Disney and Starbucks part of five new initiatives for transitions Published Oct. 28, 2014 By Christina Carmen Crea Northwest Guardian JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Five new employment initiatives intended to help service members seamlessly transition from the military into the civilian workforce were unveiled Tuesday during a "Senior Leaders' Seminar" as part of the Washington Service Member for Life Transition Summit. Approximately 800 elected officials, businesses, and state, federal and military leaders attended the seminar at the American Lake Conference Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The summit ran from Tuesday through Thursday. The initiatives will provide an opportunity for service members to start careers in diverse areas, such as alternative energy and hotel management, and with well-known companies, like Disney and Starbucks. These new initiatives are the latest in a series of partnerships initiated by JBLM and industry leaders. Besides showcasing these initiatives, the event allowed officials to explain how JBLM's transition service program works and how its partnerships with state and federal officials and agencies allow it to better help service members. Additionally, the seminar offered I Corps Commanding General Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza an opportunity to encourage local military command teams to support transitioning service members so that they can effectively use the program. Strong local leadership is essential to the program's success, explained Lanza during his opening remarks at the seminar. "This (event) brings leadership together from all over (the state) ... (to discuss) closing the transition gaps," Lanza said. "We know service members have the skills because they have served our country well." In addition to helping service members, effective transition programs free up money for operational needs by cutting the unemployment compensation paid to veterans by the services after they're discharged and while looking for a job. For the Army, this savings is substantial, according to Col. Adam Rocke, director of the U.S. Army Soldier for Life: Transition Assistance Program. He told leaders the Army paid $431 million for unemployment compensation last year. Rocke expects to cut that cost by about $100 million this year due to the Service's Transition Assistance efforts. That's money now available to run a combat brigade. "That's what it means to you, money back in your pocket," he said. The state's senior executive, Governor Jay Inslee, said transitioning service members have earned the help they're getting through this transition services program. "I think the military deserves to be treated like royalty, and the way to do that is to put them to work," Inslee said. Inslee added that he couldn't think of a better team to be on than JBLM for when it comes time to leave military service and reenter the civilian workforce. JBLM's willingness to partner with industries to offer transitioning service members paid apprenticeships in career fields is a critical and growing part of the "JBLM team" effort. To highlight that point, the seminar's keynote speakers introduced five new initiatives that will soon be available locally to transitioning service members. The first initiative, which was announced by Inslee, was the "Energy and Solar Installation initiative," which starts Dec. 2014. "Students will be able to obtain hands-on knowledge, utility skills, marketing and design for energy and solar installation," Inslee said. "This training ensures that we build this growing industry. Clean energy is the single-most rapidly-growing job growth sector in the economy today." The "InterContinental Hotels Group initiative" starts in Jan. 2015 with a pilot program. "Those who participate in the 20-week program at JBLM will have training opportunities with hotels around the world," JBLM Commander Col. H. Charles Hodges Jr. said. The "Heroes Corporate Fellowship Academy initiative" starts Jan. 12 and will have 30 service members in a classroom for hands-on experience with select businesses. The end-goal will be placement into those companies, such as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The "Disney Institute initiative," which has to do with consumer products and animation, will also be coming to JBLM soon. Hodges told the audience this initiative might not have happened if a photo of him wearing a pair of wings during the JBLM premier of the Disney movie "Frozen" had'nt been posted on Disney's website. "The representative told me that any colonel who wears wings is someone I want to work with," Hodges said. The final initiative announced Tuesday was by Starbucks, which will focus on hiring service members. "This is an exciting opportunity," said Fred Stockes, a representative from Starbucks. "It is not only the veterans we're going to be looking at, it's also the veterans' spouses that we need to look at too. We really listen to our people and partnerships. This year we will hire over 1,000 service members and spouses. Next year we want to try to double that. In five years, we hope to have 10,000 service members working with us." Stockes added that he wants Starbucks to "build an environment" for service members. "One way we honor them is by special aprons," Stockes said. "One day, a disabled veteran that worked for us was thanked for his service by a customer. People don't recognize the power of that. Then later on, someone actually saluted him while he was wearing his apron. It makes a difference to pay attention." Leadership support Walter Lavrinovich, director of Marine For Life Network, said getting leaders involved in the transition process is the key to success. "A lot of times I hear 'this is an awesome program, but my sergeant won't let me go,'" Lavrinovich said. "We need to let them." He said all service members must be enrolled in transition programs early so they're fully prepared for their transition into the civilian sector. This assistance is an obligation the nation owes those who've served, said Rep. Denny Heck, of the 10th Congressional District. "To be sure, we have a moral obligation to former service members. We owe it to them. They've earned that effort on our behalf." Heck challenged assembled leaders to "sell" the skills transitioning service members offer civilian employers. "My challenge to you today is this: Go sell the golden opportunity that awaits any business smart enough to hire a veteran with all the things that we talked about. Help them understand fully, what an advantage it is for them to hire veterans." U.S. Senator Patty Murray said we are at a pivotal point for an entire generation of post-Sept. 11 veterans who, after more than a decade of deployments and coping with the visible and invisible wounds of war, have been facing a difficult transition home. "Over the last 13 years, our service members have not only answered the call to serve, but fulfilled every mission and met every goal we asked of them," Murray said. "We are all grateful for their courage and strength, and the sacrifices they have made. And I am hoping that through this summit and others like it we can come together to really examine what every single one of us, and the organizations we represent, have been doing and what we can do going forward to continue one of our most vital community and military missions." Murray said she knows the transition from the battlefield to a job isn't easy, but that it shouldn't be the case. "We all know that our service members have the leadership ability, discipline and technical skills to find work," Murray said. Along with acknowledging service members qualified skills, Murray said we can't ignore PTSD. "As we seek to employ more veterans, we need future bosses and coworkers to understand that issues like PTSD or depression are natural responses to some of the most stressful events a person can experience," Murray said. "We need them to understand that these illnesses do not afflict every veteran. And most importantly, we need potential employers to understand that for those who are affected by these illnesses, they can get help, they can get better and they can get back into their lives." Murray said she hopes JBLM can be the example of successful service member transitions. "In Washington, we have the resources, ideas, best practices and leaders to be a model for communities and the military across the country," Murray said. "So, I look forward to continuing to work with all of you to keep the promise we've made to provide not only care, but opportunity to all those who've worn the uniform. I challenge you to take these next steps I have outlined today... and fold them into the great work you are already doing. I am proud to be your partner in the U.S. Senate."