ByErik Kain,
Senior Contributor.
This Veterans Day, it’s important to consider not just the sacrifices that veterans have made in the past, but the challenges they face in the present. In 2025, after a tumultuous year of federal layoffs and government shutdowns, this is more crucial than ever. Finding quality employment is one of the most challenging hurdles veterans face upon leaving the military.
Call Of Duty Endowment (or C.O.D.E.) executive director Dan Goldenberg’s message to the public this Veteran’s Day is simple. “Honoring service is important,” he says, “but opportunity is essential. Saying “thank you for your service” means more when it’s paired with action—hiring, mentoring, and investing in veteran talent. Veterans don’t want a handout; they want a fair shot to compete in the capitalistic system they’ve been defending. That’s how we truly honor their sacrifice.”
Placing veterans into high-quality careers has been the sole mission of the Call Of Duty Endowment since its inception on Veterans Day, 2009. This is one of the key missions of the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs as well, of course, but C.O.D.E. does it cheaper and with better results than the federal government, according to Goldenberg.
