web-based capability called South Carolina Smart Start. This new tool provides Veterans and transitioning servicemembers a virtual transition assistance program aimed specially at addressing their concerns on employment, workforce development, locational and community information and more. SC Smart Start is nested within South Carolina’s broader workforce development and employment tool called Find Your Future South Carolina. Together these new tools provide Veterans easy access to opportunities that benefit both the Veteran and industries so vital to our state and its economy.
Veterans have long been seen as valued employees for the reasons outlined above. The qualities that make this group so sought after as employees are the same qualities that help some Veterans capitalize on their innate entrepreneurial instincts. Prudent risk taking and a bias for action are traits we see across all our military services. These traits are often the same ones upon which successful business owners rely.
In support of Veterans looking to leverage their entrepreneurial passions, the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs recently partnered with the South Carolina Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC). This U.S. Small Business Association supported capability, located on the campus of The Citadel offers a one stop shop for Veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses to start, purchase, or grow a business. The VBOC’s free services helps Veterans and military affiliated personal in unlock their entrepreneurial potential. The Citadel’s Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business provides the platform from which the VBOC operates but this resource is available to Veteran clients across the state.
For generations United States Veterans have been leaders in and out of uniform. Our Nation has, in many ways, been built from the talents of these Veterans. In past decades Veterans comprised significant proportion of our population. Today, while the percentage of Americans who can claim the title Veteran has decreased, the quality of this group continues to grow.
South Carolina competes aggressively for that quality Veteran talent and the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs is actively engaged in the competition. Tools like SC Smart Start and the South Carolina VBOC are only two of the many workforce enhancement efforts focused on attracting, recruiting, employing and retaining Veterans across this states many growing industries.
If you’re a transitioning servicemember, a Veteran, or a Veteran supporter, join us in a Smart Start and Find Your Future in South Carolina!" ~ Todd B. McCaffrey, Secretary of the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs.