PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A holiday is nice, but when it comes to helping military veterans, action matters more.
Alex Archawski would know.
The immigrant and former search and rescue swimmer served two tours in the Navy, and experienced his own struggles seeking traditional employment upon completing his service.
"Every [veteran] is different," Archawski said in a recent interview on The Rundown, KYW Newsradio's local news podcast.
"You're trying to reinvent yourself. People coming from [service], they're coming from great skill sets, leadership. It can look a little rough, because we're trying to get our bearings."
Born to a French military family that emigrated to the United States when he was young, Archawski spent time in Japan and far east Asia during his first stint in the Navy. Then, after September 11, he was recalled to duty and dispatched to the Middle East.
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In 2010, Archawski gave himself a new mission. He founded the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network, hoping to lend a hand to fellow veterans who wanted to harness and translate their military tools in the professional world.
"Veterans are never satisfied with success," Archawksi said. "They're going to be hungry. They're great at building teams.
"So, if you can imagine the skill set in the civilian world, we can work with anybody."
More than a decade after its launch, the GPVN on Veterans Day unveiled its latest resource: a veteran-owned business directory. Dozens of companies are already listed.
Archawski wants to build on the legacies of Ralph Roberts of Comcast, and Gerry Lenfest of Lenfest Communications, and help Philadelphia area veterans drive the local economy, whether as employees or employers.
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"Constantly we're fighting noise about how [veterans] are perceived, because optics is important. If the general population sees the history of events about PTSD, there are certain demographics that really do need help.
"But there's a huge demographic of [veterans] succeeding, and that's our job: to make sure the community knows how to use them."
Listen above to the full conversation with Archawski, and click here for much more from the Rundown from KYW Newsradio.