Service Industry Rejects Veteran Serviceman for Different Mindset From Combat Experience

Have you ever wondered why brick and mortar retailers can’t hire competent employees?  A video by a Macy’s hiring manager tells job applicants to be honest about their experience and to be show oneself as being dependable.  



This video sounds like sound advice for any applicant. Alas, following that advice  does not seem to be the case for Kayla Danielle Reyes-Abina , a 21 year old military veteran who had deployed in Afghanistan who applied for a sales associate position at Macy's in Fresno, California.

The former army specialist who served in the National Guard  posted her frustration on Instagram after her February 20th interview.  Ms. Reyes-Abina believes that the Fresno hiring manager had a dramatic attitude change after learning that she had been deployed in overseas combat zones. 

Although Ms. Reyes-Abina had prior retail experience working at Target, but the Macy’s hiring manager targeted her military experience.  The interviewer is said to have implied that since Reyes-Abina has been to war, she had a “different mindset” which would be unwelcomed on the sales floor.  The interviewer intimated: “Once a customer’s in your face, you wouldn’t know how to do it. You wouldn’t know how to react. 

Ms. Reyes-Abina recalled the hiring manager saying: 'Well I've been here 15 years, I know you wouldn't be able to do good here” The 15 year Macy’s veteran suggested that Reyes-Abina would be a better fit in “loss prevention” (i.e. security guard).  Reyes-Abina left the interview wondering if her military experience did her a disservice when applying for civilian jobs.

Betsy Nelson, Macy’s V.P. in Media Relations in the Northwest, released a statement:

Employing veterans is a priority at Macy’s, and we have proudly hired thousands to work within our stores and corporate organization. Our commitment to veterans is strong, as we recognize that veterans possess leadership skills that we find are essential in a dynamic department store environment. Ms. Reyes’ application for a position with Macy’s is, in fact, still under consideration as we continue to consider the types of retail jobs that may be available. We are actively looking for an appropriate open position that would be best suited for her skills and experience level, as we do with all prospective employees.

But as The Blaze points out, Nelson’s statement fails to address the hiring manager’s alleged comments or behavior.

While there are more veterans coming home with cases of post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) than body bags nowadays due to incredible advances in field army medicine, it seems silly to summarily reject an applicant deployed overseas for fear of how they might react to an angry department store customer. 

It is a pity that Hollywood has perpetuated a stereotype of military veterans who are mercurlial damaged goods like Rambo's rampage in First Blood (1982) or The Deer Hunter (1978).  Despite the heroics which our uniformed men and women have been performing on distant battlefields to preserve and protect our freedom, how much does the media trumpet their triumphs in Medal of Honor ceremonies?  

The 1% of our population who have served in America’s armed forces are highly motivated and disciplined.  Most joined knowing that they would likely deploy in two active combat zones.  Veterans are  45% more likely to be entrepreneurs but all are trained to be dependable and follow instructions.  In addition, those who have served in Afgahanistan and Iraq are accustomed with interacting with “customers” who are not always friendly and have different directed interests.

While there is an online petition on behalf of Ms. Reyes-Abina, it hinges on “discrimination”, which may not be illegal, unless it pertains to race, sex, creed (and sexual orientation in some jurisdictions).  But if the facts in this case are true, Macy’s should be ashamed for their bias and reconsider their practices.  Several weeks after the story became public, Macy’s emailed Reyes-Abina about a job which she respectfully declined.  It is unclear as to whether this was on the sales floor or in “loss prevention”.   Ms. Reyes-Abina has decided to accept a job with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Although it is anecdotal, I can recall being quite impressed the knowledge, motivation and level of service by salesmen who obviously have a military background.  Living in the District of Calamity (sic), there are many people who have served “overseas” and their families so these callous comments and summary dismissal makes quite an impression on them. Based on comments in the social media,  Macy’s sales clerks won’t have to wait on as many customers.

h/t: The Blaze
  Your Central Valley

A PC DOD is FUBAR

Last Thursday, President Obama posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, to Korean War Army Chaplain Emil Kapaun for his heroic bravery.  It is sad to think so soon afterwards  that we need to consider how the Department of Defense fervently seems to battle the military chaplaincy and traditional religiosity to evangelize for faith in politcal correctness.

