Two inventive new events to honor Northern Nevada’s veterans will take place at Truckee Meadows Community College on Friday, Nov. 6.
The Veterans Job and Resource Fair is a unique conference hosting employers uniquely suited to the interests of veteran job-seekers.
“Veterans in the region are highly encouraged to attend our Job Fair,” said Zack Totans, Coordinator of the Veterans Resource Center at TMCC. “With Veterans Day coming up, it’s good to show that we support the local veterans of the community. The employers at the Fair are veteran-friendly, and they will be hiring – some immediately.”
More than 40 companies and resource agencies have registered for the event. It is free and open to all veterans.
Veterans Job and Resource Fair
- When: Friday, Nov. 6, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
- Where: V. James Eardley Student Center, Dandini Campus
In the evening on Nov. 6, the Humanities Department at TMCC is hosting a “War Narratives” talk with Caleb Cage, Nevada Homeland Security Advisor.
Cage also leads the Nevada Division of Emergency Management. He is a U.S. Military Academy, West Point graduate, has earned a Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge for his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom II, and is a published author. His book, "The Gods of Diyala: Transfer of Command in Iraq", is about his experiences in Diyala province. He has recently founded a literary journal called the “Nevada Review".
War Narratives
- When: Friday, Nov. 6, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Where: Sierra Building, Room 108, Dandini Campus
“Caleb Cage has written a narrative about the way his platoon needed to create effective procedures on the fly during wartime,” said Thomas Cardoza, PhD, Chair of Humanities at TMCC. “He is interested in how we interpret our war experiences into a literary format, and will give a talk about how we’ve expressed our humanity in writing.”
This presentation is also free and open to the public.
Cage has been involved in student programs at TMCC and is the current chair of the advisory committee for the College’s new bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security - Public Safety.
“He will talk about the human aspect – what we all can learn about war,” Cardoza said. “It’s about us, about all of us. He is looking at how we can write about this, how our efforts to describe war fall short, and how we can make our writing better.”
More Information About the Veterans Job and Resource Fair
Kelley Wong, Job Preparation Specialist, noticed at a previous TMCC Resource Fair that there were several organizations representing veteran-related topics. She brought up the idea for a veterans event to Totans.
“I thought, ‘why not partner the great Career Center we have here with our Veterans Resource Center’ – and the idea seemed pretty great to both of us,” Totans said.
Vendors attending the Fair:
- Beyond Yellow Ribbon
- Career Center
- Cintas
- Community Service Agency
- CustomInk
- ESI Security Services
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- FedEx
- First Command Financial Services
- Great Basin Institute
- Hamilton Company
- Integrity Staffing
- Nevada Job Connect
- Nevada Career Information Systems
- Nevada Dept. of Veterans Services
- Nevada Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Heroes 2 Hire
- Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, Americorps
- Nevada Military Department, Military and Family Resource Center
- Resort at Squaw Creek
- Right at Home
- SK Food Group
- State of Nevada-HR
- Tesla Motors
- VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System
- VA VITAL
- Veterans Resource Center of America
- VRC
- Webstaurant
- BLM Boise Smokejumpers, Carson City BLM
- WNC Veterans Resource Center
- Hidden Valley Manufacturing
- American Red Cross
- Vail Resorts Retail
- and more are coming
Fair attendees will receive a list of vendors and a raffle ticket upon arrival. Job seekers are encouraged to dress in business casual and bring resumes with them.
The TMCC Career Center is hosting a Job Fair follow-up workshop, “Create a Business Card and Learn to Network", on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2-3:30 p.m. for all TMCC students. A professional development session on the same topic, geared especially for veterans, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20, 2-4 p.m. Both workshops will be held in the Red Mountain Building, room 115.
More Information About “War Narratives” Talk
Nevadans are invited to contribute to the "Nevada Review", the literary journal that Caleb Cage founded.
“It is a collection by the people and for the people of Nevada,” Cardoza said.
Cage’s discussion on Nov. 6 will examine shorter narratives, fictional and nonfictional works. The “War Narratives” talk will be of interest for both readers and writers, Cardoza added.
There is a long tradition in the U.S. of both fiction and nonfiction works about combat. Some of the well-known books include:
- The Red Badge of Courage
- From Here to Eternity
- The Winds of War
- Custer’s Trials
“Caleb Cage is in a unique position to say what works and what doesn’t work well when writing about war,” Cardoza said. “The talk will help nonfiction writers, creative writers, journalists – anyone who writes about the human aspect of war. We can all learn from this.”
Cardoza said that students are encouraged to attend the event, and possibly to be touched by the real experiences of an author who has been there and has written about a difficult aspect of life.
“I’m hoping they will look at it as another way to define our humanity,” he said.
For more information about TMCC’s Humanities Department, please call 775-674-7945. For details about the Veterans Job and Resource Fair, please visit the Veterans Resource Center, 775-337-5612.