In observance of Veterans Day, here is a powerful and moving photo we thought we’d share with WE Bloggers.
The image speaks for itself about a sacrifice that spans generations.
Our editorial on today’s Opinion page calls for better community treatment of homeless veterans.
James Geary, a homeless man, was found dead of heat exposure in a downtown park last summer.
Turns out Geary was an honorably discharged veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served in combat in 1967-68.
People should think about that the next time they’re tempted to judge a ragged figure sleeping under a bridge or in a car.
About 1 in 3 homeless men are veterans, and many suffer from addictions and combat-related mental health problems.
They served their country. It’s time to better serve them.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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45 Comments
There are already homeless vets from this war (estimated at about 700). Anderson Cooper interviewed who came back with Iraq with serious injuries; he tried to work ($218 a month, I believe, disability didn’t go far). Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for injuries to catch up with him.
Musta been a repeat because Cooper reported that, after it aired, they government said the set him up with 100% disability. He says he believe it when he sees it.
Hug a vet today — better yet if you see a soldier, sailor or airmen at a restaurant, bar, coffeshop today — pick up his tab —
I go without asking why, I stand so other do not fall, I fall so others may stand, I die so other may live.
I serve because it is my duty, it is my duty because I am free, I am free because someone else served.
I obey without question, I obey so other may have the right to question, they have the right to question because I do not.
So what do you owe me? You owe me the debt that my serve not be taken as a servitude. That what I did was not in vane, that you honor the rights I stood for and the country I stood for.You owe me that you not give away that which I served and which I might have die to protect.I am not a hero…. The heroes were those that died beside me. The heroes were those that died so I might be free to live and grow old. You owe me that if I lived and grow old that you remember that I served and it was for you and this country. That I stood, that I did not question, that I served, that I obeyed so you did not have to fall, that you could question, that you did not have to serve.
So what do you owe me? how great a price would be too much for what I did?How little would be enough?A mansion would be worth the service,but a roof over my head is all I need. A banquet fit for a King I am entitle to, but not to go hungry is my wish. To never want would be little for those that served, but what I need is all I ask. If I am broken, see that I am repair and if it can not be done that I can befit to have a worthwhile life.That I do not feel the fool for my service, as if you do not understand why I served.
I emphatically agree. The casualties of war are sometimes right under our noses, and we forget that is what it truly is.
Morning Pmom!
Most people don’t care to see disable vets unless it’s on Veteran’s or Memorial day. That’s the way our society has become. After Vietnam, I couldn’t wear my uniform off base without getting spit at or someone making a comment how I killed innocents and etc.
Since I was unwelcomed back into society, I became a lifer and spent 22 years in the military.
After I spent 22 years in the military, I came out and when people reply to me what I’ve done and say…”so what.”
The very people that are supposed to help you, the VA, are usually apathetic, lazy or incompetent or a combination of all three. The medical people are reasonably good, thankful for that.
If the war is unpopular, the Vet will certainly be ignored as if it were his fault his injuries occurred.
My warning to the vets returning from Iraq, most people won’t care once they are passed a few parades and wreath placing ceremonies. The pride you experience will be that generated by yourself and your comrades. Keep that in your pocket, it will keep you going.
And get used to hearing, “Veterans Day? Oh where are the sales at?” You will understand where priorties lay today in America.
Shrug it off, have a cup of coffee and go participate or watch a parade. Visit some old soldiers in the VA hospital or go to a AmVet function. These are the people that understand you.
The American public does not.
Why don’t all vets get a day off-PAID?
If we can’t get this done,why don’t we just change it to….BANKERS DAY.
“Flags of our Fathers”Good movie, go see it.It makes me feel guilty about the way veterans were treated, even in a popular war.
It’s always amazing to me that it’s always the far right who got spat on after Vietnam. Of the Vietnam vets I know personally (my dad is one) none of them got spat upon. I’m not saying it didn’t happen, it just seems funny that it always happened to conservatives.
I will agree that the government and VA is unhelpful to vets though, almost hostile to them. But maybe that’s just if you need something.
