CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Matt Macke makes sure to keep his cell phone charged and within reach as he waits.

He’s ready for the call when he is feeding his horses.

Ready for the call when he and his wife are feeding their four children.

All as he is hoping for a job offer to arrive. Soon.

In late May, Sgt. Matthew Macke returned to Cedar Rapids after a roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan on April 27, fracturing his right foot and left leg.

“I’m able to run on them,” Macke said from his home on Friday as he is waiting for calls on jobs he is applying for. “Not very often but I am doing all right.”

Macke is one of the veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars looking for work. With January unemployment numbers declining nationally, the percentage of jobless veterans of these wars is down sharply.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national unemployment rate of 9.1% for these veterans, down from 15.2% for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in January 2011. The national overall rate for January 2012 is reporting at 8.3%.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America reports that 178,000 veterans of these wars were unemployed as of last month.

Vicki Terronez is a Veterans Affairs certifying official at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. She said, even with the encouraging news, the transition is still not an easy one.

“Sometimes employers may not value the military experience these men and women have and, actually, they are highly trained in their fields,” said Terronez.

Macke, 27, has served in the military since October 2003, months after he graduated from Midland Community High School. His first war injury came in 2006 amid a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq.

This is a case of different eras for Macke. He entered the service during a booming economy and is now re-entering the workforce amid an era of higher unemployment.

Macke did work for an Eastern Iowa company in a security position before his most recent deployment to Afghanistan but said on Saturday afternoon that he did anticipate that position would not be available for him when his active duty is complete in June.

Now that his legs have healed, Macke is pushing for an open position with Eastern Iowa police departments or sheriff’s offices.

“What I find really awkward is the experience I have is that the market is flooded with vets right now,” said Macke. “Maybe two or three guys applying for the same position.”

Macke said he is still considered “active duty” and said he has until this summer before he is truly on his own, financially. His wife, Erin, is working towards completing her college degree by this December