Recently, the U.S. Army proffered Equal Opportunity training for Pennsylvania Reserve Troops that included this helpful poster on “extremist groups”.  

The Army presentation stipulates that extremism is a complex phenomenon present in many religions when "some followers that believe that their beliefs, customs and traditions are the only 'right way' and that all others are practicing their faith the 'wrong way,' seeing and believing that their faith/religion superior to all others."

It is fascinating to see how Evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews, Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and Catholics were lumped in with Al Quaeda (spelled incorrectly in official Army materials), the Ku Klux Klan and Hamas as dangerous extremist groups. And being leery of the spread of Sharia over secular democratic civil lawyer is also defined as a hate group "Islamophobia".

The American Family Association postulates that the Army relied upon propaganda from the Southern Poverty Law Center to label Catholics and Evangelicals as extremist because of this scriptural stances considering  homosexual relations sinful and opposing same-sex so called marriage. 

The danger of the state imposing laws for same sex marriage is that the force of government makes opposing views anathematic, even if it is a tradition that has ordered Western society for thousands of years and is deeply held spiritual beliefs.  There is the fear that non-profits and churches which dissent from the state stampede of same sex marriage may lose their tax exempt status, especially based upon charters for many charity organizations which stipulate following the societal law. 

Since current Commander in Chief President Barack Obama evolved his public position endorsing same sex marriage in May 2012, the Department of Defense has nudged military chaplains to accept and even perform same sex marriages.   Even though the federal government does not recognize same sex marriages, the first gay military wedding was held at  Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey in May 2012, in a state that has yet to approve state blessing of such nuptials.  

Pro homosexual rights types complain that the ceremony was done by clergy that recognize same sex unions and that it was never meant to be public, despite being done in public on government facilities.  Yet somehow this private affair made it on ABC News among other media sources.

In 2010, then Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen was asked about those who hold bibilical views about homosexuality and Mullen responded “Chaplain, if you can’t get in line with this policy, resign your commission.”  Chaplains were promised that the repeal of   “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would change things very little.  But that promise has not been kept, with Chaplains being prohibited from quoting certain scriptural passages or using the name of God while presiding over traditional services. 

According to Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), retired military chaplains report that is considered to be a career ending move for a military chaplain to abstain from officiating  these same sex unions.   That is why Senators Inhofe and James Wicker (R-MS) proposed the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act., which the Obama White House promised to veto while dismissed the conscience clause legislation as being “unnecessary and ill-advised.”

Lest anyone think that the PC DOD is all about hot button societal moral issues, consider the way the Obama Administration has used America’s military to advance his political agenda with little regard to national security. 

The Navy under President Obama has steamed ahead with the “Great Green Fleet” initiative to have a blend of 50% alternative and 50% conventional fuel that costs $26 a gallon or seven times the cost of conventional fuel.  Green energy proponents claim that the price will come down when the alternative energy becomes more popular.  Doesn't the Green Fleet insignia look familiar? Change we can believe in ?   Navy Secretary Ray Mabus plans to have half of the ships in the “Great Green Fleet” by 2020.  Legislative efforts to roll back this green initiative failed during the 2012 Lame Duck Session of Congress by a 62-37 margin. 

Obama Administration Navy Secretary Ray Mabus

As sequestration was being implemented, the Navy warned that it would scuttle repairs on a dozen ships due to the 2.3% cut in the rate of growth of the Federal domestic budget.  In addition, sequestration cuts were attributed for delaying dry dock work on the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in Norfolk.  The Navy is cancelling Blue Angel flyovers for the year.  But more significantly, the Air Force  was grounding 1/3rd of its ordinary flights, leaving some pilots wondering if they would have sufficient training time with their aircraft.

It is frightening to think that as we live in an increasingly dangerous world that a PC DOD is more concerned about making political points that it is about defending our nations interests.  If that is the case then it is not SNAFU but FUBAR.