125,000 Veterans, Spouses Hired Through Joining Forces

First Lady Michelle Obama announced last week that Joining Forces, the initiative she and Jill Biden started in 2011, has marked 125,000 hires of veterans and spouses. 

The original goal was for businesses to hire 100,000 veterans and spouses by the end of 2013, according to the Joining Forces blog.

Obama spoke to service members at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville and told them 2,000 companies have hired veterans because of the technical and human skills members of the military have to offer.

“Make no mistake about it, you all have the talent, you’ve got the training and the experience to lead America’s economic comeback, and America’s businesses understand that,” she said. “And that's why they’ve stepped up so readily to answer this call.  That’s why they’re hiring folks like all of you every day all across this country.”

And even with the companies exceeding the goal of hires for veterans and spouses, they’re not slowing down, she added.

“It would be understandable if these companies just stopped now and patted themselves on the back for a job well done and called it a day.  But instead, these companies are doing just the opposite –- they’re doubling down on their commitment to all of you.  And today, they’re pledging to hire or train another quarter of a million of our nation’s heroes—a quarter of a million—250,000—including at least 50,000 military spouses.”