Picture this. You've served your country in the armed services, potentially having been deployed overseas multiple times, and when you come home you're faced with a struggling job market. For some of our nation's veterans this is the sad reality.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate for Gulf War II-era veterans, those who served on active duty following Sept. 11, 2001, was 12.1 percent in 2011. The rate for all veterans was 8.3 percent.

The good news in Missouri, however, is a program that started in 2010 called Show-Me Heroes is connecting veterans with companies looking to hire. Across the state, 1,834 companies have joined in the effort. In Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger counties 39 companies have said they will work with the program to hire veterans.

The basic concept of Show-Me Heroes is that businesses work with the Missouri Career Center veterans' representatives to connect veterans with open positions. The companies then interview and give the candidate a chance to demonstrate they are a good fit with the business.

Hats off to the local businesses participating in this worthy goal. Our veterans deserve our utmost respect, and helping these men and women find gainful employment after helping keep our country safe is commendable.

If you're a veteran and want to find a list of the program's participating employers, go to www.showmeheroes.mo.gov or call 1-800-592-6020. And if you're a business looking to hire, consider connecting with representatives in this program to explore how you might participate.