Walmart may not be the first thing to come to your mind when it comes to our nation's military, but the company is leading the way to helps those in uniform once their service is complete.
Mark Matthes remembers quite well how it felt after leaving the Marine Corps.
"You have to tone down, if you have seen some combat, things can be engaging after that," he said.
Matthes says it took him a couple of years to reenter corporate America. He eventually became a market and human resource manager with Walmart in charge of more than a dozen stores in southeast Texas.
Matthes said, "It is still part of a team, OK, there is a huge team at Walmart. It is a huge family."
It's a family that is looking to grow. The company announced it will commit to hiring 100,000 service members who have been honorably discharged from the military. Matthes says a waiting job can be a huge help to today's service member.
"I think the military, at this point with what they have had to go through, coming out of that environment, they don't need to worry about having a job," Matthes said.
Matthes says military personal are a good fit for the company but says that's not the only reason the company is making the effort.
"These are our soldiers," he said.
It's a move that has the approval of those who spend money at Walmart.
Walmart shopper Rick Haseloff said, "I think it is wonderful to hire veterans like that. A lot of them need help right now, times are hard."
The company says it will give veterans who have been separated from active duty within the last 12 months priority access to open jobs throughout the US, everything from working in stores to distribution centers and the main offices.
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