In the first-ever study of its kind, a new report released today by the public policy research firm Civic Enterprises shows that the new generation of veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are eager to serve their communities and offer their leadership to the home front.

Daughter clutches father returning from Iraq.

However, according to the report, the nation's returning veterans face a number of obstacles including a lack of information about how to connect to such service, and a majority says no local organization has reached out to them to seek their involvement upon their return. The report was underwritten by Target and by the Case Foundation.

"Our young troops and their families have done everything their country has asked of them," writes Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen in a foreword to the report, which is the first representative survey of this generation of veterans. "Their lives have been changed forever by war, but their dreams haven’t changed at all. They want to raise their children, own a home, go to school, find work and even find new ways to contribute. Most of all, they want to be good citizens. They want to reconnect and renew their relationship to their local communities."

In fact, according to the survey, almost 9 in 10 veterans said Americans could learn something from their example of service. And 92 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) veterans say that serving their community is important to them. But just half considered themselves leaders in their communities as a result of their military service. And almost seven in ten say they have not been contacted by any community institution.

These statistics come amid well documented difficulties that many recent veterans are having in transitioning back into civilian life, according to the report, including a higher suicide rate, a high homelessness rate, and an increase in divorce.

Just thirteen percent of OEF/OIF veterans would strongly agree that their transitions are going well.

"Veterans are untapped national assets," according to the report, "having acquired experiences and skills while serving in the military that have significant value in the workplace and in communities. They are beacons of hope that can encourage our next generation to serve their country in the military, in government service, in national service, or in traditional volunteering."

This new report clearly points in a direction that can both ease the transition to civilian life and benefit communities as we rely more and more on the civic and volunteer sector. Local groups need to make a concerted effort to reach out to returning veterans.

While there are things that can be done on the national and state levels, one item of great interest is what the report suggest local communities can do:

* Create partnerships between the military, nonprofits, veterans service organizations, faith-based groups and elected officials that aim to ensure veterans have meaningful opportunities to serve alongside fellow citizens.

* One weekend in 2010, every church, mosque and synagogue in America should encourage the minister, rabbi or imam to dedicate a portion of the service to introducing a military service member to the congregation.

* Coalitions of colleges should be built around the GI Bill to support veterans returning to college campuses, and ensure those coalitions think critically about service opportunities for students who are veterans.

* Community organizations should work in partnership to ensure that service opportunities are available to veterans online, and other means of online communication are utilized to better connect veterans.

* More nonprofits should be made aware of two honors — the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and the President's Volunteer Service Award — and the steps they can take to ensure veterans receive proper recognition for their service to the community, while making it easier for nonprofits to nominate service members for these two honors and for all branches to bestow those honors on deserving individuals.

This Veteran's Day, perhaps we should think hard about what we can do in our communities to better integrate these returning heroes into civic life.

It will be good for all of us.

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Brad Rourke writes Brad Rourke's Blog and is president of the Mannakee Circle Group, a firm that helps organizations engage better with their publics. He is an expert on public life. In addition to his blog, he can be found on Twitter (@bradrourke) and Facebook.

Photo credit: US Army, via Flickr.