Great news for US war veterans. An organization in Colorado named Veterans Green Jobs, has been set up to help to place former military personnel in jobs in the green energy sector. After finishing up 24 years of service in the Navy, John Ward, a war veteran was in Baghdad a year ago. Today, he is managing an operation at a wind farm in Missouri for Iberdrola, a Spanish wind power companyveterans.

Veterans Green Jobs, an organization in Colorado, helps place former military personnel in jobs in the energy-efficiency sector.

“For me, it was nice, because it’s not just a desk job, it’s a field job — and as a career naval officer, I kind of like to be out and about,” Mr. Ward said.

He acquired his engineering skills in the Navy which come in handy at a wind farm, he noted.

There is a large number of veterans who are now entering the renewable energy business. At the very top, there is former Gen. An ethanol lobby group called Growth Energy is co-chaired by former Army General Wesley Clark who recently joined the board of a wind company called Juhl Wind.

He often mentions the need for energy independence — This is the key reason for the military as a whole to increase its focus on renewable energy.

The Lucas Group is a job-placement company whose specialties include helping servicemen transition into civilian jobs and Mr. Ward found his position at Iberdrola through the Lucas Group. Ward also considered management positions at other conventional power plants, but “this one was just a little more exotic and a little more exciting,” he said.

We also found a new organization called Veterans Green Jobs which is based in Colorado and trains veterans for work in green energy and other businesses.

Besides the fact that many war veterans have high skills in engineering, the military’s emphasis on safety also appeals to renewable energy developers. “We love guys coming out of nuclear submarines” because of their safety mindsets and equipment training, said Jan Johnson, a spokeswoman for Iberdrola.

Training provided by the military is directly applicable to civilian energy needs, especially training provided within the army’s nuclear power sector. Iberdrola is having a military hiring event specifically designed toward green energy and renewables in Houston next June 2009

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