Walmart has hired 3,584 veterans in Arkansas and over 130,000 veterans nationwide since introducing Veterans Welcome Home Commitment.

The program was created on Memorial Day in 2013.

The initiative guarantees a job to any eligible, honorably discharged U.S. veteran within 12 months of active duty. Originally, Walmart’s aim was to hire 100,000 veterans by the end of 2018.  It has since expanded that goal to 250,000 hires by the end of 2020.  

“As a veteran, I know how critical it is for our men and women in uniform to have a strong support structure when transitioning back to civilian life,” said retired Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, senior director of military programs for Walmart.  “Veterans are among some of our strongest associates and we are pleased to see the growth and success they have achieved at Walmart.”

Despite unemployment among veterans being at its lowest in eight years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterans from the Gulf War era continue to be unemployed.

Walmart also announced that they have contributed $2.6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that support veteran reintegration in Texas.

For more information on the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment, click here.