Paying Them Back (Operation Silverwing in the News)
Monday, June 07, 2010
By The Oregonian Editorial Board
OregonLive.com
One of the state's most meaningful military assemblies in years was convened Friday at the Portland Air Base -- by civilians. Leaders of the Software Association of Oregon approached National Guard officers in Salem and said, "Look, we know that 2,700 soldiers just came home from Iraq and that many of them don't have jobs. We want to use this moment to call employers to action."
The result was Friday's "Executive Briefing," attended by two U.S. senators, the governor, the adjutant general, scores of uniformed soldiers and airmen and, most critically, what appeared to be hundreds of private-sector employers.
The gathering highlighted the commitments of two private-sector business leaders, Platt Electric's Harvey Platt and KGW Media's D.J. Wilson, who have been outspoken advocates for hiring Oregon veterans. Platt said about 100 work for Platt today.
What made the occasion so meaningful was that it represented a kind of transfer of responsibility for the soldiers' well-being from the military to the communities. It's a hard thing to get right, especially when a state with no full-time military post must send thousands of soldiers off to war, then welcome them back home again. Much depends on the willingness of the community to accept its obligations to those it sent to serve in uniform.
As Wilson promised the Guard on Friday: "You can count on us. You can count on the business community."
Employers who wish to join the efforts of those who attended Friday can take a booth at a job fair, allow a soldier to "shadow" an employee, or sponsor various Oregon National Guard events and associations. A good clearinghouse for information is the Guard's reintegration website at www.fortoregon.com, or 1-888-688-2264.
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