VECTR’s not so traditional Veteran’s Day celebration

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Some people in Warner Robins got a jump on Veterans Day, with a not so traditional celebration.

For many Americans, Veterans Day is just another day off from work. But have you ever wondered what veterans do after serving in the military?

Ed Carballo, US Deputy District Director for the US Small Business Administration in GA, says the mission shifts.

For some, the shift may be a rough transition.

“I got out of the service in 2006 and the transition is extremely rough,” Air Force veteran Ellis Atkins said.

Today, at the Warner Robins Veterans Education Career Transition Resources Center, staff helped veterans celebrate the upcoming holiday. The staff presented veterans with haircuts, health care services, and different options for life after the military.

Crystal Allen-Joyner is the VECTR Lead Success Coach.

“We have several accelerated programs, in welding, HVAC, manufacturing specialist, warehouse specialist,” Allen-Joyner said. “A lot of different programs such as Cisco networking.”

Sometimes veterans cannot do what they did serving our country.

“So I loaded weapons onto aircraft, I was a bomb loader,” Atkins said.

Life after the military

Carballo believes small businesses may be the best option. “They have a skill-set and a mindset that is difficult to teach, it’s inherent in them and so we see them having greater success than a traditional small business may startup because they have the drive, the passion, the desire, and the self-determination to get things done,” Carballo said.

Whether training, resume writing or help with small businesses, the VECTR Center is a vital resource.

“A lot of our veterans can spend on average 42 weeks unemployed once they’ve transitioned out of the military,” Allen-Joyner said. “We don’t want that. They’ve sacrificed their lives, their families and their time to be able to serve our country. We want to make sure that when they transition out we’ve got resources ready and available.”

Why you might ask?

Allen-Joyner explained, “it’s our way to be able to give back to our veterans because they’ve sacrificed so much.”

“You need people that understand what you need to get back into the workforce, otherwise you’re just kinda doomed,” Atkins said.

For more information on VECTR, visit www.gavectr.org. If you are a veteran looking for assistance with a small business, reach out to the Small Business Administration’s Georgia District Office.