Hiring Our Heroes job fair comes to Richmond - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

There's a big effort underway to help our military veterans find a job.

The "Hiring Our Heroes" campaign is coming to Richmond Thursday. More than 40 companies will be there looking to hire. 

Retired Major David Wright spent more than a decade specializing in field artillery in the Virginia National Guard. His last day in the military was supposed to be September 10th, 2001.  The next day on 9/11, he withdrew his resignation and stayed.

Now he's using the skills he learned in the military at Capital One.

"In the military, there's a lot of emphasis on teamwork, problem solving, tons and tons of leadership training," Wright said. "These things are immediately transferable to the business environment."

This is part of the US Chamber of Commerce's effort to find jobs for half a million vets. Since the program started last year, it's helped 10,000 vets to find jobs.

More than 40 companies ranging from Altria to Amazon will be looking to hire veterans and their spouses Thursday at Richmond International Raceway.

"It's a great way to support our heroes," Wright said. "It's a great way to match companies up with outstanding talent."

Finding employment can often be a struggle for the men and woman returning from war. The unemployment rate for returning veterans has often been higher than the national average in recent years.

But organizers of "Hiring Our Heroes" hope this job fair can help ease a veteran's transition to civilian life.

"It's a win-win proposition," he said. "It's helpful for these heroes coming home and it's also helpful for these businesses who are trying to grow."

The job fair starts Thursday at 11 at RIR. It runs until three in the afternoon. You must be a military veteran to attend.

You can register for free online at www.recruitmilitary.com.

Walk-ins are welcome, just bring your military ID and a résumé. 

Copyright 2012 WWBT NBC12.  All rights reserved.