MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) - Army veteran Rudy Jackson served our country for 27 years. "When I transitioned from an enlisted soldier as a medic who worked on Blackhawks and taking care of patients in really critical and traumatic areas and I transitioned into the civilian sector, while I was going through school, the only job I could find was working at Blockbuster Video." Hometown Heroes D-Day Special 2024 This is a shocking revelation from the chief nurse executive at UW Health, celebrating a recent honor from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development for being a Vets-Ready Employer with its Military Medics and Corpsmen Program. The program temporarily waives the credential and license requirements for eligible Army medics, Navy corpsmen, and Air Force techs, allowing them to work in civilian healthcare roles while they seek additional medical credentials or licenses. "The impact that it's having for these individuals who have recently separated from the military and allowing them to use those skills that they earned and learned in highly stressful situations and to be able to deploy those skills in the civilian sector is absolutely remarkable," Jackson said. It may be obvious that the program can help the state fill healthcare vacancies, especially in the hard-hit nursing sector. Less apparent but equally significant is what the employer of a veteran gets in return. Hometown Heroes: POW MIA Recognition Day in Green Bay "The military teaches us to be loyal to our country," Jackson explained. "I think those traits transition into the civilian world and we provide that same level of loyalty to the organization. So there's a lot of veterans I've spoken to across the country, who have never left their civilian job they took after the military because they remain very, very loyal to that organization." Here are the Vets-Ready Employer recipients for 2024: 4Imprint in Oshkosh Goodwill in Menasha Kimberly-Clark in Neenah Menasha Corp. Moraine Park Vocational and Technical College Oshkosh Corp. US Venture in Appleton The Waupaca Foundry received a silver certification.