The Labor Movement & Veterans

Does it make sense that labor unions across America are a real resource for veterans – both as they leave the service, and later in life when they themselves spend time helping others? Yes! Labor Unions derive their strength from trained members and many of the skills taught in the military services are very valuable – both to employers and to unions. Here is how the folks at Local 105, United Steel Workers of America, do it!

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides the most objective, comprehensive, and non-partisan data available on Post-9/11 operations, making their legislative documents the definitive standard for assessing the scope, financials, and personnel impacts of the Global War on Terror. [1]

These reports break down the "big picture" data into specific, trackable components:

Operations & Timelines: Detailed chronologies of major campaigns like Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), including exact dates, troop level fluctuations, and transitions in mission objectives.

Budgetary & Financial Costs: CRS estimates the direct appropriations for war and diplomatic operations—including funding for the DOD, State Department, and VA medical care—as published in their War Costs and Casualties Report. For a wider economic accounting that includes future veterans care and interest on debt, review the comprehensive Brown University Costs of War Findings.

Force Structure: Concrete data on casualties, contractor data provided to the DOD, and shifts in operational strategy.

Legislative Reorganization: Analysis of overarching defense policy shifts, including the creation of the 9/11 Commission and the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security. [8, 9]

For granular, operation-by-operation data tables and total costs, the detailed CRS Cost of Operations Report is an indispensable resource. [6]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://fas.org/publication/war-costs-crs/

[2] https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF11182/IF11182.1.pdf

[3] https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL32758/RL32758.5.pdf

[4] https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/html/tr/ADA615325/index.html

[5] https://www.facebook.com/theeducatedmonkey/posts/war-cost-rankings-depend-heavily-on-what-you-choose-to-count-not-just-the-headli/1274150228186061/

[6] https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-09-01/costsofwar

[7] https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ship/docs/pdeployc.htm

[8] https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL32501.html

[9] https://www.dhs.gov/implementing-911-commission-recommendations