Peggy Sirota

We've dedicated our entire November issue to a cause that's significant to us—helping our female veterans get jobs—and here's the very important reason why. Despite dedicating years of their lives to serving our nation, women leaving the military today face unprecedented challenges finding work, even more so than their male counterparts. In an effort to shine a light on their struggles with finding a place in the civilian world, REDBOOK brought five of these women (pictured above) to the White House to speak with Michelle Obama about their troubles and their hopes for the future. Mrs. Obama told them, "A lot of people think you guys come out of the military and the country is taking care of you, but the transition is tough."

Sonia Whipp, who served in the Army, agreed. "No one needs my skills," she shared.

Peggy Sirota

"I enlisted right out of high school and spent eight years doing small arms and artillery repair. I deployed three times to Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq—twice as the only female in my shop—and rose to sergeant. I was a bad Mama Jama! All that time and dedication I put into small arms and artillery, it doesn't help me now as a civilian. Where do I go from that? I want my 5-year-old daughter to see me with a career. She didn't see me when I was at my strongest, and I want her to—but I don't know if she ever will," Sonia said.

"She's been trained to be a leader," Mrs. Obama explained about Sonia and the thousands of women she represents. "She's been trained to be the best of the best, not just for herself, but for her kids. And this country's not giving her that opportunity, someone who wants it so desperately."

The First Lady has made it one of her core missions to make things right for fearless women like Sonia, and so have we.

Together with Michelle Obama and her initiative Joining Forces, which creates opportunities for civilians to support military families, we're asking you to help our women warriors by hiring them, if you're in a position to do so, or simply by spreading the word about this important issue.

Here's a few ways you can get involved:

Mentor a female vet. If you know a veteran looking for work, don't wait for her to approach you—offer help. "Asking for help can be hard, because they're used to taking care of things themselves," says Michelle Obama. "But in the civilian world, it's called networking, and it's how people get noticed." Become a mentor through the Business and Professional Women's Foundation. After getting matched, each pair decides how to proceed: They may get together once a month or connect via email—whatever will help the vet.

Find the veterans in your community. Ask your kids' school, your congregation, and your professional organizations if they have programs for veterans or military families. These are more likely places to find female vets than, say, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post. When you get involved, you're giving these women a crucial new link to civilian life.

Reach out to local bases or military publications if you're putting together an event, like a concert or picnic. A chat over the potluck table may be all a woman vet needs to land a job.

Or, you can spread awareness by tweeting a message using the hashtag #HireWomenVets

Women vets: Stay tuned for information on an upcoming event in Washington, DC on November 10 with Joining Forces and Business and Professional Women's Foundation. In the meantime, here are three ways to get started:

Go to a career event: Hiring Our Heroes hosts job fairs all around the country, including one on November 12 in Washington, DC. Veterans on Wall Street is also hosting a symposium for transitioning veterans in New York City on November 5.

Get help online: Join the LinkedIn group the Military-Civilian Career Coaching Connection to join discussions, get valuable feedback on your résumé, and connect with a coach who can help you with your job search.

Find a mentor: Sign up with the Business and Professional Women's Foundation's Joining Forces Mentoring Plus program to be matched with a mentor who can help you navigate the civilian job market.

To read more about where the women vets we met are now, go here.

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