Welcoming our Military Heroes into the Workforce 

Did you know that November is Warrior Care Month? In addition to celebrating Veteran’s Day on November 11, November has been set aside as a time to reflect on and honor the incredible strength and resilience of our country’s wounded, ill, and injured service members. Warrior Care Month is also about acknowledging and appreciating the dedication of the thousands of military caregivers who support our service members during the often painful and lengthy recovery and rehabilitation process. Since 2008, the Department of Defense has dedicated the month of November to increasing public awareness about the needs of these service members and the numerous programs and resources available to support them during their recovery in order to ensure successful and meaningful reintegration into civilian life.

Recovery coordination, however, is a Defense Health Agency mission that is happening every day, and the military service Warrior Care Programs proactively support these service members through a variety of initiatives. One important Warrior Care initiative is the Education and Employment Initiative (E2I), which assists wounded, ill and injured service members in finding career opportunities that align with their skills, talents, and interests. E2I Regional Coordinators are located across the United States and, in addition to working with service members, are tasked with building relationships with private sector employers across a variety of industries. This is where you come in. These strategic partnerships with employers benefit not only the service members but also the employers. Coordinators facilitate career matching with an employer’s needs based on local workforce trends and needed skill sets. Your recruitment just got easier and more targeted. Additionally, employing wounded, ill and injured service members contributes to your larger diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and commitments. As we consider both the visible and invisible (e.g., chronic pain, brain injuries, PTSD) injuries and assaults suffered by our wounded service members, let’s do more to welcome them and integrate them into our workforce. To learn more about the E2I, contact your Regional Coordinator or reach out at  E2I.OSD@mail.mil 

As we head into the Thanksgiving week, Mercer wishes to express our thanks and gratitude for our more than 900 veteran colleagues and for all service members and their families, as well as our country’s military health system. Our parent company Marsh and McLennan has been recognized as a military friendly top employer, which makes us especially proud to partner with our employer, state, and federal clients in supporting service members and their families through health benefit plans that recognize their unique culture and needs.

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