Good morning. Tony, thank you for that kind introduction. It is great to be back amongst so many friends and professional colleagues, and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be with you today. Just about this time last year, the first wave of the Minnesota National Guard s 34th Infantry Division the Red Bulls returned from a successful one year deployment in Iraq. I had the privilege to lead this fine group of Minnesotans, and I d like to share some of my observations with you. My team was responsible for military operations in nine out of eighteen Iraqi provinces, I want you to know that you can be proud of how the men and women and about a third of our deployed Citizen-Soldiers are women performed during this historic mission. 1 of 16
The fruits of our labor were showcased last March as Iraqi citizens went to the polls to peacefully and democratically elect their national government. I am proud to report that the Iraq voting rate was 78% -- even above Minnesota s national high voting turnout of 55% in 2010. Allow me to share with you a brief video that describes my Soldier s accomplishments. You ll probably recognize the voice WCCO-TV news anchor Don Shelby embedded with us in November of 2009, and when he retired in November he characterized his week with the Red Bulls as one of the top highlights of his distinguished career in journalism. Roll the tape, please. 2 of 16
<Roll 06:00 tape> As a side note, when the video s narrator Don Shelby returned to Minnesota he actually got a large Red Bull tattooed on his bicep to commemorate his time with the 34th Division. For the record, I did not return the favor and contrary to some reports do not have a WCCO-TV tattoo. You ll remember that the last line in the video highlighted that the Red Bulls returned with success and honor. We did so because of the exceptional quality of our armed forces. To those in attendance who have previously served in the military, I ask you to please stand. Please join me in a round of applause in thanking these great Americans for their service. 3 of 16
<Applause> If you look into the faces of these patriots that are standing, then you ll know my objective here today: When our service members return to Minnesota, they are not the next generation of problems; instead, they are the next generation of leaders. Returning veterans have highly-developed, tested and proven skill sets that are applicable in today s rapidly changing economy, and those of your peers who have served are shining examples. Thanks to each of you for your service. For those of us in the Guard and Reserves, it is a dual-edged sword. Just as military skills can make one successful in 4 of 16
business; I am proof that civilian skills can contribute to success in the military. I know that I would not have been successful on the battlefield without my experience in business, and my affiliation with each of you. 5 of 16
As a traditional National Guardsmen, I have enjoyed a 32-year career in the construction industry. During the last four years of my career, I was Executive Vice President of Hanson Spancrete in Maple Grove. You are probably familiar with some of Hanson Spancrete s iconic structures around the Twin Cities: the MSP Airport Parking Ramp, the Mall of America Parking Ramp, the Best Buy corporate campus, and literally hundreds of corporate facilities throughout Minnesota and the world. In my civilian job, I like you was responsible for employment decisions, budgeting and marketing. I have learned from personal experience that those who have served in the military make great employees: they are physically fit; they are regimented; they are drug-free; and they are well-educated. 6 of 16
Only about one American in ten is even eligible to enlist in the military. I know for a fact that returning veterans add value to business. During my assignment as Commanding General for US Division South in Iraq, I learned an equally valuable lesson: skills acquired at civilian jobs make our Citizen-Soldiers uniquely suited to perform their military mission. Staff Judge Advocates who in their civilian careers are prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers were working hand-inhand with the Iraqi judiciary to establish legal processes. Military Police who serve on our State Patrol and in Sheriff s Departments statewide were mentoring the fledgling Iraqi Police. Civil Affairs staff business owners at home were able to bring together parties to establish markets and commerce to promote a stable economy for Iraq. 7 of 16
In fields related to contracting, we teach our vertical engineers skills to qualify as electricians, plumbers, pipefitters, carpenters and masonry; these skills were essential in our reconstruction efforts in this war-torn land. And these Soldiers emerge in the job market with college credit, and are often able to start as apprentices much sooner than peers of the same age, due to what they ve learned in their military schooling and experience. The same can be said for our horizontal engineers and their training in heavy equipment operation. 8 of 16
The skills learned in military training directly correlates to the skills taught in community college or trade school; at no cost to the civilian employers. In addition to our focus on trades and other skills, our young engineer officers are exceptional project managers. But even with these tremendous job skills, returning from war is not without challenges. Before we departed Iraq, we conducted a survey to learn more about what concerns our Soldiers were facing. The results surprised me more than 40% stated that there number one concern was employment related, more than family, higher education, or financial considerations. I believe that there is a real opportunity here for both our returning Citizen-Soldiers and for Minnesota Business. 9 of 16
The success of returning veterans in this international, multicultural complex environment has prepared these individuals to successfully operate in a business without borders environment, and I know that the Red Bulls could not have been as effective as we were without the contributions of your exceptional employees. What s important to remember is that this relationship between military skills being beneficial for business; and business skills being equally beneficial for the military is an important one. It is important because for the foreseeable future our nation will be at war, or in a persistent state of conflict. 10 of 16
As the National Guard and Reserves are routinely called to serve, I am concerned about deployment fatigue. As it relates to returning military forces, deployment fatigue is the condition caused when a service member is called to duty time and time again. For two-thirds of the Citizen-Soldiers with me in Iraq, it was their first deployment; but for the remaining 400, it was their second, third, or even fourth deployment since 9/11. 11 of 16
The last time that the Red Bulls deployed our headquarters was in World War Two. During World War Two, citizens were asked to ration and recycle. Businesses were required to re-tool and refocus. Everyone paid a war tax. There is no war tax for today s conflict. I submit to you that today, America is not at war; instead, America s service members, their families, and their employers are at war. The modern war tax is your visible contribution by allowing your military service member to serve their nation. I know that it is difficult to lose a valuable employee for a year but, having been on both sides of the fence, I believe that it is worth 12 of 16
the effort and coordination to support military employees, or to hire new employees who have recently returned. I am confident that returning Servicemembers are up to the task of overcoming deployment fatigue. For starters, you may have seen the Hire a Vet bumper sticker that promotes this effort. I think that we could re-vamp the slogan to better reflect what hiring a service member means to your business. My new bumper sticker would read R-O-I. Your return on investment of hiring and utilizing the skill sets of military employees only strengthens your business and adds to your bottom line. Your military employee is a quality team member, with an established work ethic and orientation toward service. 13 of 16
As I mentioned earlier, Minnesota is a leader in many veterans issues and there are things that you can do today to help. Our Beyond the Yellow Ribbon campaign has brought communities, companies, churches, campuses and counties together with a unified approach to bridging issues surrounding the return of our new generation of leaders, and is the direct link to exploring hiring a veteran. You can learn more on how your company can be designated as a Yellow Ribbon Company and how you can continue to leverage the training, experience and know-how of today s Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen -- at W-W-W-Beyond-the-yellowribbon-dot-org. 14 of 16
We are counting on your continued support in the future. There is no limit to what we can forge in the future between business and the National Guard. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today, and thank you for being a champion for all the men and women who serve our state and nation. God bless each one of you, and God bless America 15 of 16