FOX 21 News, KQDS-DT

DULUTH - It's a heavy issue facing millions of veterans when they come home from war -- and that's finding a job."It's definitely a challenge for veterans to find work when they come back from deployments," said Barb O’Reilly with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs .

The national unemployment rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is 10.8 percent.

"When our soldiers signed up there wasn’t a waiting line,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) Minnesota said. “When they come home to this country and they need a job or they need education there should never be a waiting line in the United States.

To try to boost job opportunities for local heroes, nearly 40 employers got together to identify the challenges veterans face when trying to hire them.

"They're coming up with solutions that they can immediately take back to their companies and implement to help recognize and recruit and retain veteran talent," said Barb O’Reilly.

One way to help get hired is by identifying the skills veterans gained during the military services.

"On the civilian resume unless the word leadership is listed it may not make it through the different computer programs that is identifying skills that the employers looking for," said O’Reilly.

AAR is among the group of employers that is trying to become a leader in hiring veterans.

"When the help wanted sign goes out please consider hiring a veteran today," AAR Recruiting Director Greg Dellinger said.

The aviation company is now set up in the old Northwest Airlines base and hopes to hire vets with their recruiting strategy.

"We have found by hiring veterans you not only find the technical skills the team orientation yet it's truly diversity in action," said Dellinger.

The next step in the process will be to set up career fairs just for veterans.