PITTSBURGH — Walmart celebrated the sixth anniversary of its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment on Tuesday.

The company announced more than 226,000 veteran hires since its launch in 2013, including 7,794 in Pennsylvania.

The Veterans Welcome Home Commitment guarantees a job offer to any eligible, honorably discharged U.S. veteran.

Former Marine Corporal Ben Badali started working for Walmart in 2016 and now is an asset protection associate at the Butler Supercenter.

“When I returned to civilian life, I looked for an employer that valued the skill set that comes with military service,” Badali said. “Walmart’s commitment to veterans is not just about the initial hire, although that is important.”

Badali said the company provides opportunities for growth and future advancement.

“I’ve seen in my own experience and with several fellow associates that veterans have major opportunities to advance within the company,” Badali said. “My job at Walmart has become a career.”

Retired Brigadier General Gary Profit, senior director of military programs for Walmart, said veterans have a wealth of skills and deserve the opportunity to work and earn a living.

“Veterans bring their strong value systems and capable leadership to our business,” Profit said. “Our military veteran associates are talented and dedicated, and they make us better. If you serve and sacrifice for your country, you shouldn’t have to fight for a job at home.”

In addition to hiring veterans, Walmart is also celebrating the first milestone in its Military Spouse Career Connection, a new hiring initiative announced in 2018 aimed at military spouses. To date, Walmart has hired nearly 6,000 military spouses.

These milestones are underscored by the additional announcement by the Walmart Foundation of a $1 million grant to Hire Heroes USA to support their efforts to expand their own programs, improve data collection and reporting.

Notably, a portion of the funding will support a program manager for Hire Heroes’ Serving Spouses Program, a career coaching program tailored specifically to military spouses who face unique barriers to employment, such as frequent moves, child care challenges while a spouse is deployed, and having to reobtain certifications that don’t transfer from state to state.

For more information about Walmart’s commitment to veterans, service members and military families, visit: www.walmartcareerswithamission.com or http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/veterans-military-families and follow on Twitter@WalmartToday.