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On the Job Hunt: Veteran Jobs

This Veterans Day I am grateful to work for a network that truly appreciates the sacrifice each and everyone of our men and women in uniform and their families make for this country. I have been so privileged to meet and get to know many military members and to see through their eyes what challenges we face against terror in the world. Without the deployments, now lasting longer and being repeated for so many military members, we could not truly be safe on American soil. They tell me this again and again, and I believe them.

But what becomes of the soldier that serves day in and day out when involved in an engagement when they return home? Sure on day one there are hugs and thanks and ceremonies celebrating a homecoming but then reality sets in and it sets in fast. Bills, kids, long distance relationships sometimes not strong enough to last and then the issue of employment. What are returning troops to do?

Today, I am at Volt Information Sciences a temporary staffing company that employs tens of thousands of folks in jobs with companies by matching their skills to open assignments.  Its CEO Steven Shaw tells me the military provides training and dedication and motivation beyond what any school can and that is why former military – in this case – Army reservists are in demand. Volt is one of 750 private sector employers that have signed on to the Army Reserve Employer Partnership a program that links employers with jobs to reservists who are given interviews through the Army Reserve website.

Those brave enough to fight for our freedom in our all volunteer Army deserve at least that and more. The employers I have spoken to that are part of this program agree with me on that and they are doing something honorable about it.

I am really happy that we are doing this story today and bringing added attention to what we can do for our veterans on Veterans Day. Our story last week on the civilian jobs available to anyone looking for work and the chance to be a part of the world’s greatest fighting force also will hopefully help many of you find employment.

For more on the Army Reserve Employer Partnership – if you are a Reservist looking for a job or an employer who has one to offer – go to www.armyreserve.army.mil and go to the Employer Partnership tab to see jobs available. And keep it on Fox News Channel for more military stories and the latest headlines!

 

Fox News Channel is “On the Job Hunt”!  Getting you the facts that will get you back in business! Every night, go On the Job Hunt on the Fox Report!  Weeknights at 7pm.

Cleveland Mystery House Solved!

In Cleveland today there are two stories that have captured the attention of the locals. Ohio has voted to bring gambling to their state and a convicted sex offender is in custody charged with 5 murders and may soon be charged with more authorities say after 10 bodies and a skull were found inside and behind his home.

Since the early morning hours, families of missing women joined local residents to stand outside  the home Anthony Sowell lived in and try to fathom what may have gone on inside. It is a home Sowell, who had served 15 years in prison for rape and returned to in 2005, will likely never return to again if the prosecutor here gets what he wants … A conviction that he says could bring the death penalty.

Today during his first court appearance, Sowell a former marine, acknowledged to the judge he understood the charges against him . So far, at least five counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, felony assault and rape the last three based on a claim a woman made that she’d been attacked at the house several weeks ago but escaped.

Sowell was registered as a sex offender at the address and though cops visited him since his 2005 release, they never went inside. This has baffled neighbors who say they complained about a smell coming from the home for years. Authorities say the decomposing bodies may have been there that long too. Maybe days, maybe weeks, maybe says the police chief for years. City councilman Zach Reed talked to me about how this could happen, what folks here are saying about it and what needs to be done:

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The Carmichael family, one of the families who came here looking for answers this morning … got the one they feared the most. Their loved one was one of the women whose bodies were removed from Sowell’s home. As much as the Carmichaels wanted to know, it had to be truly devastating to learn that the mother two daughters loved so much and the daughter a mom, the elder Mrs. Carmichael who gave her DNA cheek swab to gain that answer, had died in such a violent way. The girls told me for the last week they just had a feeling they would find out.

The coroner says they want families of other missing women to come forward. Without getting maternal DNA samples he says making a match can be tough.

The prosecutor calls Anthony Sowell a dangerous threat to the public. For now he will remain behind bars. His DNA likely unable to be able to be matched the coroner says because of the condition on the bodies. A grand jury will have to decide what Anthony Sowell is facing but it could include the death penalty.

