Former President George W. Bush this week will lead a list of speakers set to address hundreds of troops during the Fort Carson Transition Summit.

The event is aimed at giving troops leaving the Army a leg up in the civilian job market and is the result of a partnership among the post, the Bush Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The two-day summit kicks off Tuesday with workshops to help troops spruce up their résumés and learn more about civilian job opportunities and small-business advice.

“Over 100 companies will be there with jobs ready to hire these soldiers or their spouses,” said Nick Palarino, who works with the Soldier For Life Program to help troops transition to civilian life.

The Army has made a major push in recent years to help troops find civilian work. With the Army downsizing from a wartime high of 520,000 troops to 450,000, unemployment payments for jobless former soldiers cost the Pentagon an estimated $1 billion a year.

Palarino said at Fort Carson an estimated 6,000 soldiers a year shed their uniforms for civilian life. That’s about a quarter of the soldiers on the post.

“We’re running 500 soldiers a month,” Palarino said.

Departing soldiers are put through a program aimed at easing them into civilian jobs. The post also has training programs that allow troops to learn welding, Veterans Affairs Claims systems work, and gain skills for work in the expanding field of solar energy.

The summit, open to troops and their spouses who can register by clicking here, is designed to beef up those programs and educate commanders on the needs of private-sector employers, Palarino said.

“Our program is setting our soldiers up to succeed as they set out to start a new chapter,” he said.

It’s also about motivating soldiers to make a difference in the civilian world. In that, Fort Carson will get some help from a former Marine sergeant.

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer is set to address the summit with a speech that focuses on grabbing opportunity.

Palarino said Meyer will teach troops about “personal branding” as a method to use their military experiences to shape a better civilian life.

Bush has focused in recent years on helping post-9/11 veterans succeed in the civilian world. In a May speech, Bush said it’s a passion.

“I have dedicated the rest of my life to honoring the service and sacrifice of the men and women with whom I served as commander in chief,” Bush said. “Those who wear their nation’s uniform, some of whom have overcome both visible and invisible injuries, deserve our support.”

The speakers will be followed by a job fair.

With dozens of local employers on hand, Palarino said it’s a fair bet that the Pikes Peak region will add some veteran employees.

“We like the state of Colorado,” Palarino said. “We like people to stay.”

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Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240