The First Lady stopped by the First Coast today to talk to sailors and civilians alike about Joining Forces, a program she started with Dr. Jill Biden that creates jobs for veterans…

"When you have finished your service to our nation, you have got 2,000 great American companies ready and waiting to bring you on board," Michelle Obama said to a crowd of several hundred at Naval Station Mayport on Wednesday.

Michelle Obama announced that as of Wednesday, the 2,000 companies involved had hired and trained 125,000 veterans and their spouses, well surpassing the 100,000 the president challenged those companies to hire by 2013. 

"Today, they're pledging to hire or train another quarter of a million of our nation's heroes," she said.

One veteran hired through Joining Forces was former Navy sonar technician Paul Andrews.  He now works as a service technician for a company called Sonardyne, which installs sonar systems.  He said other veterans really need to look into the opportunities Joining Forces can offer.

"Even if you already have jobs lined up or ideas of what you want to do, or even if you're going to go to college, jump into this program and find out."

The First Lady said that although the veteran unemployment rate had gone down in the past year, there is still plenty of work to be done.  She encouraged the states that have not already enacted their own legislation to ease the job-finding process for veterans to do so quickly.