The U.S. Senate, following the lead of the House of Representatives, approved $100 billion in new funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without a timetable for withdrawing combat troops. By a vote of 80-14, the Senate passed the emergency funding bill, sending it to President George W. Bush who, with no hesitation, signed it into law.

As our antiwar sentiments continue to get increasingly louder, and the blogosphere bustles with what the heck happened to the Democrats, some activists are resigned to scratching their heads in total disbelief. In an effort to find some light at the end of a very long (and deadly) tunnel, I learned about a program called Helmets to Hardhats that connects National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military members with quality career training and employment opportunities within the construction industry and other trades.

Established in 2003, Helmets to Hardhats is a national program that is jointly sponsored by the fifteen unions of the Building and Construction Trades and Construction Industry Employer Associations.

Helmets to Hardhats collects nationwide career opportunities within the building and construction industry and matches that data to former military personnel interested in a career within the industry. Interested candidates can access information about careers and apprenticeships, and fill out a formal application and profile, via the Internet from anywhere in the world.

Please take the time to learn about this program, post information about them, and share their work with Vets you may know.