Thanks to the efforts of Louisiana nonprofit The Boot, 255 service members transitioned into post-military careers during the 2025-26 fiscal year. That’s more than twice as much as the prior fiscal year’s total. CEO Benjamin Armstrong says the vast majority – 72% – came from Louisiana bases, including Fort Polk, JRB New Orleans and Barksdale Air Force Base.
“About another 20% of them are people that were serving in the military that are Louisiana residents originally and used us to return and got brought back home here,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong says the careers that the servicemembers pursue after their military careers end usually relate in some way to the training they received while serving their country.
“A lot of logistics and supply chain, they do a lot of those similar things in the military; people looking for defense-adjacent work, either contracting or industrial-based work, IT and network security or communications; there’s a load of that in the military. Aviation is another one,” Armstrong noted.
Armstrong says the leadership skills these servicemembers build come in very handy in their post-military careers.
“The people that we’re supporting aren’t just wet-behind-the-ears, people that are looking for their first career. These are people with established skills. They’ve been mid-level to high-level leaders, and they’re looking to bring that into the civilian world into their new careers,” Armstrong explained.
Since launching in 2024, The Boot has placed 366 service members into careers and has grown its employer network to 371 partners throughout the state. It says it has contributed an overall economic impact of more than $28 million to Louisiana.
More information about The Boot’s mission can be found at theboot.la.
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