Veteran employment and mental health: Difficulties transitioning to civilian life – KOAT New Mexico

OF TRANSITIONING BACK INTO CIVILIAN LIFE. WELL, LETS TRAVEL IS VETERANS EXPERIENCE WHEN TRANSITIONING RANGE FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND A JOB TO SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND A VET. I SPOKE TO TODAY TELLS ME WHY ITS SO CHALLENGING FOR MANY. EVERYTHING THAT I HAD SEEN IN GONE THROUGH WAS DEFINITELY WORTH IT FOR ME LIKE MANY VETERANS ROB MITCHELL IS PROUD TO HAVE SERVED HIS COUNTRY BECAUSE IVE LEARNED A LOT OF REAL LIFE LESSONS THAT I WOULD HAVE NEVER LEARNED AND ANY OTHER FACET HE SERVED IN IRAQ THE NATIONAL GUARD AND LATER AS AN ALBUQUERQUE POLICE OFFICER NOW, IM A DISABLED VETERAN. SO I STAY AT HOME DAD. WELL MITCHELL FOUND A JOB PRETTY QUICKLY AFTER RETURNING HOME MANY OF HIS COLLEAGUES DIDNT IT CAN BE REALLY DIFFICULT ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE WHO ARE STRUGGLING REALLY DEEP MORAL INJURY TO ME FOCUSING ON MENTAL HEALTH IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST ASPECTS OF MAKING SURE VETERANS ARE EMPLOYABLE AND OUR COUNTRY ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS IN 2016. THERE WERE OVER A HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO THOUSAND VETERANS LIVING IN THE STATE AS OF 2017 THREE-POINT-THREE PERCENT OF NEW MEXICO VETERANS WERE UNEMPLOYED A RATE LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF THREE-POINT-SEVEN A LOT OF CIVILIAN WORK IS KIND OF MORE ON HOW CAN I GET AHEAD IN OF EVERYBODY ELSE AND WHEN YOU HIRE A VETERAN, YOURE HIRING SOMEONE WHO GOES HOW CAN I BRING THE WHOLE TEAM UP INCLUDING MYSELF TO DO BETTER? AND THATS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT. IM NOT JUST THIS DAY BUT EVERY DAY MITCHELL HOPES THAT EVERYONE REALLY THINKS ABOUT WHAT ARE MEN AND WOMEN HAVE GONE THROUGH FOR OUR COUNTRY EXPRESS YOUR GRATITUDE AND YOUR LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE WITHOUT OUR LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY WOULD HAVE NEVE DONE WHAT WE DID. AND WHILE THE VETERAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS LOWER NOW, OF COURSE, IT FLUCTUATES EVERY YEAR BETWEEN 2007 TO 2010. IT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER BECAUSE OF THE GREAT RECESSION HITTING EIGHT POINT E

Veteran employment and mental health: Difficulties transitioning to civilian life

Updated: 5:22 PM MST Nov 11, 2019

Like many veterans, Rob Mitchell is proud to have served his country. "Everything that I have seen and gone through is definitely worth it for me," said Mitchell. "Because I've learned a lot of real-life lessons that I would have never learned in any other facet."Mitchell served in Iraq, the National Guard and later as an Albuquerque police officer. "Now I'm a disabled veteran, a stay-at-home dad," Mitchell said. While Mitchell found a job pretty quickly after returning home, many of his colleagues didn't. "It can be really difficult, especially for those who are struggling with very deep moral injury," Mitchell said. "To me focusing on mental health is one of the biggest aspects of making sure veterans are employable in our country."According to data from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, in 2016 there were over 142,187 veterans living in the state. As of 2017, 3.3 percent of New Mexico veterans were unemployed, a rate lower than the national average of 3.7. The unemployment rate fluctuates every year. Between 2007 to 2010, it was significantly higher because of the Great Recession, hitting 8.8 percent in 2010."A lot of civilian work is more on how can I get ahead in front of everyone else," Mitchell said. "When you hire a veteran you're hiring someone who goes, 'How can I bring the whole team up, including myself, to do better?' and that's what you really want." Many veterans are also facing mental health issues and homelessness, and Thomas Tozier, the city of Albuquerque's military and veteran liaison said, many veterans don't know where to go for help. "One of the issues that we're seeing is actually about education programs," Tozier said. "We're trying to bridge that, so we actually have the veterans resource center webpage, and it's broken down by section of different resources, for education, for mental health, for jobs employment resources." On not just this day, but every day, Mitchell hopes everyone will really think about what our men and women have gone through for our country. "Express your gratitude, and your love of our country, because without our love of our country we would have never done what we did," Mitchell said. For more information on veteran services visit: cabq.gov/veterans-resource-centerhttp://www.nmdvs.org/

Like many veterans, Rob Mitchell is proud to have served his country.

"Everything that I have seen and gone through is definitely worth it for me," said Mitchell. "Because I've learned a lot of real-life lessons that I would have never learned in any other facet."

Mitchell served in Iraq, the National Guard and later as an Albuquerque police officer.

"Now I'm a disabled veteran, a stay-at-home dad," Mitchell said.

While Mitchell found a job pretty quickly after returning home, many of his colleagues didn't.

"It can be really difficult, especially for those who are struggling with very deep moral injury," Mitchell said. "To me focusing on mental health is one of the biggest aspects of making sure veterans are employable in our country."

According to data from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, in 2016 there were over 142,187 veterans living in the state. As of 2017, 3.3 percent of New Mexico veterans were unemployed, a rate lower than the national average of 3.7. The unemployment rate fluctuates every year. Between 2007 to 2010, it was significantly higher because of the Great Recession, hitting 8.8 percent in 2010.

"A lot of civilian work is more on how can I get ahead in front of everyone else," Mitchell said. "When you hire a veteran you're hiring someone who goes, 'How can I bring the whole team up, including myself, to do better?' and that's what you really want."

Many veterans are also facing mental health issues and homelessness, and Thomas Tozier, the city of Albuquerque's military and veteran liaison said, many veterans don't know where to go for help.

"One of the issues that we're seeing is actually about education programs," Tozier said. "We're trying to bridge that, so we actually have the veterans resource center webpage, and it's broken down by section of different resources, for education, for mental health, for jobs employment resources."

On not just this day, but every day, Mitchell hopes everyone will really think about what our men and women have gone through for our country.

"Express your gratitude, and your love of our country, because without our love of our country we would have never done what we did," Mitchell said.

For more information on veteran services visit:

cabq.gov/veterans-resource-center

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Veteran employment and mental health: Difficulties transitioning to civilian life - KOAT New Mexico