Today we celebrate Michael “Mick” Yauger, who recently retired as National Director of the Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP). This passionate advocate for veterans and military families is being feted tonight in Chicago at a roast that he asked serve as a Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services fundraiser.
As a young paratrooper conducting long-range surveillance in Vietnam, Yauger served with valor and distinction, wounded three times. Upon his return, he experienced and observed first-hand what happens when our country turns its back on returning service members. After that, he vowed that the same experience would not happen to our next generation of service members.
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In 2008, Yauger launched TMAP with the goal of ensuring that service members, veterans, and family members successfully transition into civilian sector careers. It does this via a defined pathway toward employment prior to a service member leaving the military. That differentiates this program from others, as does its close cooperation with the Armed Forces, particularly the Army’s Soldier for Life Program.
Additionally, TMAP advocates for veterans, working with state governments and federal agencies to ensure that veterans are given credit for civilian career skills based on their military training and experience.
Yauger speaks with great pride about what TMAP offers fellow veterans: “I’ve never slept better than the time I had a young kid come up, tell me I recruited him for TMAP and now he just got his first home. That’s what I’m most proud of. Less than one percent of the population has the smarts, desire, sense of honor, strength and responsibility to wear the uniform. And I intend to do my best until my last breath to make sure that these folks succeed.”
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For more information on Dixon Center’s Workforce Development and Career Placement programs, please contact Sam Whitehurst: swhitehurst@dixoncenter.org.
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