People who served in the military in uniform or as civilians have a huge advantage in society, said Shawn G. Skelly, who is performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
When service members separate or retire, they bring to the workforce the valuable job skills they were trained in by the military, as well as intangible skills like management and leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, drive and motivation, Skelly said.
Smart employers know this and actively seek to hire veterans, Skelly said, adding that, as a group, veterans have lower unemployment rates than nonveterans and are twice as likely to own their own businesses.
Veterans also earn education benefits, and they tend to get better grades than their peers, she said.
Veterans are some of the most civically engaged Americans. They tend to volunteer in their communities and vote in higher numbers than nonveterans, said Skelly, who is a Navy retiree.
“They defended the country and our democracy and probably have a better appreciation of how precious it is,” she said.
One of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s priorities is taking care of people, as they are the Defense Department’s most critical asset, she said.
“The business of figuring out how to better take care of people never stops,” Skelly said, adding that caring for people includes not only the millions of service members and DOD civilians, but also their family members and military retirees.
Skelly’s office has over 500 policies related to caring for people, including health care, pay and compensation, military spouse employment, civil-military programs, commissaries, DOD schools, and recreation.
The [Defense] Department is continually evaluating its people and programs and looking for ways to improve them, she said.
Taking care of people is directly related to mission success, she added.
As a youngster, Skelly said her family was of modest means and didn’t travel much. She longed to travel, and the Navy seemed like the ticket to adventure.
In 1988, she was commissioned and began training as a naval aviator. After flight school she flew S-3 Viking jets off aircraft carriers and made port calls to about two dozen nations.
During her 20-year Navy career, Skelly was stationed in Virginia, Florida, Rhode Island, California and Hawaii, and she also visited dozens of states.
“I saw America and gained a better appreciation of who my fellow Americans were by serving alongside them,” she said.
Skelly said joining the military was the best decision of her life and opened the door to many subsequent opportunities. Skelly said she encourages young people to give it a try.
