So, statistics say that one out of every four veterans are homeless in America. Why do you think this is? As a veteran myself, I do not understand why there is such a high rate. I recently seperated the military and I have a wonderful, good paying job and a nice house. I do realize that many careers in the military are those which you cannot transfer into the civilian world, such as being Infanty, Electronic Warfare, Armor maintenance and others. So I do see how that can provide difficulties in the sense that sometime they may feel that thier military careers where a waste since related jobs do not exist on the "outside". However the military does pay for education for up to 10 years after you seperate with a current limit somewhere around $40,000 total. So if one applies themselves, such as I and many others have, it is not difficult to overcome that bump in the road and start a new life, so to speak. What do you think?
The first thing that comes to mind is the state of the VA. Many of the homeless veterans suffer mental illness. Beyond that, I confess it's something I haven't spent much time considering. But we're about to see a new wave of dislocated veterans in the wake of the Bush Wars. Thus, the general assertion would be that we, as a nation, as a community, simply don't give a rat's ass about our veterans. They may have given their health, their limbs, their very sanity, but paying tribute to these requires more than a lapel pin or a digital recording of "Taps" blaring over the cemetery. And apparently that's too much to ask.
I think there are a few factors that affect this. One, people entering the military (I believe, although I haven't checked this) are more likely to be poor and come from poor families--factors that are independtly associated with homelessness. Two, in Vietnam and in the years afterward at least, there were high rates of substance abuse among US military personnel, another factor that is associated with homelessness. Three, I imagine there is a sector of the homeless veteran population who are individuals who did fine in a regimented environment but were not capable of adjusting to the lack of structure they faced afterward--some of these individuals may have had mental illness or at least emotional or cognitive problems that made this adjustment more difficult. Four, among the latest group of vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan there seem to be a number of individuals who are returning with PTSD or brain injuries that are not being treated. There was a story in the paper recently about how solider with PTSD are being sent back into combat, which goes against medical advice and army regulations, and I would imagine there are also vets who are not being treated for the disorder after leaving combat. Those disorders make substance abuse more likely and also make it more difficult to adjust to the changes involved in returning to civilian life.
Why do we divide them up? How many are black? How many are mothers? How many are handicapped? Them being a vet has no bearing on it for me. I care about them all.
Perhaps a big part of it is the loss of the sense of "unit/family" cohesion. In the military, you're part of a large group and you're taught to rely on your buddies, you become a "family". Can you just jump from that secure sense of family into something like "the cold, cruel world" without some ...ahh, shock? And for those who bring up combat-related issues, you should remember that less that 25% of military personnel are actually in combat ...most are support troops that never see combat in any form. Baron Max
I am a veteran, and I have dealt with being homeless on more than one occasion. And yes, it IS like camping out. Yes SPURIOUS MONKEY, it is a LOT like that. Good old days indeed. My veteran status had nothing to do with my situation, but your flippant consideration greatly reduces my confidence in your ability to contribute to this forum in a way that furthers scientific inquiry.
I'd say, being a vet myself, that the vets I know all are doing well. That doesn't mean that others don't need help for I'm certain they do but they also need to help themselves as well. There's help available if they seek it out. It is up to them to find what they need not for what they need to find them. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
it would be interesting to note what branch these homeless originate from. i would guess that the overwhelming majority come from the army and marines. i would also say very few come from the airforce. the reasoning behind this is simple, the airforce sets a higher standard for its enlistees.
That and the fact that many Army and Marine jobs are nontransferable when it comes to civilian life, whereas many Air Force and Navy jobs ARE transferrable. For example, most of the Army and Marine branches have combat related jobs, jobs of which do not exist in the civilian world. The Air Force and Navy has very technological jobs, such as the one I was in, Civil Engineering. I worked on electrical equipment, mainly generators. Now as a civilian, I work for a generator company that pays well with full benefits. Also, the fact that the Air Force and Navy STRONGLY enforce the opprotunity for achieving educational goals while in service plays a BIG part of it. In my 4 years in, not a month went by without someone telling us and reminding us of the importance of education. The Air Force and Navy have special education programs on nearly every base with extremely extensive resources, where as the Army and Marines lack that.