The vets in our country are given benefits that the rest of us can’t qualify for. I believe it’s right to give special privileges to those who have served in the armed forces, they deserve it. I really don’t see how the vets are treated badly by our country, they have access to free health care, medicationss, education and they still get special treatment when it comes things like obtaining a mortage.If you see a vet sleeping in a car or lying under the bridge, it’s most likely because he has a mental illness or an addiction, just like every other homeless person. That’s the real problem. If PTSD was that disabling to people, then there should have been thousands of drunk, addicted, and homeless Jews after WWII.I lived through Vietnam and I never, ever saw a soldier treated with disrespect upon his return home. Those of us at home were always so incredibly grateful that they made it back alive. I’m not saying that it never happened, but I think the whole “spitting on the soldiers” who returned from Vietnam is blown way out of porportion.Anyone can find an excuse to drink or use, from winning the lottery to losing a loved one to being disabled in war. Until we effectively address the problem of drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness, we will always have homeless vets. Sorry, but the whole “poor me I fought in a war” just doesn’t cut it.
I’m not saying it didn’t happen, it just seems funny that it always happened to conservatives.
WELL WELL WELL PEEMOM! IT’S NICE TO KNOW YOU THINK IT SEEMS “FUNNY” THAT CONSERVATIVE VIETNAM VETS WERE SPIT UPON! NICE TO KNOW WHERE YOU STAND!!!
Remind me never to fight a war for you assholes!!! None of you liberal assholes are worthy of any soldier getting a limb blown off for your free speech!
MY DAD WAS A VETERAN
Like so many for whom writing is a passion, it often takes something to kick start the process.It happen just a bit ago that it happen to me, walking through the front room I glanced over to the fireplace mantel and there was a remembrance. The display case shaped like a triangle, within is the flag that covered my dad’s coffin. He died January of 2004 at the age of seventy five, decades ago he had served in Korea during the Korea war. The flag and display case was a Christmas gift from mom and my wife, I have to admit I had to excuse myself from the family gift unwrapping for a time after unwrapping it.But seeing it today, I was reminded of him and that he was a veteran so I wanted to share this with you.
It was never a defining thing for him, when he ever spoke of it, it was more like he was simply stating he had went to the grocery store. He had went, gotten this or did that and came home, he was not a hero for what he did according to him. I learn of his serve only when I asked him one day when I was eight, again it was not a big deal for him. He had been assigned to a 105 Howitzer crew, except for the occasional sniper that would cause them to stay out of sight till the infantry could route the sniper. Nothing was worth mentioning for him as what he did. The only time he talked with some feeling was the story of the night of “Broken Arrow”.
He had been shaken out of his cot with the words “WE HAVE A FIRING MISSION!”.Middle of the night and a company of U,S. Soldiers had called in a firing mission on their own position.They had been over run and the enemy was now in the camp, year later I would learn this is called “Broken Arrow”. The line of 105s roared in the night as they were firing as fast as the crews could load and fire.He told me that many of the barrels of the cannons were glowing red in the darkness as one shell after another were fired.though he did not know anyone in the company, he knew how serious it was and that to call in on your own position meant it was a life and death struggle. Finally the call to “cease fire” came and they stood down, on the day he told me about this he said he had always wondered about the outcome. How the soldiers faired and if it had done any good.
His serves never was a defining moment in his life, only when asked did he even mention it. And then it was just something he had done among everything else that happened in the course of his life. I only truly realized just what it meant when I saw the flag draped over his coffin and how proud I was that when his nation called he was there.
My dad was a veteran.
My father in law was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed, carried the colors for Patton, and helped to liberate the German concentration camps. He never talked much about his experiences either, I’m sure he saw things that most of us can’t even imagine. He was a very kind and gentle man until the day he died.
This is a story I have told before, but in life something’s happen that start you on a course. For me this is one and I feel a needed one. I was a jailor at the Sedgwick county detention facility and that night was doing the finger printing. The WPD had brought in a drunk, he was loud and wanting to argue with everyone.I had been on the job long enough to have learn some tricks to get people to cooperate long enough to get my job done so I could move on.
One of these tricks was to listen for a time and pick something that we could talk about that would get the inmate to side with me and cooperate. The “drunk” was ranting about he had served two tours in Vietnam, could not hold a job, lost his wife, his home and how his service meant nothing to his fellow Americans.
What I said was for purely selfish reasons, I just wanted him to not see me as a enemy and to just hold still long enough for me to get his finger prints so I could pass him off to the next jailor. I said “As one American to another, thank you for your service and welcome home!”.
