At Arlington Cemetery, Obama asks Americans to ‘hire a vet’

In commemorating Veterans Day on Wednesday, President Barack Obama said his administration was improving care for veterans but said more needs to be done. A presidential promise to do better in caring for those who have served.

Further, the president said that more veterans are working because companies are hiring them not out of patriotism or charity but because they desire good employees.

“Our tributes today will also ring hollow if we don’t find our veterans jobs and opportunities when they come home”, Obama said.

He said the nation is in the midst of a new wave of veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. “They are ready to serve and they will make you proud”.

He claimed progress on preventing homelessness by veterans, reducing the backlog of disability claims and recognizing more returning troops with post traumatic stress disorder.

“The unacceptable problems that we’ve seen – like long wait times, and a few veterans not getting the timely care that they need – is a challenge for all of us if we are to match our words with deeds”, President Obama said in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday.

“I am still not satisfied”, he said during the Veterans Day National Observance at Arlington National Cemetery. Saying America should thank them for their service everyday.

The annual service is hosted by the New Hanover Veterans Circle. And today, the veterans’ unemployment rate is down to 3.9 percent – even lower than the national average.

Here’s a gallery of images from Veterans Day.