Returning home after five tours of Iraq, Mechanicsville native and former Marine Sgt. Edzavier Reese said adjusting to civilian life in his notoriously tough neighborhood wasn't such a stretch.
Gunfire is a familiar sound in both locations. The biggest difference: He had a job in Iraq. Driving back to Atlanta in October, his career prospects were uncertain.
With the war in Iraq officially over and operational tempos slowing, soldiers such as Reese are returning to civilian life in significant numbers. Concern about post-traumatic stress dominates the popular discussion of re-entry, but for many veterans the biggest challenge is finding a job.
Unemployment among veterans was 12 percent in October, and a forbidding 30 percent of vets aged 18 to 24 are out of work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In Wednesday's newspaper, the AJC examines the issue through the eyes of several newly returned metro Atlanta veterans. It's a story you'll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper's iPad app. Subscribe today.
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