What happen next would change my life and set me on a course, the vet suddenly broke out in tears.I ask him what was wrong? He told me that in the ten years he had been back, I was the first one to ever say that to him. Even his own parents had not said welcome home son, they did not ask him about his service, about Vietnam or even make a big deal about his return.
I was floored, I had grown up watch the war on the nightly news, turned 18 in 1975 and for the first time thought about being drafted ( I found out the draft had ended shortly before my birthday and was relieved.)I knew that Vietnam was not popular with my generation and the country. But had never thought about how it was for those that had went. Over the course of time I had met several vets by then, but had never thought to thank them or welcome them back home. It was someone else’s job, as a kid I had loved to hear the stories of World War two, of my dad’s service in Korea. But had never once ask any Vietnam vet about their service.
That night changed me, since then ever chance I get I shake their hand and say “Thank you for your service to our country and Welcome home… Job well done!”. And though I say it more often to Vietnam vets, I say it to every vet I meet now. As soon as I learn of they service the hand goes out and I say the words.At first is felt odd to me as well as it seemed the Vietnam vets which should tell just how rare it was.But as the years passed, both of us seem to feel more comfortable with it.
Least I forget, JM “Thank you for your service to our country and Welcome home…Job well done!”
WriterdogYou write some great comments.I agree with you, we should make an everyday effort to thank a Veteran.
JM, I second that of what Writerdog said -”Thank you for your service to our country and Welcome home…Job well done!”
Uh, Will, are you American? Because most people who read that will know that FUNNY didn’t mean haha funny, funny meant paradoxyl, odd.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) - Cite This Sourcefun‚Äßny1‚ÄÇ /Ààf åni/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fuhn-ee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation adjective, -ni‚Äßer, -ni‚Äßest, noun, plural -nies.
‚Äìadjective 1. providing fun; causing amusement or laughter; amusing; comical: a funny remark; a funny person.2. attempting to amuse; facetious: Did you really mean that or were you just being funny?3. warranting suspicion; deceitful; underhanded: We thought there was something funny about those extra charges.4. Informal. insolent; impertinent: Don’t get funny with me, young man!5. curious; strange; peculiar; odd: Her speech has a funny twang.
By the way Dog, that was really lovely.
And I had already left for work when you said good morning, so I’ll return it this morning, good morning dog. Now I’m off to work.
Thanks, JM! We live in the greatest country in the world because of the sacrifices you and others were willing to make.
Mary Caruso
You need to do a little more research before you make comments like:
“The vets in our country are given benefits that the rest of us can’t qualify for.” Honey you can qualify for them, sign up — ask Tammy Duckworth how she had to qualify for them — losing both legs. You want the benfits? Follow your father in law and enlist and serve your country.
“I really don’t see how the vets are treated badly by our country, they have access to free health care, medicationss, education and they still get special treatment when it comes things like obtaining a mortage.”Health care is not free, although the VA does it’s best to provide decent health care, it pales in comparison to what most Medical Insurance plans provide and it is not free. I spent 20 years in the military and I pay a small premium for tricare insurance and still have to pay a deductible as well as 15-25% of the medical bills to the few providers there are that will take the payments our tricare plan pays for. All Meds are not free, only the ones the base pharmacy has on hand — many others require a 22 dollar co pay at a pharmacy. If I want to use the VA, I have to pay a fee based on my income. Very few veterans get “Free” health care. The Veterans mortgage benefit is marginal at best, it comes with points, and the inevitable interest is no better than one can get if they shopped around. Ask any realtor.
“If you see a vet sleeping in a car or lying under the bridge, it’s most likely because he has a mental illness or an addiction, just like every other homeless person.”The homeless vet is not like every other homeless person — they come with a different set of baggage than most -
“That’s the real problem. If PTSD was that disabling to people, then there should have been thousands of drunk, addicted, and homeless Jews after WWII.”There weren’t? After the war, Jews were given a country, (we fought with them for it) and the sympathy of most of the world — so they didn’t have to be homeless ..
