I was in the Army - because it was preferable to prison - in the late 1968's. When I got out, I started to call some guys I had met in the military, and stopped after a very few because many were dead, and some had come back with terrible wounds, mental, emotional and physical.
I am disgusted at the state of America's veterans. There was always enough money to send people into combat for any reason, or for no reason at all. There never seems to be enough to provide care for those who survive to return needing help to survive, let alone to live with some sort of dignity.
We are a warlike nation, no matter the notion that we are peace loving. We have engaged in near constant military action on some scale, with someone somewhere, since we were European colonies...It's who we are and what we do...
Here's a list of US military involvements since 1775...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
This is an incomplete list. It does not include the Indian wars nor some other military action inside the USA. It does not include actions in which we provided arms or assistance without troops, nor actions by the CIA or other covert agencies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
A large percentage of our veterans are getting food stamps some of our active duty people are as well. A large number are unemployed, many are unemployable, many are disabled permanently, many are homeless. We tend to ignore them. We tend to disparage them, spit on them, blame them for their troubles. Our government has virtually disowned them, except for some memorials and wreaths.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
To me, this is our greatest disgrace.
It has always been like this, and I have little doubt it always be like this.
It is a goddamn shame.