LAS VEGAS (KSNV MyNews3) -- Some local veterans are hoping to start the month of March with a brand new job.
Hundreds turned out Tuesday for a job fair at The Orleans Hotel.
The first hour was dedicated solely to connecting local veterans to potential employers as part of the nationwide program called Hiring Our Heroes.
From those who served in Vietnam to those who just got back from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans turned out to shake a hand, hand out a resume and hopefully score a job from the dozens of companies that set up booths at the job fair.
“I served 88 straight days off the coast of Somalia. We boarded Somalian ships because they had hostages,” said Navy veteran William Zakher. “We got into rig boats, armed, approached, boarded it -- took everybody down to retrieve the hostages.”
Those days are over. Now he's armed with his resume at the job fair looking for work that can help make ends meet.
He is not alone, according to Sgt. Chris Hammond, a National Guard recruiter. Hammond says he sees countless qualified servicemen and women frustrated because they just can't find a job.
The unemployment rate for Nevada's veterans is 9.2 percent.