“I lived through Vietnam and I never, ever saw a soldier treated with disrespect upon his return home. Those of us at home were always so incredibly grateful that they made it back alive. I’m not saying that it never happened, but I think the whole “spitting on the soldiers” who returned from Vietnam is blown way out of porportion.”You lived through Viet Nam in the comfort of your living room — not quite the same as slogging through a booby trapped rice paddy, or on the flight line during a rocket attack, never knowing who the enemy was — you were grateful they cam back alive, not for what they did? Most of them were draftees — were you drafted? pulled form the comfort of your tidy cozy home to fight for freedom for an ungrateful nation 10,000 miles away? Most people returning from Viet Nam did not get spit on or disrespected — many were …
“Sorry, but the whole “poor me I fought in a war” just doesn’t cut it.”
Very few if any walk around with that chip on their shoulder — what gets old is the lip service our politicians and people like you give to our soldiers — the logic of “Well, they didn’t have to volunteer.” doesn’t cut it with most vets and active duty types — we do it / did it as a sense of responsibilty and obligation, certainly not for the pay and benefits — but I don’t think you can ever really understand that — your father in law did — too bad he could never explain it to you.
Oh — I was very lucky. I spent 2 tours in Viet Nam and was lucky to be at realtively safe air base on the central coast — but I do remember seeing Army and Marine soldiers in our chow hall and the neighboring Special Forces dining facility with the shell shocked look of fear and shock of combat on them and could only think I understood what they went through — You never will either –
So — go do some volunteer work at the VA hospital and visit with the few remaining WW II vets, the Viet Nam vets and now Iraq vets — that is if you can find the time between what ??? Shopping?
Bring back the Draft — so more can qualify for the benefits of serving.
Shame on you ———-
Hey KenI read your comment, sounds like you have served in the war, Thank you for serving and preserving freedom for all.
Ken you forgot to mention a few things…like how you may have to drive for hours to get to the VA that might offer you the right kind of care. They left my dad in pain for months, driving 3 hours with freaking blood clots in his legs after they knew he had blood clots. What if he had stroked out when he was driving, not to mention how many times he’s been sent home after surgeries, they know there is nobody to care for him at home.
And I’ve had 70-80 year old men who fought in WWII who still break down and cry like they fought yesterday when they discuss that war, years and years later. Did it affect them too? ABSOLUTELY. We had a whole different media then as well, maybe there were suicides and homeless and killings, they were probably not reported.
Well excuse me Ken! I had friends who were killed or disabled in Vietnam, My husband served for almost 8 yrs and we were married for 7 yrs of his service. We recieved free health care, ahousing allowance,a VA loan on our first house, and lots of other benefits. He can go to the VA for health care at a fraction of what average people have to pay.To say that our country doesn’t care about it’s vets is ridiculous.Have you worked with the homeless or addicted? I have and still do. Have you ever worked at the VA? I have.Granted, it’s not politically correct to be critical of a vet for any reason, but the truth is that many of us suffer trama in our lives, that doesn’t give us an excuse to engage in dysfunctional behaviors. The idea that someone has severe emotional baggage because he went to war and no one cared is stupid.If you ever spent anytime in rehab, you’d know that addicts will always have reasons why they use. It’s not the reason that’s the issue, it’s the addiction that’s the issue. Maybe you need to do some research, then you might know a little of what you’re talking about. Come walk in my shoes for awhile, and I’ll show you the real world.
By the way, there was a lot of drug use by our soldiers who were in Vietnam, and many came back with addiction problems that continued long after they completed their military service.
No one said our country doesn’t care about vets — basically you said you don’t care, and they make excuses for their addictions / issues — and yes I have worked with the homeless and addicted and had a lot more compassion for their plight than you show here — walk in your shoes? You’re real world? Sorry I don’t think you know what reality is — if you did you wouldn’t make comments so disparaging of veterans
Mary it comes down to once again not everyone having an even playing field. You may not suffer a mental illness, you may not have to combine that with PTSD. There is a real reason why so many more vets come home ill than well…and it’s not just being weak. Why do so many poor end up abused, drug addicted and in prisons vs the rich? Why are inner city youth at risk for these behaviors as well? For one to sit in such judgement when you have not walked in their shoes is just not fair.
Mary is a friend of mine who I have met.
That said, I am disappointed that she has joined the “blame the victim” crowd.
Oh my goodness, typical debate tactics from the weak. Attack the person instead of the argument.
I know Mary myself. She does more to care for people than you guys seem to know.
I hardly ever agree with her on political issues, but I do here.
