Veterans attend 'Hiring Our Heroes' job fair to find work

HOUSTON – Hundreds of veterans attended a Hiring Our Heroes job fair on Wednesday to try to find employment.

Dozens of companies were on hand to help veterans re-enter the workforce. The job fair was held at the Westin Galleria and Westin Oaks Houston.

"It's important because it's a way of giving back to this community that has given so much to our country," said Alexa McVey of the SAP Veterans to Work Program. "Events like these are a great opportunity for the veterans to really interact with the employers and have that dialogue about where that veteran wants to take their career post-military."

The unemployment rate for veterans is 12.1 percent.

Spouses of military members and veterans were also welcome to attend the job fair.

For more information, head to the Hiring Our Heroes website. Hiring Our Heroes was launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find employment. Officials said 14,000 veterans have found jobs through the fairs.