LOVELAND - Our nation has 1.4 million men and women on active military duty; nearly 200,000 return home to civilian life each year. They go from the front lines to the employment lines.

Former Marine Capt. Drew Myers, 42 is president of Loveland-based RecruitMilitary, which is giving veterans new hope for employment. He founded the company in the school building behind the old New Hope Baptist Church on West Loveland Avenue.

"I had the idea; I just missed the connection to the veterans," Myers said. "We want to connect as many vets as we can with employers."

Recruit Military started in 1998 with the mission to find employment for the growing number of returning veterans. Just over eight years later, with a board made up of retired majors, generals and admirals and satellite operations in 22 other major cities, they've helped veterans make an employment connection in every state in the U.S.

"The best way to help vets was to start with companies," he said. "We don't charge the vets and we never will."

Myers believes the key is to expand opportunity through smart creative solutions for company growth which leads to more jobs for military veterans. They've built relationships with more than 6,500 companies seeking job candidates with a military background.

They've registered more than 150,000 job candidates in their database. The largest percentage are from the enlisted ranks (77 percent), but it includes a high percentage of officers too (21 percent) spread among all branches of the military.

Former Marine Capt. Larry Slagel is vice president of recruiting for the company. He produces job fairs in cities all across the U.S. He believes job candidates with a military background make great employees.

"They are trained to do different things; the intangibles you don't get in a college classroom," Slagel said. "They combine excellent training, leadership, self-discipline and experience in stressful situations."

The company has 42 employees, including 20 in Loveland, and the balance spread across 22 major U.S. cities. Putting into practice what they preach; all 42 company employees are former active military men and women.

They offer a wide range of creative solutions to match military veterans with company needs. They've matched the $12 hourly wage manufacturing position and even the six-figure company CEO.

More than 800 candidates attended one of the more than 40 job fairs they produce yearly held recently in Baltimore. Locally, Paul Brown Stadium will be the site of the next "RecruitMilitary" career fair on Thursday, April 26.

The numbers are still staggering and veterans returning to civilian life worry about employment. Drew Myers and his company are giving them new hope for a great job.

"They didn't give us a parade," said one career fair job candidate. "But getting a great job is better."