BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Many soldiers come back from war to find they don’t have a job.

Andrea Fujii explains there’s now a national and local movement for employers to hire active military and veterans.

From hero to hired. The Maryland National Guard held its first ever job fair for active military and veterans.

“Many of our veterans have recently deployed, have come back and not gone out actively looking for jobs, knowing that they’re being deployed so when they do come back, they obviously have a need for getting a job,” said Maryland National Guard Lt. Col. Charles Kohler.

Staff Sergeant Thomas Brendlinger believes he was passed up for promotions because of his service to the country.

“With all my deployment and military and schools and things of that nature, I was kind of stuck in a rut,” Brendlinger said.

He’s now hoping to the find the right fit with the 25 public and private organizations here. IT company Tanager is one of many that recognize the special skill sets military personnel offer.

“They bring a dedication that sometimes you can’t find in the civilian sector,” said employer William Knapp.

Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are also making the push to hire military and veterans. Their goal is to have companies hire 100,000 by 2013.

“I enjoy putting the uniform on every day. I do it for my kids, so that mission still holds close to my heart,” Brendlinger said.

Click here to learn more about Hero2Hired.