Army Vets

I just watched "This Week with Christiane Amanpour". This week's program was about army vets that are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The vets are returning home to no job and no place to live.

I am utterly disgusted with the U.S. Government for not taking better care of the people who put their lives on the line for us to live safely and freely. These people should be treated like gold when they return. They shouldn't have to struggle to find somewhere to live or to find a job. We shouldn't hear reports of vets living on the streets homeless for months on end. I do not think we are doing enough to secure the easy transition of military personnel back to civilian life.

In my opinion, America is going through a repeat of Vietnam War. When the vets returned home from Vietnam they were met with similar circumstances. They couldn't find jobs; many were homeless. There are even lawsuits against the Department of Veteran Affairs because they are mistreating our veterans. Why should veterans have to wait for a disability claim approval before they can receive medical treatment? It is absurd. They should just be able to be treated the second they return home if they are experiencing any sort of problem. Furthermore, why are there backups in the claims leaving vets for years waiting for their approval? This is utterly despicable.

Many of the vets come back with post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety and stress issues; Many of them do not receive proper care for these issues and feel as though they cannot properly reintegrate into civilian society. There are reports that as much as 50% of the returning vets suffer from PTSD. When left untreated this disorder leads to other issues such as drug and alcohol abuse. These vets are not be allowed access to the mental health care that they need and deserve. Our government put these men and women into the middle of two of the most fierce wars on the planet; they were practically dehumanized and became robots simply carrying out a mission. Now when they return we can't help them readjust???? What is wrong with this picture?

Why can we help a homeless person who became homeless because they are a drug addict or an alcoholic but we can't seem to help a war vet who is suffering from PTSD and unable to cope with the readjustment process? In my opinion, our vets are the FIRST ones we should be giving the best medical care to; the best jobs; the best housing...why? Because they protect us; they protect our borders; they protect our freedom. God bless America and God bless our troops.