Our freedom only exists because of those willing to take up arms to defend and protect us. Without the Minute Men, would there be a United States? Without those volunteers who went off to fight in the World Wars the world would be clearly a different place. Today our government has gotten us into a mess obviously, either through lying to its citizens or through gross incompetance, but that doesn't mean our troops don't still need our support ... so as Veteran's Day rolls around it really bothers me that the homelessness in our veterans has rocketed up to 7.5% since the start of the Iraq war while recruiting standards continue to drop rapidly simply to get bodies on the front lines. Imagine how many troops we have, 7.5% is a LOT of people.

So why is the number that high? Housing costs as well as the difficulties hiring veterans that are injured are two of the top.

President Bush has been threatening to veto any bill that he conciders 'pork'. Bills that can't get off the ground addressing housing and health care for the poor ... which includes those veterans of Iraq, Afganestan, Vietnam, Korea, and beyond and unless we all send letters to our Senators reminding them that they are up for re election in a years time and they need our support... they need to work for us this time around and not the other way around.

I heard this morning that 1 of 4 homeless persons is a vet. Don't recall the statistic regarding Iraq/Afghanistan vets, but it was fairly appalling.

This (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VETS_RETURNING_TO_WORK?SITE=SCFLO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) may have something to do with it:WASHINGTON (AP) -- Strained by extended tours in Iraq, growing numbers of military reservists say the government is providing little help to soldiers who are denied their old jobs when they return home, Defense Department data shows.
...
Among the survey's findings:

-About 23 percent of reservists reported they did not return to their old jobs in part because their employer did not give them prompt re-employment or their job situation changed in some way while they were on military leave.

-Twenty-nine percent of those choosing not to seek help to get their job back said it was because it was "not worth the fight." Another 23 percent said they were unsure of how to file a complaint. Others cited a lack of confidence that they could win (14 percent); fear of employer reprisal (13 percent), or other reasons (21 percent).

-Reservists reported receiving an average of 1.8 briefings about their job rights and what government resources were available. This is down slightly from the 2.0 briefings they reported getting in 2004.

Maybe they should consider enlisting full time?
That would take care of the reenlistment issues plaguing the Armed Forces, and allow them to apply their experience where it is needed most.

Just a thought...

Sixee, you get discharged if you're disabled. You get discharged if you have post traumatic stress disorder. Do you think if these people were able to find and hold a job such as one in the military they would be homeless?

Also the average age of a homeless person is on the rise and many are retirees. They could very well have been a full time person in the air force for 30 years, and then they lose their house ...

That's true, you do get discharged if you are disabled.
However homelessness and disability don't necessarily go hand in hand...

The story that Thor posted said
-About 23 percent of reservists reported they did not return to their old jobs in part because their employer did not give them prompt re-employment or their job situation changed in some way while they were on military leave.

-Twenty-nine percent of those choosing not to seek help to get their job back said it was because it was "not worth the fight." Another 23 percent said they were unsure of how to file a complaint. Others cited a lack of confidence that they could win (14 percent); fear of employer reprisal (13 percent), or other reasons (21 percent).


I see no mention of disability in there, and that was the percentage to which I was addressing....

Edit: I just re read the whole story, and there is no mention of disability in there anywhere. I assume the veterans that werre highlighted in the story were able-bodied after returning from Iraq.

It also doesn't mention homelessness either :) I couldn't open it on my cell phone, thought it was about homelessness.

This morning the Fannie Mae foundation gave a press conference which I attended about the nearly 500,000 homeless veterans. Thats a LOT of people who served for this country that are thrown out in the cold.

I remember when I was ETS'ing all the stuff available to me to help me find a job. I got hired in fact thru one of those programs as a contractor and later as a GS employee. Either those programs don't exist anymore or the vets don't know what tools are available to them. I say this b/c allot of times homelessness and unemployment go hand in hand.

It's a sad statistic and I feel for them and am proud of their service but I have to wonder to what extent they are trying to help themselves.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071108/ap_on_re_us/homeless_veterans

Even if they aren't helping themselves, this can't be a coincidence. There is some aspect of serving in the military that is making that profession the most likely of all to lead to homelessness ... when it really should be the least given all of the services our government has pledged to provide.

Probably most of our soldiers should undergo some sorts of counseling upon discharge or return from a war to help them come. Like the article says, it took almost 10 years for Vietnam Vets to appear in homeless shelters ... now we're seeing Iraq Vets in 4. Thats bad news.

I didn't use those resources when I was ETS'ing, mainly because I was young and dumb...
Had I done so, I probably could have gotten a much better paying job than the years of retail jobs I had to endure.
Although I don't have as many things against me as these veterans do, perhaps there is a certain amount that don't take advantage of what is offered, like I didn't.

Fortunately, I have a decent mechanical aptitude, and that translated well into computers.
I do feel for those poor souls that are in POL, Motor Pool, or Infantryman (Unless the latter gets picked up by Blackwater).

As a reservist you are 100% garaunteed your job back when you return home. However, this doesn't mean that retarded employers won't make t difficult for you. After my first tour, my job was so shitty anyways I just said fuck it and found a new one. Same with my second tour. This time with my third, my employer has welcomed me home with open arms, and made sure they complied with or did better than required. I even had cake!

So it's hit and miss really, a lot of it depends on employers. And then a lot of it too depends on the returning soldier to stand up against some of these assholes when they try to screw them. Too many just get apathetc about it when they return home. I can't blame them, but thats just the way it is.

If your employer isn't good enough to give you your job back, fuck them, sue the shit out of them until you can buy their business and fire the asshole who wouldn't give you your job back.

Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel have a brief op-ed (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/opinion/09webb.html) in the NYT about changing the GI Bill -- greater funding for vets of our current combat arenas.

Your are gauranteed your job back if it is within 5 years. If the time away is longer then 5 years your are out of luck.

As for councilling the military does require you to take classes upon exiting the military to help with finding a job, writing resumes, and helping with the interviewing process. Through this class there is info given on military to civillian programs like Troops to teachers, Helmets to Hardhats??, etc.

As for finding a job it is tough. It took me 2 years to find a decent job upon being discharged even with being a disabled vet.

If you can walk and talk and think even slightly, i'll hire you. Full health benefits, 401K, and a decent wage. Live in Milwaukee?