For those who want to know how veterans voted for the office of president in last November’s election, here are the results according to the national Edison/Mitofsky exit poll, which asked voters if they had ever served in the military.

Veterans accounted for 15 percent of the voters polled, and of that number 54 percent voted for Republican Sen. John McCain and 44 percent for Democrat Sen. Barack Obama. The younger voters tended to support Obama in slightly higher numbers, while older veterans favored McCain.

Of the 24 percent of veterans under age 45 who cast ballots on Election Day, 51 percent voted for Obama and 49 percent chose McCain. Twenty-four percent of voting veterans fell into the 45-to-59 old category; in that group, 53 percent were Obama and 45 percent for McCain. Of the 53 percent of voting veterans age 60 and older, 61 percent voted for McCain and 37 percent for Obama.

Hearing on veterans home

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs will hold a hearing at 11 this morning to discuss a study commission’s report on the Rhode Island Veterans Home, in Bristol, and to take public comment.

The report, by a five-member special House commission headed by H. Reed Cosper, the state mental health advocate, is the product of 13 hearings the panel conducted last year. It concluded that veterans home officials treated families in a hostile and antagonistic manner; that they maintained inconsistent and dysfunctional policies and procedures, and that they exhibited cronyism and improperly used restricted funds.

Today’s hearing will be held in State House hearing Room 35. The Veterans Affairs Committee is headed by Rep. Kenneth Carter, D-North Kingstown.

Troops to Teachers

Troops to Teachers, a joint program of the Department of Education and Defense Department that was established in 1994, challenges those leaving the armed forces or are Guard or Reserve members to consider teaching as their next career.

Troops to Teachers provides financial support to aid in acquiring the necessary certification to teach. In return for the financial support, the service member agrees to teach for three years in a high-need school district or school.

The program has been successful in producing quality teachers, a high percentage of whom are men and minorities, thereby addressing two major shortfalls in schools today. More than 11,000 have become teachers through the program, and the 2002 national Teacher of the Year was a Troop to Teachers participant.

In addition, these veterans have experienced successful teaching in high-demand fields, such as mathematics, science, and special education, and are teaching in high-needs areas including inner cities and outlying rural areas.

To teach in the K-12 public school system requires at least a bachelor’s degree. For those interested in vocational or technical subjects, one year of college credits and six years’ experience is required.

Program eligibility includes the following categories: retired service member; active duty or Guard/Reservist or within one year of retirement; active duty with six or more years and willing to join a Guard/Reserve unit for three years; active duty or Guard/Reserve member who, after Jan. 2, 2002, is separated or retired for disability reasons; and drilling Guard/Reserve member with at least 10 years’ service willing to commit to three years with a drilling Reserve unit.

For more information contact the New England Troops-To-Teachers program. Ken McCann, program coordinator, can be reached at (888) 463-6488 or by e-mail at kenneth.mccann@maine.edu. Visit the group’s national Web site at www.proudtoserveagain.com.

•American Legion

East Greenwich Post 15, at 1016 Main St., meets today at 6:30 p.m., with a home corporation meeting immediately following. Riverside’s Post 10, at 830 Willett Ave., will conduct a blood drive on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with breakfast served to all donors.

•Bristol Veterans Council

The council meets at 7 tonight in the Italian American Veterans Post home, 9 Court St., Bristol.

•Marine Corps League

The Kent County Detachment will meet at 7 p.m. in VFW Post 449, Providence St., West Warwick, to discuss new committee chairmanships.

•Reserve Officers Association

The Rhode Island Department’s executive committee will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Harwood Army Reserve Center, 385 Niagara St., Providence.

•United Veterans Council of R.I.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the ground-floor executive cafeteria of the state Department of Administration building, One Capitol Hill, Providence.

•Retired Enlisted Association

Narragansett Bay Chapter 79 will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday in the VFW Silvia Post, 134 Shove St., Tiverton.

•Veterans of Foreign Wars

Kelley-Gazzerro Post 2812, 1418 Plainfield St., Cranston, will meet Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Send meeting notices and veterans news items to George W. Reilly at VeteransColumn@verizon.net or write to The Veterans Journal Column at The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.