WASHINGTON, April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Walmart today announced its Military Family Promise as part of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden's "Joining Forces" military support announcement in Washington D.C. The commitment guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel, and military spouses, employed at Walmart and Sam's Club who move to a different part of the country because they or their spouse have been transferred by the United States military.

In addition, through Walmart and Sam's Club's Military Family Promise, associates called to active military duty will continue to be paid any difference in their salary if the associate is earning less money during their military assignment.

"As one of the nation's largest employers of veterans, we applaud the First Lady and Dr. Biden's continued leadership when it comes to honoring and supporting our nation's heroes," said Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. "With our presence in communities across the U.S., we are in a unique position to make a difference on issues that matter most to the military and veteran communities. We know an underserved, yet critical, need is access to employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for military spouses and those returning home from duty. This commitment will help ease the burden of relocation and decrease the financial strain so many military families feel when they are moved to a new part of the country."

On Veterans Day 2010, the Walmart Foundation announced a five-year, $10 million commitment to support military and veteran employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Today, the company announced two new Foundation grants that continue that commitment:

• $1 million to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) Program, which will send 300 veterans with disabilities to entrepreneurship bootcamp at one of seven major university partners, as well as facilitate the expansion of the program to two additional schools. The funds will also support small business training for more than 100 military family members.
• $500,000 to the SCORE Foundation to support their new "Veteran Fast Launch" initiative. The program will help accelerate veterans' ability to start a business and succeed as small business owners. In 2011, SCORE will provide mentoring and training services to over 16,000 veterans, yielding an estimated 3,000 business start-ups. Training and mentoring will also be available to the families of veterans.

Walmart also announced a partnership with NASCAR to produce several public service announcements that will recognize military families for the sacrifices they make and inspire Walmart customers to support the needs of military families in their own communities. The announcements will feature NASCAR drivers and will be featured in more than 500 Walmart stores throughout the country starting this Spring.

For more on Walmart's commitment to veterans, please visit: www.walmartstores.com/veterans.

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at 9,000 retail units under 60 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com, on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Walmart, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.

SOURCE Walmart