If you have a problem with her arguments then present your problem with her arguments.
She is not blaming the victim JR.
She didn’t say anything desparaging about veterns ken.
She is not sitting in judgement mom.
Mary presented some very real and valid example of how and why things are not as bad as is being portrayed by others here.
You have a problem with her arguments then lets see you employ some debate skills and counter them instead of taking pop shots at her personally.
I don’t dislike Mary at all, I just don’t agree with her on this message.
I don’t always agree with Mary either, but it takes different approaches and different ideas to address all the issues facing the homeless, disabled, and physically/mentally ill veterans on the street. I applaud ANYONE who does anything to help work these issues. Many times it IS alcohol or drug abuse that is the biggest problem for these gentlemen or women… but we must remember, the core, psychological dependence more than likely came from experiences in times of war!They sacrificed for us.. we should at the very least let them know that we care.
Ok I’ll offer a few more comments. DNA, they’ve already found that we have personality genes. Some of us are naturally given tools to help us cope with stress while others have to struggle with it more. Medical and psychological disorders…they’ve found that kids with ADD are more likely to abuse drugs because they’re always given negative attention for their behavior. This is sort of a self-medicating process. So combine a impulsive behavior with a low self esteem and voila. Add trauma. Add trauma over and over and over again such as abuse or war. To say that these things don’t add into the equation is just short sighted. I will never ever say that I can understand totally why people do the things they do, but it would be better for us to try to understand rather than judge…and that is exactly what was done.
Now, yes, those with addictions do make excuses for their behavior. But we can lift them out of the excuses and say ‘yes, we realize these things affected you and were very hard on you, but you and only you can work past that and we’re willing to help you to help yourself do that”. That’s not enabling.
And there are some that just aren’t able or willing to open up that can of worms, so their addictions will continue. But judging and blaming is only going to push them further away.
“But judging and blaming is only going to push them further away.”
Same for our kids.Conservatives want to take the kids and young adults who need the most help, identify them through drug testing, and then…..exclude them from society.
pmom..
IMHO, one of the things that drags street people down the most is their low self esteem and negative “judgement” they feel from their government and those they encounter on the street.
Our fine city, in celebrating the coming holiday of love, family and giving, are this very day putting up decorations downtown around the Century II area. I am aware of at least a dozen or so homeless gentlemen that have been told they are no longer welcome to stay in the area, and they need to move on. Christmas Spirit indeed!!
One of those gentlemen who I consider a good friend, does not drink, does not do drugs, is a veteran, shares his blankets and food with others, and is an all around good person. He routinely picks up the trash and keeps the area cleaned up.
Now, because of the decorating, he is not good enough to stay there. What does that do to one’s self esteem? We are trying to find him a place to go, but that takes time. Hopefully some day soon we will have emergency housing for these situations.. but until then, people like him are suffering, and he has done nothing to deserve such treatment!
Couldn’t we convert one old school into a homeless shelter? Think about it, the gym could be set up like a dorm with bunkbeds, it already has a kitchen/dining area, showers, lockers for each who checks in…we could have education classes there for work, counselors and groups for substance abuse.
pmom..
The old school idea has crossed my mind.. but I want more than “just another shelter”. We are trying to work a plan that covers the emergency shelter issue, and would allow for satellite offices for counselors, VA services, etc. But, and this is where I receive the most resistance, I want it to be progressive where these people can earn their own rooms, and then their own apartments, and eventually, their own homes.They should be able to “step up” to whatever level that they can thrive and be successful. It is not a band-aid approach for everyone, but an approach that actually gets some or many of them off the street.As soon as we receive our non-profit status, we have intentions of developing and implementing such a program. All that is holding us back right now is the dollars it will take to launch on a small scale. Not to mention getting the City to allow us to operate in a geographical area that is reasonably close to all the “other” services these people require.
Reading the posts on this thread has caused me to think a thought I wish to raise here, namely, in the absence of a draft in wartime, should there be a blanket of benefits available to all veterans? At the risk of being roundly flamed, the following underlies my question.
First, the panoply of benefits granted those who went to fight WWII underlies most of our current perceptions as to what benefits a veteran should have access. This, in fact, seems to be the underlying consideration of current law regarding benefits.
Second, should one be entitled to benefits on a grand scale if he/she serves voluntarily in peacetime? This, of course, presumes no service connected disability resulting from such service.
