After the Parade: What Happens to the Veterans After the Ticker Tape's Swept Up?
Tue Dec 04, 2007 at 12:29:25 PM PDT
When Johnny comes marching home again,
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer and the boys will shout
The ladies they will all turn out
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home. link
The trumpets blare. The drums sound off. The hands are clapping. Hands are waving. People are cheering.
The soldiers...our soldiers...roll, march, and limp past.
What happens after the parade?
AS AMERICANS finishing their service in Iraq or Afghanistan are now seeing, the journey home after military service can be grueling. While the majority end up rejoining civilian life successfully, the burden of injuries, mental illness or economic disruption proves too great for many others. And as a new report details, a disturbingly high number of veterans end up homeless.
And although the Globe has since revised its numbers down from the original 467,000 to
Because of a miscalculation by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an editorial Monday cited an incorrect estimate of the number of US veterans who were homeless at some point during 2006. The proper estimate is 337,000,
the fact that there are still over a quarter of a million homeless veterans is still incredibly troubling regardless of what Dean Barnett over at the Weekly Standard thinks in his piece "The Last Talking Point of the Left":
For every vet with problems--and they certainly exist, though I would guess in percentages far below that of the comparable civilian population--there are dozens of vets out there building businesses, raising families, and leading communities. Many give up weekends and vacations to stay in the Guard and Reserve. But I guess those guys aren't cool enough or useful enough.
That Dean is able to point out that there are veterans who are able to come back and reintegrate into society is awesome...incredible...and should be celebrated from the rooftops. Each one deserves to lauded for his or her ability to adjust and readjust to an old familiar surroundings that isn't quite as familiar as it used to be.
However, after the parade is over and those veterans begin to reintegrate, some...many...don't succeed with the speed or ability that you seem to think they should. Many fall behind and don't ever really come back.
Those ones? The ones that the Globe is talking about?
These veterans:
Veterans are at risk. Many grapple with traumatic brain injuries, the loss of limbs, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mental illness. Some need to find jobs and housing. Others lack social ties to family and friends, especially after having served on long tours of duty.
They need help to make it back...as best as they can and as best as we can offer:
Every soldier who returns home either from combat or regular duty has to reintegrate, whether into familiar or new environments. Therefore programs to assist those with the most challenges are vital to the well-being of the soldiers, their families and friends, and their communities. link
And Dean? As Eddie Lucio also pointed out last month:
On Veterans Day we remember our troops but honoring those who have served or are serving without meeting their pressing needs is akin to christening a naval ship and keeping it dry docked.
There are other things that can be done to help returning veterans on a local, state, and national levels.
For example, the National Alliance to End Homelessness
recommends creating 25,000 units of supportive housing for chronically homeless veterans - those who are homeless repeatedly or continuously for long periods of time. This would create communities where veterans could support one another. The estimated construction costs would be $3 billion, and another $1.2 billion would cover five years of operating costs. Such an investment could also help future generations of veterans, if the housing is well maintained.
Additionally big cheers go out to WWII veteran (and I think Iraq War critic) Jerome Kohlberg
I know how important an education is, and how well the country will be served by making this investment in our veterans," he said. "Regardless of your feeling about the war, we're spending trillions of dollars on it and almost nothing on the people fighting it. We owe them so much, and we're not doing a damned thing for them. I want to see that change."
Kohlberg's national scholarship program is designed to bridge what he calls the "GI gap" between the actual costs of a college education and the funds available to veterans through military benefits and other grants. The plan is to provide scholarships to at least one veteran in every state and the District of Columbia for the spring and fall college terms in 2008. He said he hoped that as other individuals, corporations and foundations made contributions, the effort could expand.
Also, a new GI Bill needs to make it through Congress:
To that end, Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas have introduced the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act - legislation that would match the educational benefits received by World War II veterans.
Where the original GI Bill was able to help returning veterans get a bang up education, the current plan
entitles Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to receive a maximum education benefit of $1,101 per month, or $39,636 over four years. National Guard members and reservists who serve in combat zones are entitled to even less. Meanwhile, the College Board reports that the average four-year state school costs upward of $65,000, while some private colleges can charge more than $133,000 over four years.
There are many many other items for this list. PTSD treatment plans...VA benefits...Walter Reed maintenance...disability advocacy...educational opportunities...credit card counseling...
Permalink | 14 comments