Food ForThought

[Casper]

Let me ask is this ok? I come from a time where We were not "acceptable" , but let me ask, why does it continue?
Interesting watch, if you can without getting really mad,

Thoughts?

[resister]

Not a vet but I been thru being a cog in a wheel, this video causes anger and a deep sadness.

[Casper]

Not a vet but I been thru being a cog in a wheel, this video causes anger and a deep sadness.

Good, it should.

We see eye to eye, and I am a Vet.

[Ethereal]

I guess my question would be how much more are we supposed to be doing for vets? They already have education, healthcare, guaranteed home loans, job opportunities, pensions, etc. And most vets were never in combat. Some of them are homeless because they're just losers and would have been homeless anyway. As a vet, I'm sick of being associated with homelessness and suicide. I don't even want to mention to people that I was a vet because I'm worried they'll think I'm mentally ill or something.

[Casper]

I guess my question would be how much more are we supposed to be doing for vets? They already have education, healthcare, guaranteed home loans, job opportunities, pensions, etc. And most vets were never in combat. Some of them are homeless because they're just losers and would have been homeless anyway. As a vet, I'm sick of being associated with homelessness and suicide. I don't even want to mention to people that I was a vet because I'm worried they'll think I'm mentally ill or something.

So, are you assuming that the "issues" are only or mainly attributed to non-combat vets?

Never be ashamed to own up to being a Vet, We Are the true Patriots, whether you served in a combat MOS or as support, all of us played their role and should be Proud to have done so, it can not be done otherwise. That does not mean that many of our brothers and sisters did not pay a price, and the seriousness of the issue is that approximately 21 Vets, kill themselves, Every Day. Yes, there is a lot more We can and Should be doing.

[Cletus]

Yes, there is a lot more We can and Should be doing.

What?

Ethereal was mostly spot on in his post.

When a service member enlists, he voluntarily offers his services to the nation. In exchange for those services, the nation offers certain pay and benefits as compensation. If both parties live up to their contractual obligations, that is as far as the relationship should go.

For generations, soldiers have been expected to do their duty to the nation, and upon completion of their term of service, return home and reintegrate into their communities. It was never expected for them to become de facto wards of the state and be cared for and supported for the rest of their lives. There are of course, exceptions... those who suffer life altering, debilitating injuries, for example.

Military service should never be used as an excuse for failure in life.

[Peter1469]

Mental illness and addiction are two of the largest factors in homelessness. I would suspect that for the younger generation of vets addiction is the greatest factor.

At least so far as addiction goes, if you get them into treatment they have a chance.

[Ethereal]

So, are you assuming that the "issues" are only or mainly attributed to non-combat vets?

Of course not. But most people in the military were not in the combat arms. I knew of people who never saw any real combat who still managed to get diagnosed with "PTSD". They're the kind of asshole who comes home and brags about war stories that never really happened. And even some people in the combat arms were mentally weak sh!t-bags who were only there to fill some DOD quota. They were trash before they joined and they were trash after they left. I'm sure you knew plenty of characters when you were in service. We don't have to sugar coat it. Some veterans are just lowlifes and losers.

Never be ashamed to own up to being a Vet, We Are the true Patriots, whether you served in a combat MOS or as support, all of us played their role and should be Proud to have done so, it can not be done otherwise. That does not mean that many of our brothers and sisters did not pay a price, and the seriousness of the issue is that approximately 21 Vets, kill themselves, Every Day. Yes, there is a lot more We can and Should be doing.

I'm not ashamed. I just don't want people to think I'm some mentally shattered wreck with crippling demons, which is how many vets are portrayed in popular culture and mass media.

As for the suicide issue, suicide rates for vets are largely comparable to the civilian population, and causes of suicide are often mundane: Broken marriages, financial struggles, etc. Many veterans who commit suicide never ever deployed.

So there really isn't a suicide epidemic within the military as is often portrayed in the media.

So my question becomes: What more can be done at this point?

[Peter1469]

Of course not. But most people in the military were not in the combat arms. I knew of people who never saw any real combat who still managed to get diagnosed with "PTSD". They're the kind of asshole who comes home and brags about war stories that never really happened. And even some people in the combat arms were mentally weak sh!t-bags who were only there to fill some DOD quota. They were trash before they joined and they were trash after they left. I'm sure you knew plenty of characters when you were in service. We don't have to sugar coat it. Some veterans are just lowlifes and losers.



I'm not ashamed. I just don't want people to think I'm some mentally shattered wreck with crippling demons, which is how many vets are portrayed in popular culture and mass media.

As for the suicide issue, suicide rates for vets are largely comparable to the civilian population, and causes of suicide are often mundane: Broken marriages, financial struggles, etc. Many veterans who commit suicide never ever deployed.

So there really isn't a suicide epidemic within the military as is often portrayed in the media.

So my question becomes: What more can be done at this point?

For the period of time where it was my job to know, the military suicides were largely not combat arms.

[Standing Wolf]

I'm with Ethereal and Cletus on this one. Efforts to assist homeless veterans can only go so far - can only be so persistent and intrusive. For those with substance abuse or mental health issues, there is help available, at least in the larger cities, from both military and civilian providers. With veterans, as with non-veterans, there will always be a certain percentage who seem to be incapable of making even the smallest decisions unassisted, and who appear to always be looking for someone to take them by the hand and lead them through their day like a child. If those personal limitations can be genuinely linked to some combat-related trauma or condition, I'm all for going the extra mile with them - but as others have indicated, most homeless veterans have not had that experience.