COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 8, 2005 – G.I. Jobs magazine is recognizing American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) as one of the “top 25 most military-friendly employers” for the third consecutive year.

G.I. Jobs helps provide training and career opportunities for veterans and those in transition from military to civilian employment. The “top 25” list will appear in the publication’s December edition. The list, drawn from a sample of Fortune 500 companies, is based on such criteria as the strength of a company’s military recruiting efforts, percentage of recently hired employees with prior military service and company policies toward National Guard and reserve service.

AEP placed ninth on this year’s list. The top three companies are Union Pacific, Johnson Controls and General Electric.

“We are very pleased to be honored by G.I. Jobs again this year,” said Michael G. Morris, AEP’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We’re gratified to be able to hire so many people who have served our country. People with military experience often have skills that align well with the requirements of positions AEP is seeking to fill.”

More than 2,200 of AEP’s 19,400 employees have served in the military and approximately 8 percent of employees hired in the past year are military veterans.

Last year, AEP enhanced its military leave policy, extending pay differential and benefits for up to two years for reservists and National Guard members called to active duty in emergency situations.

American Electric Power owns more than 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and is the nation’s largest electricity generator. AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers linked to AEP’s 11-state electricity transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.