Veterans go overseas and do the work that many of us cannot do to keep our country safe and our futures secure. The type of project management that is on display in the military is regimented and productive. So, it would only make sense to understand that those veterans who come home and need jobs would actually be the very type of employees that would get the jobs done.

It is very easy to assume the types of qualities that a veteran would be able to bring to the workforce, and when employers were surveyed about what those qualities actually are, they responded with these top five skills in the following order: self-discipline, teamwork, attention to detail, respect, and leadership.

It is a wonder, then, that military personnel who return home from overseas sometimes have a great deal of difficulty finding a job they can really sink their teeth into. They were used to working hard and making a real difference in their military lives, but now that they have returned, they can’t seem to find jobs in which they can do the same. This should not be the case.

So many military veterans are qualified to do so many different jobs. For example, many have had the experience of driving trucks in the service. As a result, 31 states have waved the “behind the wheel” tests that are required for truck driving. That is an example of thinking forward.

The packaging industry is an industry ripe with opportunities. Project management opportunities, software developers, supply chain jobs, and plenty in between. The flexible packaging industry employs some 79,000 people currently and other opportunities arise all the time.

This time period in our nation’s history is a turbulent one, to be sure, but it doesn’t have to mean that the progress we have made over the last 100 years should not keep on going. The more progress we make toward better packaging means the more progress we make toward keeping our planet alive and our children healthy and happy.

The packaging business needs hands-on workers who are dedicated to the kind of work that veterans displayed during their time in service to our country. It should be this work ethic that leads the way as we move through this new millennium. From project management to thermoplastics jobs, the United States will continue to lead the way in this global economy.

We thank our veterans for their service overseas, but then we very often leave them aside when they come back home. It should be a given that those who serve should have a job waiting for them when they return. They are the best in the world. Let’s show them we know it.