First lady recognizes efforts to hire veterans

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was in the spotlight Thursday at an event celebrating the fourth anniversary of the Joining Forces Initiative, where new commitments were announced to ensure that every veteran and military family has an opportunity to achieve their career aspirations.

Approximately 100 people attended the event held at Micron Technology in Manassas, Virginia, including first lady Michelle Obama; Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); David Foster, senior adviser to the secretary of Energy and leaders from across the country in industry, education and government.

Beth McCormick, representing LLNL, was asked by Director Bill Goldstein to attend this event in recognition of her collaboration with Los Positas College in helping to provide veterans meaningful work experiences and career opportunities.

At the event, Klotz complemented the work being done to help veterans by LLNL, Sandia and Pacific Northwest national laboratories.

The first lady thanked all employers and government agencies for their efforts in helping to achieve the White House goal of hiring 100,000 veterans. Even though progress has been made, she reminded everyone that there was still a lot of work to do and reset the hiring goal. She mentioned solar, manufacturing and IT as the leading sectors. She also pointed out the important training and education relationships between community colleges and employers with the Department of Labor supporting paid internships. Because of these collaborations, thousands of veterans and employers benefit.

Joining Forces is a nationwide initiative started in 2011 by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden — Vice President Joseph Biden’s wife — calling all Americans to rally around service members, veterans and their families, and support them through wellness, education and employment opportunities. Joining Forces works hand in hand with the public and private sector to ensure that service members, veterans and their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their lives.