John Helton of Columbia has been out of work since April, but he's hoping to have a job by the end of the year.

On Thursday, the 37-year-old National Guardsman came to just the right place to look for one.

He was one of about 400 job-seekers at "Hiring Our Heroes," a hiring fair aimed at veterans and military spouses.

Helton said he's had "a couple of good leads, and hopefully something pans out and I'll have a job by the end of the year.

"That's my goal. If something comes open and it's a good opportunity, I'm going to take it," said Helton, a veteran of Iraq who's looking to work in the security field.

He spoke Thursday with representatives of municipal police departments.

It makes sense for businesses to consider veterans when jobs become available, said organizers of Thursday's four-hour job fair at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County. More than 55 employers took part in Thursday's fair.

The event was one of more than 370 "Hiring Our Heroes" fairs held in the last 21 months by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's National Chamber Foundation and Toyota, the initiative's primary corporate sponsor.

The job fairs have helped more than 14,000 veterans and military spouses find employment, officials said.

At one table inside the auditorium that hosted Thursday's job fair, Bernie Schott, representing Weldon Solutions, a York-based manufacturer of precision grinders, discussed why his business participated.

"My understanding is, our military shares one of the highest unemployment rates in the country," he said. "They're serving our country. So why not hire them? What excuse does any company have, is the way I feel.

"And so far, we've talked to a number of people, and some seem like they might be a good fit."

Jobs were available for veterans and military spouses of all ranks and levels of experience, officials with the fair said.

Companies on hand ranged from some of the biggest employers in the U.S. to small regional companies.

East Lampeter Township's John Phillips, recently retired from the military after 22 years of service in the chemical, biological and nuclear field, also attended the fair.

"I'm currently employed as a contractor, working out of Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, so I'm looking for maybe something closer (to home) without the commute, and something more stable than contracting," he said. "I'm just pretty much coming to see what they have to offer. If something looks good, I'll stop by."

People really should take a good look at veterans, he said. "We have a lot to offer."

Emily Clark Muñoz, spokeswoman for "Hiring Our Heroes," predicted "a lot of good stories happening here before we're done."

The job fair was organized in partnership with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Army National Guard, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the American Legion and local groups.

doconnor@lnpnews.com