Veterans and their Short End of the Stick

I read this editorial that focused on the life of a veteran. Horribly enough, I had never really thought about this concept very much before. Turns out, not a lot of people do. Especially with the current war in Iraq, it is a terrible time to be a veteran. It is not that there is outright hostility toward returning military personnel today. In fact, both Congress and the White House praised the war as we approached Veteran’s day. However, it is not rare that soldiers who return from Iraq or Afghanistan or those who served in Vietnam or Korea are left to fend for themselves. They do not get much help from the government. Recent surveys shows an astonishing amount of our veterans were homeless at some point during 2006. Not many from Iraq or Afghanistan have turned up homeless so far, but aid groups expect a huge upsurge in coming years. Tens of thousands of reservists and National Guard troops were told that their jobs were protected and returned to be denied prompt re-employment or lost seniority or pay. In my opinion, we have to do all that we can to show these Veterans that they are appreciated. We do not have a mandatory draft in this country. Instead today’s wars have to be fought by a voluntary military. The larger public makes no larger sacrifice so the least we should do is support the troops when they return.