In Indianapolis this week, local veterans were joined by faith and community leaders for a press conference about improving security jobs in the community. Similar to press conferences held in Cincinnati and Portland, security officers who once served in our armed forces stood up and called for the better training, higher pay and affordable healthcare that officers need to do their jobs well.

"I spent nearly two decades serving my country," said Pierre Pullins, who served in the National Guard for 17 years and is currently a security officer. "However, after working as a security officer for three years, I have no health insurance and have had to make difficult decisions every month when needing to pay my bills."

Pierre was joined by fellow officers and other community leaders, such as Byron Ratcliffe, Chairman of the NAACP Veterans Committee. All spoke about the need to develop and maintain good jobs in Indianapolis for our returning heroes and our community at large in order to create a lasting economic recovery.

After serving our country, many veterans and armed service personnel have taken on jobs with private security companies, only to find themselves in poverty-wage jobs with few, if any, benefits.