Cops say this is the second worst criminal investigation in the state. The last years involved 14 bodies found at a single location I’m told. If more bodies are found, and cops say they will dismantle the home and check abandoned homes in the neighborhood in case there are more victims yet to be discovered. If the body count rises by just 4, it will be the deadliest crime scene investigators say they’ve ever seen.

On the Job Hunt: Military Jobs

I am amazed at the amount of walk in traffic today at the NYC Army Recruitment office where we are doing live shots about the number of opportunities the Army offers civilians it’s hiring. Right after 9/11, there was an outpouring of Americans who felt the patriotic urge to serve. Now, so many years later and with pretty much a guarantee that if you sign up you will deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq, I mistakenly thought Army recruiting efforts for soldiers had dropped.

I recently sat down exclusively with Army Chief of Staff General George Casey (a four star and highly decorated soldier I’d long admired) and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the Army has already exceeded its goal for new recruits this year. That’s great news for the front line mission we have underway in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the World. But what about the many other Americans who still believe that serving our country is a great profession and certainly an honorable one too but might not meet the age or physical fitness requirements of becoming a soldier or who are unable to deploy so far away from home.

Well, General Casey says 325,000 people serve right now as Army civilians and the Army is looking for more. Jobs like crime scene investigators, childcare directors, archeologists, scientists and customer service representatives are just a few of the 550 different jobs the Army fills with civilians.

Almost every day we are reporting about company cutbacks either job losses or benefits curtailment at corporations whose names you know. Meanwhile, the Army offers competitive salaries, healthcare coverage, retirement benefits and if you qualify repayment of your student loans. At some job locations, civilians can actually take advantage of on site childcare. They can also seek out flexible work hours and work environments like job sharing.

General Casey has even begun a new initiative that is mandatory November 1 called resilience training which will provide all Army employees with confidential, on-line assessments and resources to help Army staffers and their families with anxiety and depression using something called Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology or Resilience Training is based on the work and studies of University of Pennsylvania Psychology Professor Dr. Martin Seligman.

 

Eye on the Greece Riots

I am assigned to our breaking news desk today. That essentially means I am in the control room while we are on the air watching every bit of live and taped pictures feed into FOX. I’ve just done a report after new video came into the control room showing just how much anger there is in the streets in Athens, Greece.

This week, Athens is seeing the worst and most violent rioting it has seen since World War II. The protests and fighting stems from the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy named Alexandros Grigoropoulos. Much of this anger is directed at two police officers who a Greek court has just ruled were responsible for his death. They are being held in jail. One is charged with murder, the second as an accomplice.

But sources report the violence – pelting police with fire bombs and bottles outside the courthouse, in front of Parliament and elsewhere – are also over alleged government corruption. The government is now facing a national strike that has crippled some airports and closed some schools and hospitals. Police are stretched and strained but continue to use tear gas and shields to try to bring calm to the streets.

We will keep an eye on any developments of the violence in Greece. Check FOX News Channel and FOXNews.com for the very latest.

Behind-the-Scenes of the “Strategy Room”

I was back in the “Strategy Room” today and as always it was a lively and spirited two hours! “The Strategy Room” really encompasses “fair and balanced.” You get a topic and then hear about it from all sides. If you are streaming the “Strategy Room” on your computer, you also get to weigh in. GREAT emails came in today and we made our way through so many of them.

For those of us who drop by the “Strategy Room” (Mike Straka the executive producer extends the invitations!) there are no rules, no commercials and no scripts. The talk today… not surprisingly the transition in Washington, foreign affairs under President-elect Obama and the role the United Nations should play in furthering foreign relations and assistance. On the domestic front, the consensus seemed to suggest with the economy continuing to be in turmoil – today being no exception – Americans will watch the transition very carefully for any sign of progress. How will progress be measured? Likely it will have to hit voters in their pocketbooks… where they feel like the message of change and feeling of hope has translated into help that allows everyone to rebuild.

I’m also curious. How much more do you know about how the electoral process works now that this election is over? I bet a lot more. Based on your emails and questions, we are all much more informed than we ever were before. Email me what you know and understand now that you didn’t quite get before. Send your email to Jamie@foxnews.com. I’ll read each one personally and try to read some on our shows  when I anchor this weekend.

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