World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and the military's anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. What do all these have in common? The simple fact that many of our country's homeless span these eras of history.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states about one-third of the adult homeless population are veterans. An accurate number is difficult to find but all reports indicate there are more than 107,000 on any given night. That's about the size of the population of Wichita Falls, Texas or Rochester, Minnesota. About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at-risk of homelessness.
Nearly half of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era. Two-thirds served our country for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone. And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Young vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.
Some advocates say the presence of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan at shelters does not bode well for the future. It took roughly a decade for the lives of Vietnam veterans to unravel to the point that they started showing up among the homeless. Advocates worry that intense and repeated deployments leave newer veterans particularly vulnerable.
One leader in the VA predicted: "We're going to be having a tsunami of them eventually because the mental health toll from this war is enormous."
George Santayana, a Spanish and American philosopher once said: "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
What concerns me is what will happen when the war is over or when the media scales back its coverage to a blurb on page eight or maybe just a sound bite to fill in on a slow news day. When Vietnam ended, it was over and off the front pages and off the television. Nobody paid attention anymore. I fear our young warriors will then just become veterans, as that is what has happened after every war.
Many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will lack translatable job skills. Some only have infantry training and where does that fit in the civilian world?
These vets seeking help are more likely to be women, less likely to have substance abuse problems, but more likely to have mental illness - mostly related to post-traumatic stress, according to another VA official.
This week's blog hopefully has shed some light on some of the problems our military and veterans face today. It is easy to hypothesize not being able to find employment, being burdened with mounting bills and having to apply for food stamps could only end up snowballing and finding more and more veterans on the streets - homeless.
I once read a piece that said our military and veterans signed a blank check to America payable for any amount up to and including their life. Can we, as a nation, stand by and ignore their plight?
GET INVOLVED! Contact your local veterans' organization: The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, or other groups that are working everyday to help solve these problems. Not sure where to go ... leave me a comment with your geographic location and email, I will do my best to put you in touch with someone in your area that will be more than happy to guide you.
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