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Veterans Day Rundown: Free Food and Discounts

Veterans Day Rundown: Free Food and Discounts 1.  There are a lot of deals for past and present service people at chain restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings . . ….

Andiamo in Warren

WCSX is proud to serve veterans lunch at Andiamo in Warren.

Veterans Day Rundown: Free Food and Discounts

1.  There are a lot of deals for past and present service people at chain restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings . . . Carrabba's . . . Chili's . . . Dunkin' . . . Outback . . . Peet's Coffee . . . Starbucks . . . and even White Castle.

Most of them just ask you to flash your military ID.  (Here's one list . . . and there's more, here.)

2.  A recent survey of U.S. military veterans asked about the biggest NON-HEALTH-RELATED challenges in transitioning to civilian life, and finding a job was the clear #1.

Other common responses were:  Parting ways with military friends . . . finding a new purpose . . . and adjusting to the absence of familiar routine and structure.

3.  A lot of service people are worried about jobs, skills, and education upon leaving the military . . . so this is good news:

The "Wall Street Journal" says companies have been lining up to hire the roughly 200,000 people who leave the military each year.  The last jobs report showed the unemployment rate for former service members is 2.9%.  That's a full point LOWER than the overall U.S. rate.

Companies that recruit from the armed forces say the appeal of vets is rooted in hard work, humility, and attention to detail.

4.  According to Pew Research, there are more than 18 million living veterans in the U.S., which is about 6% of the country's adult population.

That means the share of the U.S. population with military experience has declined.  In 1980, about 18% of U.S. adults were veterans.

5.  In one poll, 55% of Americans said they thought everyone who serves in the military is called a "soldier."  That's not accurate.

Military members want to be described correctly:  Soldiers serve in the Army . . . while the Marine Corps has Marines . . . the Navy has Sailors . . . the Air Force has Airmen (regardless of gender) . . . the Coast Guard has Coast Guardsmen (regardless of gender) . . . and the Space Force has Guardians.

And as we say thank you to Veterans this weekend (and hopefully every day) - we remember the amazing story of Harry Dion

Jim O'Brien is the Host of "Big Jim's House" Morning Show at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit. Jim spent eight years in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service, has appeared on Shark Tank (Man Medals Season 5 Ep. 2), raised over two million dollars for local charities and is responsible for Glenn Frey Drive and Bob Seger Blvd in the Motor City. Jim's relationship with Classic Rock includes considering Bob Seger, Phil Collen from Def Leppard, Wally Palmer of the Romantics and many others good friends. Jim writes about ‘80s movies, cars, weird food trends and “as seen on TikTok” content.