'Jobless veterans, US national disgrace'

I Demand a War Tax and call it that, it's been over a decade and counting of No Sacrifice by the Country as we demanded Sacrifice of our Soldiers and their Families, with multiple tours in two occupation theaters!

Those of us who were born during or in the years shortly after World War II grew into what our grand parents and parents with the help of our Government investments were building, joining in as we joined the workforce professions to build for our children, from the needed education professions to the skilled trades once professions.

That ended some thirty plus years ago as we reversed our economic growth, we exported the much needed innovative trade skills and turned education into a profit generating industry, innovation and stopped sharing in the fruits of all the labor to richly reward only those at the top. The rest were propped up to think their lives improved with ever changing credit, including mortgage and investment, scheme's. That all collapsed and continues as many of those who reaped, and continue to, fight to continue the failures of this new capitalism they implemented.

Jul 17, 2011 - “It is national disgrace, the situation of returning solders and veterans. You have widespread unemployment, you have the homelessness,” Edward Spannaus, Legal Affairs Editor in Washington, told Press TV in an interview.

“There are great many who have come back from wars, with mental health problems, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and the treatment is really a disgrace,” he added.

 

According to data published by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of US veterans, homeless on any given night as of June this year, stands at a staggering 75,700.

The unemployment rate among American young veterans stood at nearly 21 percent last year, according to the US Labor Department. read more>>>

Readjustment to civilian life was difficult, former Air Force soldier says

17 July 2011 - Local veterans and those who support them say more than just the tough economy is making it difficult for former soldiers to find work.

Readjusting to civilian life is also a big part of the job search process, two local veterans said.

“It’s much harder for them to find work because they are coming back from an environment that is task-and-accomplishment,” said Donna Arz, founder and executive director of the Forgotten Soldier Program in Auburn. “Their whole day is laid out. They have to come back here and readjust. It’s confusion when they come back, how to do it, how to fit in their environment and building trust in their environment.”

Pat Ryan, group leader for the Placer County chapter of Operation: MOM, said other obstacles often get in the way of veterans trying to start over.

“Our young people are coming home with not only physical but mental issues, and a lot of times they have to be able to deal with those in order to place themselves back into civilian life or into school,” Ryan said. “And sometimes because of those ailments, they are unable to place themselves.”

According to Chaplain Terry Morgan, of Gold Country Chaplaincy, Placer County statistics show there are 631 known homeless people in Placer County, and 10 percent of them are veterans.

Morgan said statewide 13.3 percent of those who have become veterans since 9/11 are unemployed. read more>>>

As to this and the related issues, suicides being one of the many:

“Our young people are coming home with not only physical but mental issues, and a lot of times they have to be able to deal with those in order to place themselves back into civilian life or into school,” Ryan said. “And sometimes because of those ailments, they are unable to place themselves.”

For some forty years those issues were ignored, except by many veterans and some caring civilians, by the country and certainly not funded as to needed research into, and for the past decade now they can't be ignored any more but the military and civilian population still are clueless. Just watch or listen to our representatives in congress and their hearings laying blame on the VA, and still fighting funding!