In The News

Veterans job fair, Armed Forces remembrance service set for May 17, 18
Muskegon Chronicle - Stephen Kloosterman - May 12, 2013

MUSKEGON, MI – It’s a good time to be a veteran. The Veterans Job Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 17, and Armed Forces Day will be observed starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18 in Muskegon. Both events will be held at the USS LST 393, docked at 560 Mart St.

New last year, the job fair was a success, with about 1,200 people showing up to the fair on the deck of a retired tank carrier. About 120 people -- or one in 10 -- left the job fair hired, said Jesse Mikaelsen, a Muskegon-based veterans’ employment representative with Michigan’s Workforce Development Agency. Another 178 people left the event with interviews lined up, he said.

The success of last year’s fair has drawn a lot of attention this year from companies.

“We had employers calling us up,” Mikaelsen said. “We’re drawing employees and organizations from about a 10-county area.”

More than 60 companies and veteran’s groups have committed to attend the event. Norris Ellis, also a veterans’ employment representative with the state, said that veteran’s are attractive hires for many businesses.

“There are multiple reasons,” he said. “Veterans are accustomed to taking instructions -- working as a team. They’re disciplined.”

The free job fair is geared toward veterans, but anyone can attend, said Dave Eling, executive director of the Muskegon County Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We don’t want the title to dissuade anyone from coming,” he said.

Armed Forces Day will be observed the next day.

Events will start at 10 a.m. There will be free tours of the LST and entrance to the ship’s museum will be free all day. The Grand Rapids Accordion Ensemble will perform from 11 a.m. to noon.

The formal program beginning at noon will include music from the U.S. Army 146th Field Band Brass Quintet and the Leffring Sisters. State Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart will speak. The program will end with a 21-gun salute, taps, and a fly-over of rare World War II-era aircraft.

“The music portion of it is just phenomenal,” said Dan Weikel, curator of the LST museum.

The ceremony this year will have a special focus on World War II veterans. Veterans are asked call to contact organizers at (231) 288-4012 prior to Saturday so they can receive a certificate of appreciation at the event.