Hundreds of veterans and active duty service members filled the Stars and Stripes Club at Nationals Park Wednesday looking for work.

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Many, like Cesar Galeas, have been out of work since they retired from the military.

“Forty-four veterans need this, they have to take care of their families,” Galeas, a Marne Corps veteran, says. “People want to work.”

The Hiring Our Heroes job fair is sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Washington Nationals and the Military Bowl.

The event drew almost 100 companies from all over the region who are looking for hiring veterans and put them to work.

Sgt. Major Jeffery Chatman is a year out from retiring from the Army. But knowing how hard it is to transfer to civilian life, he's starting to look now.

“Getting my first look at what are some of the potential employers, things they are looking for and what I have to offer,” Chatman says.

Military spouse Vanessa Tongue had her resumes ready to go. She - and many others - are hoping this job fair will represent the right opportunity.

“Sometimes we push back everything, our dreams, to support our husbands,” she says.