Clarksville, TN – Lt Gen John Castellaw, a former Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and the President of the Crockett Policy Institute, will lead a “Jobs and Veterans” forum at Austin Peay State University, Monday, February 27th.
MG James McConville of Fort Campbell will be joined by State Commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs Many-Bears Grinder, former Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development Bob Henningsen, and Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan on the panel.
Castellaw first served in Marine tank and amphibian tractor units before becoming a pilot. As a Marine Aviator, he flew more than two dozen different aircraft including the CH-46E Sea Knight, the TAV-8B Harrier and the MV-22B Osprey. During his 36 year career he held several Marine commands including Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing.
He served with UN peacekeepers during the Siege of Sarajevo, commanded a U.S. joint force in an Australian-led multi-national security and stability operation in East Timor, and was the chief of staff for the U.S. Central Command at the height of the war in Iraq. His other service included assignments ashore and aboard ship in Africa, Europe, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. His last tours on active duty were in the Pentagon where he oversaw Marine Aviation and, later, the Marine Corps budget creation and execution.
“Everyone knows that unemployment in the United States is staggeringly high. Across the country millions are jobless. The lesser-known story is that unemployment is even higher within our veteran community. This is especially true among men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Lt Gen Castellaw.
“Veterans face a uniquely challenging job search. Many of the skills gained in the military are transferable to the civilian workforce, but all too often this fact gets lost in translation as returning veterans attempt to reintegrate into civilian life. We want to help our vets make the transition from soldier to civilian.”
CPI is a non-partisan research and policy organization dedicated to improving the lives of Tennesseans by providing practical, workable, and fair solutions to address the challenges facing the state. The Institute seeks to build consensus around moderate, common sense proposals to make Tennessee a better place to live, to work and to raise kids.
This event will be held in the Morgan University Center, Room 307, beginning at 6:00pm and is free and open to the public.
All local companies who outsource work to call centers offshore should consider bringing these jobs back to the USA and us Veterans to fill these positions. With all the credits available the cost increase is minimal outside we all need to take care of the folks who severed our country. Additionally companies like Microsoft, Cisco and others are offer huge incentives on training these veterans in the areas of tech support. Over 400,000 tech support jobs are in the Philippines and India supporting USA companies. Its time we bring these back.