Hospital sponsors job fair for veterans

At a fundraising gala a few years ago, Theodora Winthrop Hooton, daughter of the founder of Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, remarked to hospital president John Collins that some of the injured Rough Riders of Teddy Roosevelt's 1898 charge on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War were taken to Winthrop's predecessor, Nassau Hospital.

"That stuck with me," Collins said. He said he thought the hospital should do something for veterans.

On Tuesday, Winthrop will sponsor a "Welcome Back Warriors Job and Support Service Fair," from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nassau Community College's physical education complex in Garden City. Representatives of about 100 companies, including 1-800-Flowers.com, Adecco, Astoria Federal Savings and British Airways, will be on hand.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan vets is 12.1 percent, well above the national average of 8.7 percent. For vets 24 and younger, the rate is 29.1 percent.

"We're going to try to put these resumes of these vets on the top of the pile," Collins said.