thedrifter
07-11-07, 06:20 AM
Ex-Marine helps military personnel returning to civilian life find jobs
By Linda McIntosh
TODAY'S LOCAL NEWS
July 11, 2007
CARLSBAD – It wasn't long after Dan Caulfield left the Marine Corps in the mid-1990s that four former Marines from his old platoon called from a pay phone asking for help getting jobs.
Caulfield, ever loyal to his troops, got them all jobs within a few weeks.
One employer was so happy with the Marine talent, he sent Caulfield a check for $3,000. That check planted the seeds of Hire A Hero.
Caulfield got to thinking of ways to help military personnel find jobs when they transition into civilian life.
He used the money from the employer to start an Internet-based job placement company. He sold the firm in 1998 to establish the nonprofit Armed Services Support Foundation, based in Carlsbad.
The nonprofit helps veterans find jobs through an online network called Hire A Hero.
“It uses the social networking power of the Internet to help transitioning military get jobs,” said Caulfield, executive director of Hire A Hero.
The network includes 5,000 military-friendly employers nationwide, including about 650 in California.
But the Web site is not only for employers and job-seekers.
Caulfield is looking for folks to show their patriotism by being part of the network and talking with military personnel as they look for jobs.
“This is more than putting a yellow ribbon on your car,” Caulfield said. “You can connect with a service member and thank them for their service and maybe ask them a little about themselves. It'll roll forward from there.”
The idea is, the more people they talk to, the sooner they'll find a job that fits.
“The way you really get a job is you know someone,” Caulfield said. “It's all about the network.”
Michael Sinicrope transitioned out of the Marines at Camp Pendleton and used Hire A Hero to get a job.
“It was real easy,” Sinicrope said. “I went online, signed up and started applying.”
Sinicrope had been deployed to Iraq and worked as a parachute rigger and air delivery specialist, dropping cargo and himself out of planes.
He landed a job interview at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa and was hired as a security agent.
Sinicrope is among 200 local transitioning Marines using the Hire A Hero program.
Hire A Hero started as a pilot program in Georgia and Florida to help National Guard members and their families find jobs. The program became a nationwide nonprofit this year, expanding to help all branches of the armed services.
Hire A Hero launched a scholarship program last month to help service members and their dependents get training through Lincoln Educational Services.
Lincoln is sponsoring $500,000 in scholarships. It was founded in 1946 to provide vocational services to GIs returning home from World War II.
Scholarship applications are available at www.hireahero.com and are due by Aug. 17. Winners will be announced in late August.
Linda McIntosh: (760) 752-6756; linda.mcintosh@tlnews.net
Ellie
By Linda McIntosh
TODAY'S LOCAL NEWS
July 11, 2007
CARLSBAD – It wasn't long after Dan Caulfield left the Marine Corps in the mid-1990s that four former Marines from his old platoon called from a pay phone asking for help getting jobs.
Caulfield, ever loyal to his troops, got them all jobs within a few weeks.
One employer was so happy with the Marine talent, he sent Caulfield a check for $3,000. That check planted the seeds of Hire A Hero.
Caulfield got to thinking of ways to help military personnel find jobs when they transition into civilian life.
He used the money from the employer to start an Internet-based job placement company. He sold the firm in 1998 to establish the nonprofit Armed Services Support Foundation, based in Carlsbad.
The nonprofit helps veterans find jobs through an online network called Hire A Hero.
“It uses the social networking power of the Internet to help transitioning military get jobs,” said Caulfield, executive director of Hire A Hero.
The network includes 5,000 military-friendly employers nationwide, including about 650 in California.
But the Web site is not only for employers and job-seekers.
Caulfield is looking for folks to show their patriotism by being part of the network and talking with military personnel as they look for jobs.
“This is more than putting a yellow ribbon on your car,” Caulfield said. “You can connect with a service member and thank them for their service and maybe ask them a little about themselves. It'll roll forward from there.”
The idea is, the more people they talk to, the sooner they'll find a job that fits.
“The way you really get a job is you know someone,” Caulfield said. “It's all about the network.”
Michael Sinicrope transitioned out of the Marines at Camp Pendleton and used Hire A Hero to get a job.
“It was real easy,” Sinicrope said. “I went online, signed up and started applying.”
Sinicrope had been deployed to Iraq and worked as a parachute rigger and air delivery specialist, dropping cargo and himself out of planes.
He landed a job interview at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa and was hired as a security agent.
Sinicrope is among 200 local transitioning Marines using the Hire A Hero program.
Hire A Hero started as a pilot program in Georgia and Florida to help National Guard members and their families find jobs. The program became a nationwide nonprofit this year, expanding to help all branches of the armed services.
Hire A Hero launched a scholarship program last month to help service members and their dependents get training through Lincoln Educational Services.
Lincoln is sponsoring $500,000 in scholarships. It was founded in 1946 to provide vocational services to GIs returning home from World War II.
Scholarship applications are available at www.hireahero.com and are due by Aug. 17. Winners will be announced in late August.
Linda McIntosh: (760) 752-6756; linda.mcintosh@tlnews.net
Ellie