Starbucks CEO criticizes America's commercialization of Veterans Day

Despite helming a company perhaps best known for turning even the routine passing of seasons into an inescapable commodity, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is pretty disappointed in America's commercialization of Veterans Day. Speaking to The Washington Post on Monday, Schultz lamented the fact that the holiday "has been turned into a weekend sale... That's not respectful for me."

Starbucks has committed to hire 10,000 veterans over five years, part of Schultz's belief that veterans need to be hired into corporate jobs. He told USA Today that the stigma often attached to veterans — whether it be post-traumatic stress disorder or some other physical or emotional trauma — is ironic given that the veterans he's hired at Starbucks "have done extraordinary things."

To date, Starbucks has hired more than 1,000 veterans and has established a veteran employee network for mentorship. Schultz also joined forces with Chase and HBO this year to throw a Veterans Day concert at the National Mall, which will feature the likes of Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen, and Carrie Underwood.

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