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Shale Industry Brings Jobs For Veterans

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Molly Born, a writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has been reporting on the challenges returning veterans face when trying to find jobs, and she's found that the Marcellus shale gas industry has provided one of the bright spots for servicemen in a lagging economy.

"There have been a lot of companies in this industry who have pledged to help veterans and they've been saying it very loudly," she said.

Born said that many veterans have experience that makes them well suited to handle jobs in the drilling industry.

"I think there's a lot of tangible benefits," she said. "Things like working in extreme conditions for long hours, working with heavy equipment, the kind of things you might expect. But then there are the more intangible benefits, the things like a value for safety procedures."

The key, Born said, is making sure veterans can explain these skills to civilian employers.