Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger came aboard the USS Midway in San Diego today to announce the creation of Operation Welcome Home, which is meant to help new military veterans re-enter society.
Every year, 30,000 Californians are discharged from the armed services, and they have to adjust to civilian life. Operation Welcome Home will employ 325 veterans who will help new vets make that transition. People working with the program will directly contact all new veterans and help them find employment, education and health care. Governor Schwarzenegger, aboard the Midway, said veterans have had to run a bureaucratic gauntlet to learn about all the benefits they're entitled to.
"We have to create a one-stop shop, so there's no more going from agency to agency but one place where you get the services that you deserve," he said.
That one-stop shop, Operation Welcome Home, was created with 20 million dollars in state funding. It will also rely on volunteers to help with the program.
