LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Local organizations in Las Vegas are working to help service members and their families thrive after military service, offering everything from job opportunities to weekly community meetups as veterans navigate life in the civilian world.
Shellye Leggett spotlights the work that's being done to support Las Vegas veterans:
After 12 years as a United States Navy internal mechanic, Christopher Mercer was ready for a change. But he knew that transition wouldn't be easy.
"We worked down at the bottom of the ship, so we didn't see too much daylight, you know, a lot of long hours," Mercer said.
"It's the scariest thing that I've probably ever done. There's so many unknowns when you make that decision," he said.
Mercer retired from the Navy and decided to enter the civilian workforce, but says he wasn't met with open arms.
"Too experienced for the lower positions and then you don't have enough experience in those fields for the manager positions or any other higher-paying jobs, so you kind of get stuck in limbo," he said.
The 2023 Annual Homelessness Report to Congress reported 912 veterans experiencing homelessness in Las Vegas. Mercer says this is the reality many service members face when they leave the service, which is why he wanted to help where he could.
So he created Hire a Hero.
"The main jobs that we're going to be providing are — we call them ambassadors — they're gonna be working on the Las Vegas Strip, maybe Fremont and other high-visibility areas. They're gonna basically be wearing LCD screen backpacks that will be sponsorships and other advertisements from businesses," Mercer said.
Chino Mante, the founder of See the Unseen, has been doing his part too.
"I created Ninja Night Ops. It is a community outreach at night," Mante said.
When asked if he comes across a lot of veterans, Mante responded: "Yes, all the time. All the time, they should not be out there."
He hosts an event called Vegas Power Hour every Saturday for veterans and their families to attend and gather resources they may not know are available to them.
"We go over creative finance, both in real estate and business acquisitions," Mante said.
"It's super important that I see my friends, my family succeed," he said.
The goal is to help veterans succeed not only while in the military, but also as they begin their new journey as civilians.
"Our goal is just to help as many veterans as possible," Mercer said.
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