On Wednesday, former President George W. Bush spoke about the veterans in the country during the Bush’s Institute’s Empowering Our Nation’s Warriors Summit, according to The Huffington Post.
During his speech, Bush noted that veterans are the one-percent of the country’s population that citizens should offer support for all the time.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram quoted Bush as saying, “They are the 1 percent of Americans that kept the 99 percent safe “We owe them and their families a deep debt of gratitude.”
Bush weighed in on what veterans want after serving.”
ABC quoted Bush as saying, “What most veterans want is to have their service understood and appreciated for what it is: A formative experience in their lives and a source of skills and values that prepare them to succeed in civilian lives. Our veterans have defended the American people and now they want to experience the American dream.”
He also spoke about veterans struggling to find jobs after leaving the military and returning to their civilian lives.
“You don’t see many job postings that say ‘Wanted: Experience in hunting insurgents and terrorists. Willing to risk life for coworkers,’” Bush said. “What’s a veteran supposed to put down? ‘My last office was a Humvee?’”
A retired lieutenant colonel from the Marines, Justin Constantine, also spoke at the event.
“Today’s veterans don’t need a handout, but a hand up,” Constantine said. “Some of us are facing very tough obstacles right now, but we all want to be productive members of our society.”