'Marine for Life' offers hometown help

[thedrifter]

'Marine for Life' offers hometown help
Submitted by: MCB Hawaii
Story Identification Number: 2003718164657
Story by Cpl. Jason E. Miller



MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii(07/18/2003) -- In an effort to provide active duty Marines an easier transition back into the civilian world beyond their term of service, the Marine for Life Program extends its helping hand.

Members of the Marine for Life transitioning Marine outreach team visited MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay recently to speak with career planners, transitional recruiters, retention specialists and key commanders to spread the word of the program to Hawaii's Marines.

When a Marine prepares to exit the military, finding a decent job or the right place to move can be a daunting task. The Marine for Life Program utilizes Marine reservists as hometown contacts to help ease the transition for the Marine by providing a contact in the specific area who possesses an understanding of job opportunities, living conditions and other pertinent information that will help the Marine make an easier move.

Hometown contacts range in rank from staff sergeant to lieutenant colonel and are expected to network with local employers and study the local job market so they can provide valuable assistance to the transitioning Marines in their respective areas.

"The challenging part of getting out of the Marines today is finding a job," said Capt. Shannon Frison, Marine for Life transitioning Marine outreach coordinator. "We've had some very positive results in just our first couple of years.

We started out with contacts in 6 sites across the U.S. Today, we have 72 across the country. That number will grow even more next year, as more and more Marines are taking advantage of this program."

Any active duty Marine is allowed and encouraged to make use of the program when nearing the end of active service. No specific rules apply to how long before EAS a Marine should wait before starting a working relationship with a hometown contact. Signing up for the program is as easy as visiting the program's W eb site.

For more information on the Marine for Life program, go to www.MarineForLife.com or visit your unit's career planner for more specific details.




The Marine for Life logo.
Photo by: Courtesy.


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