United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Employment Toolkit
Understanding the Military Experience
2011 Veterans Day events from around the country. Views of events at Northern Arizona VA HCS in Prescott. VA photos by Walt Cody.

Increasing your knowledge and understanding about military experience will help you better understand, relate to, and support your Veteran employees. For example, understanding the chain of command, authority, and experiences in the military may help you understand how a Veteran employee may view your organization's hierarchy and culture.

Military Structure

In this section you will learn about all branches of the military and the meaning of each rank as well as the level of leadership and responsibility held by each rank. The demographics of Veterans today are explained in handouts available for printing. You will also learn about both current and past military conflicts.

Military Culture

You will learn common terms and lingo used by your Veteran Employees as well as what he or she is referring to when asking about the mission.

Military Deployment

Military deployment is the movement of Armed Forces. Handouts available in this section will define deployment as well as describe challenges experienced during and after deployment. You will find resources to guide you in promoting wellness in returning Veterans.

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