Gregg Zoroya

USA TODAY

The vast majority of Americans and employers see veterans as "heroes," but don't see them as "assets" within the community, a viewpoint that can keep them from the jobs they want, according to a survey and analysis by the Edelman marketing firm released Thursday.

"The stereotyping of veterans as 'heroes' may create emotional distance between veterans and civilians making it difficult for community members to connect with veterans and see them as potential colleagues," the report said.

The online survey of more than 2,000 veterans and non-veterans conducted Oct. 12 to Nov. 12 found that 84% of employers and 75% of civilians see veterans as heroes. But only 26% of employers and 22% of civilians think veterans are "strategic assets" in their communities. The survey of civilians had a margin of error of +/-3.95%, for veterans +/- 4.53% and employers +/- 5.26%.

Brian Duffy, incoming national commander of the 1.7-million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars service group, said such views are not surprising and unhelpful.

"There is a disconnect between the civilian population and those that serve," Duffy said. "We understand that in times of war, yes, there are heroes. But just because you went to war, doesn't mean that you came back a hero and by calling everybody a hero, it devalues the term."

Jobless rates for veterans who served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have come down in recent years, but sponsors of the surveys said concerns remain about the quality of employment.

"The issue is about long-term job fit, advancement, retention. Is the veteran given the same look as others?" said Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour.

Survey results were released as part of a joint effort by Edelman; Give an Hour, a non-profit organization that provides counseling to troops and veterans, and the George W. Bush Institute. The goal was to examine the "well-being" of veterans and what was described as an ongoing schism between civilians and those who serve in the military, according to Van Dahlen.

Van Dahlen said the contrasting view that veterans are heroes, but not assets, is a product of an American culture in need of heroes, but lacking understanding of its military. "These folks come home from war, they've seen and done things that would make many of us feel uneasy, uncomfortable, intimidated. And so by seeing them in this way, as heroes, it does keep us distant from them."

Concerns about a divide separating the public from America's all-volunteer military date back to 2010, when then-defense secretary Bob Gates complained that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were little more than a "distraction" for most Americans. A few months later, Adm. Mike Mullen, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "America doesn't know its military and the United States military doesn't know America."

The findings show that schism is unchanged. Partial survey results commissioned by the Bush Institute found that about 70% of the American public say they don't understand the problems faced by military members. Eighty percent of veterans who served after Sept. 11, 2001, agreed with this lack of understanding by the public.

The numbers were almost identical to findings by Pew Research in 2011, when the same questions were asked.

A Bush Institute survey also found that the public overestimates the rate of mental illness among post-9/11 veterans — 40% believe more than half of the 2.6 million former servicemembers suffer from emotional issues. In reality, an illness like post-traumatic stress disorder strikes about 10% to 20% of those who were deployed to war.

The Edelman survey found that employers most commonly think about mental health problems when they think about veterans. When asked what are the most important support programs veterans need, 92% of employers picked mental health services, compared with 88% who chose employment services and 65% who chose education services.