Conference at USC addresses needs of veterans

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Today the University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy hosted a conference aimed at supporting the urgent needs of veterans. The day-long event kicked off with words by celebrated General David Petraeus, who entered USC's Bovard Auditorium to a standing ovation. The recently appointed USC professor joked about his time in the military, but also addressed which veteran programs  veterans need now, like trasnition programs, college refresher courses and programs to combat unemployment and homelessness.

Other keynote speakers stressed the psychological and emotional needs of veterans. One example is Jacob Wood, the president and co-founder  of Team Rubicon, which mobilizes veterans through volunteer opportunities around the world. Wood said giving veterans a purpose, community and sense of self was key to helping veterans trasnition back to civilian life. Robert Florkowski, special assistant to General Petraeus and is a former U.S. Sniper, said addressing veterans' emotional needs isn't enough. He said that real changes can be made by fixing a broken veterans administration system.