Thousands of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have either come home, or are on their way, with their loved ones praying every day that their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and moms and dads return safely. As they return, we must honor their sacrifice in a manner befitting a great and sincerely grateful nation.
That must mean more than medals and proclamations, praise and parades, though our heroes are truly deserving of such accolades. We must be prepared to marshal our resources, as individual communities and as a nation, to do everything we can to bring them and their families to healthy wholeness. This mission is of critical importance to both the body and the spirit of America. Indeed, the hope of our continued economic recovery lies largely with our ability to effectively equip our military heroes to win the peace as they return to civilian life.
Black Enterprise has honored and supported military veterans since the magazine was founded in 1970. For me, as the founder and chairman of Black Enterprise, it is and always will be personal. After joining the ROTC program at Morgan State University as an undergraduate student, I entered the Army after graduation in 1957, where I attended Airborne and Ranger School and completed my career with the rank of Captain, as a member of the 19th Special Forces Group, the Green Berets.
The discipline and structure of my military service experience was key to my development as a leader, as well as to my success as an entrepreneur. That’s why honoring our military men and women, and investing in their success once they’ve completed their service and returned home, will always be fundamental to the mission of Black Enterprise. It’s the least we can do for those who’ve honorably served and sacrificed on our behalf, and it’s what’s best for the health and vitality of our nation.
It is with these sentiments in mind that I invite you to join Black Enterprise as we expand our media offerings and initiatives aimed at empowering our military veterans, in particular those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, to successfully transition back to civilian life, and to help them to prosper as entrepreneurs, professionals, and wealth builders. We will help our veterans build profitable businesses, using the training and leadership experiences gained during their military service. We will show them how to best transfer the discipline and training of their military experience to successful professional careers. And, perhaps most importantly, we will provide the critical money management resources and skills necessary for them and their families to gain financial security.
Simply put, we are committed to the mission of ensuring that our military men and women and their families achieve Wealth for Life, Black Enterprise’s definition of the American dream which they so bravely and honorably risked their lives to defend.