By Veterans Transitional Services

It is sad to note that there are many reports showing that veterans do not always find their jobs waiting for them when they return from active duty. The problem appears to be larger than the government statistics reveal according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

This does not mean that there are not any federal laws on the books to penalize employers who do this. Rather what is happening is that at times veterans are dealing with government delays, bureaucratic shuffling and other red tape. For example, a Defense Department survey issued last fall showed that 77 percent of returning soldiers had job trouble but did not seek any help in 2006. The report went on to show that almost 11,000 soldiers were not promptly rehired and that more than 22, 000 lost their workplace sonority.

Most of these cases are investigated and pursued by the Department of Labor but it takes a lot of time. Some indications show that it can take about up to eight months for a case to reach the office of special counsel or the Justice Department for possible litigation.

This problem is not limited to small companies and on the contrary this problem crosses all businesses. For example, in the early part of April the Department of Justice said it was suing Wal-Mart alleging that it failed to reinstate a cashier who was an Air Force reservist. The department was also suing United Parcel Service charging that it eliminated the job of another Air Force reservist while he was on active duty in Iraq in 2003.

Some states have begun to add state enforcement laws to the federal laws in an effort to strengthen and decrease the amount of red tape. However, this is the exception rather than the rule. The truth is that laws will only be part of the solution the real change has to come from the voice of the country.

This nation has the ability to make great changes and cause social change when it comes together as one for a common cause. Just look at how the nation has come together to address natural disasters and raise money to find cures for major diseases. As a nation it is now time that all of us stand for those that risk their lives in service to this country and insist that it is not alright for companies to give away the jobs of our heroes. As a people we have insisted on companies cleaning the environment and producing healthier foods. It is now time that we insist that they take care of the jobs of our veterans.