Military have alway been recruited by the police, fbi, cia, ss, etc. Let's flip the script for a second, who would you rather have taking out bad guys, some high school kid scared shitless at the sight of a gun or someone that knows how to handle weapons and already posseses some or most of the basic skills of becoming a law enforcement officer? Not to mention the fact that they know how to take orders, and they know how to lead (for the most part).

As far as government service goes, veterans get a pretty good deal if they transition from military to goverment employment. Retirement benefits are fantastic first of all, there is dual-compensation for retired military. Its a good deal.

Backround checks are much easier as well. Your life has been on record for the past, however many years you were in. They know where you have been what you have done, training, etc. A lot of military have security clearances. This, depending on where you live, could give a vet 20k more a year once they seperate just because they have a clearance. I had a yankee white clearance while in the military and I started recieving phone calls 4-6 months before I even got out of the military from head hunters wanting to hire me.