Each year, Dan Clouse oversees the about-face of nearly 7,000 Camp Pendleton Marines, trying to turn legions of men and women who've been at war for years into regular citizens ready to go to work in the civilian world.
It's not an easy task.
The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans was 21.6 percent in 2009. It currently sits at nearly 25 percent for California veterans younger than 24, according to federal and state statistics.
"We get a lot of these guys right out of high school, train them to be Marines and infantrymen and send them to war," said Clouse, base employment and transition supervisor. "A lot of them wind up with no real transferable skills when it comes time to leave."
That reality is reflected on the streets. A report released last month by the San Diego County Regional Task Force on Homelessness says 22.9 percent of the county's estimated 8,574 people with no home in January were veterans.
San Diego County has more people who have recently left the military ---- about 27,000 ---- than any other region of the country, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
This week, the Marine Corps will confront the issue head-on. Clouse and transition specialists from around the nation are scheduled to gather in Washington to review the Transition Assistance Program, the result of a directive by the new commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos.
The commandant says he wants to ensure that the right education and occupational training are being offered to fulfill "our commitment to return better citizens back to communities across our nation."
North County Times - Californian | Posted: Saturday, November 27, 2010 9:00 pm
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