Sunday, September 25, 2011

The wars come home ...

I left the house yesterday morning to find new messages on walls in the neighborhood.

vets trauma.jpg

Of course I can't know whether the anonymous scribbler (scribblers?) really is a veteran.

PTSD Iraq.jpg

But given that only one percent of us have endured the military adventures of the last decade and that only their immediate friends and families have endured the terrible consequences, it seems likely that is who is screaming for attention here. According to the linked 2010 survey:

Fewer than 3 out of 10 Americans know there are around 200,000 homeless veterans in the U.S.

Fewer than 3 out of 10 Americans know that 20% of male veterans aged 18 - 24 were unemployed last year.

Only 35% are aware that not all veterans are eligible for VA healthcare for life, and only 31% know that veterans can wait up to a year for disability benefits.

We say "thank you for your service" -- unless they are gay -- and pay very little attention to what happens to them after their multiple tours of fighting are finished.

Someone is shouting from the walls out there.

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