When Paul Rieckhoff started his organization, The Iraqi And Afghan Veterans of America (IAVA), he had his work cut out for him. In a time when less than 1 percent of the population serves in a volunteer military, most Americans have no personal connection to service members or veterans. As a result, veterans often suffer the personal effects of combat in silence. 20 percent of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or serious depression. The same percentage are living with a traumatic brain injury. Those who do make it home unharmed then have to face a job market that rarely translates the training and skills obtained in the military into civilian jobs. As a consequence, the unemployment rate of our veterans remains higher than the overall unemployment rate.