JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s the Week of Valor in Jacksonville and more than 90 local employers helped unemployed veterans get back to work Friday.
James Bostic says serving our country was an unforgettable experience. The Navy man was a boiler tech on ships docked at Mayport. Bostic brought the skills he developed on Navy ships into civilian life. But he was recently laid off as a forklift operator.
That's what brought him to Jacksonville's Week of Valor job fair where veterans met with more than 90 local employers.
"All you got to do is apply yourself,” said Bostic. “But if you feel the fact that you want to be something, then that's what these job fairs are for. Get up, go do something for yourself."
Events like this one may be helping. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed vets dropped from 752,000 in July to 720,000 in August.
Bostic hopes shaking hands and passing out resumes will ensure he doesn't become another statistic.
“By coming here, there's hope that somewhere, somebody's going to give me just a little bit of help and I can go from there,” said Bostic.