Third, should the existence of benefits as currently constituted justify the pay rates in force for the members of the uniformed services, or should there be something resembling “market rate” pay scales?
Do not misunderstand me; I feel that there are many veterans who, for whatever reason, are not receiving the benefits to which they are entitled under current law. My questions and thoughts are addressed more to the future.
I understand the above represents a policy decision; do we, as a country, wish to continue the current policy, or do we wish to rethink it and see if there is a different policy we wish to pursue? Thoughts?
That is a wonderful idea Sam. I think it will help many who want to work their way out…but what do we do with the ones who won’t want to do that?
VT you raise good questions. I don’t know why anyone would flame you for that.
The first matter of business would be for the government to be forthright about what the war did to the vets. And no, I don’t think the same benefits should extend to people who served in peacetime unless they were sent to do combat missions or served in someone else’s war zone. War is war no matter what label you stick on it.
But there do need to be perks extended for those who were willing to serve should we had needed them. Oh and of course, if they were harmed doing practice runs here at home, YES that should count for full benefits as well. Think of it as work comp.
pmom..
In my , those who totally do not want help do not come to us in the first place. I see them on the street, they do not accept even a polite greeting. Others, who choose to remain in their addictions would stay at the emergency “shelter” level, still receiving care and unconditional love and friendship.
I must apologize to all of those who were offended by my comments. It’s not my intention to come across as uncaring, because I do care about people. I have a lot of compassion for those who are hurting, but I know that in order to truly help someone you can’t make excuses nor allow them to make excuses for their self destructive behaviors. I don’t judge anyone, we are all human and fall prey to our human weaknesses. As humans, we all have the same needs, the same wants, the same feelings. We are much more alike than we are different. This is what I have learned from over 20 yrs of working with people from all walks of life who suffer from severe mental illness and drug and alcohol addictions.Severe trama comes in many forms, from losing a child, to being raped or molested, to being subjected to the horrors of war. To be alive is to risk of having pain, it’s part of the human condition and few of us escape this life unscathed.The way to help people is not by justifying their dysfuctional behavior with excuses and then enabling them to stay sick, but with compassion, hold them accountable for their healing. This is the only approach that stands a chance to make a positive difference in a person’s life. If you really want to help someone heal, you have to do what you can to take them out of the victim’s role and help them to find their own strength. Once the trama stops, it’s up to the individual as to how long they want to stay a victim, and encouraging someone to sit on the pity pot only puts a big ring on their ass.I’ve seen people who have overcome tremendous odds to live happy and fulfilling lives, but those are the ones who make the choice to take responsibility for their lives, not depending on others to take care of them or to do it for them.You can give people food, shelter, and try to make their life more comfortable for them, but the reality is that as long as you feel more stress and anxiety for their situation then they do, you’re only diminishing their chances of ever getting better.I’m not trivializing anyone’s pain, but I know that joining them in that pain isn’t going to be helpful to them. All it really does is diminish your own anxiety and it makes YOU feel better.A veteran sleeping in car or lying under a bridge would probably be in the same situation even if he wasn’t a vet. It really doesn’t have as much to do with the fact that he is a vet as it does with the fact that he’s a drug addict, an alcoholic, or that he’s menatlly ill. Like I’ve said before, if we concentrated on providing mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services as much as we do providing food, shelter, and warm blankets, then we’d go a long way toward solving the problem of homeless veterans.
Mary
My apologies to you — I allowed my frustration with the American publics general apathy and lack of involvement in the war to berate you unnecessarily –
Ken
if we concentrated on providing mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services as much as we do providing food, shelter, and warm blankets, then we’d go a long way toward solving the problem of homeless veterans.——-
Now this Mary, this I can totally 100% back you on. If that is what you were trying to say the first time and I misunderstood, I’m sorry.
As far as the mental illness, some of them, depending on HOW ill they are, just need to be helped because some have absolutely no way to help themselves. I’m talking like the paranoid schizophrenics that shouldn’t be out on the streets in the first place.
Mary,
First, I want to commend you for your work.. it is and honorable but thankless service that you provide. I pretty much agree with what you are saying down to your last paragraph:”A veteran sleeping in car or lying under a bridge would probably be in the same situation even if he wasn’t a vet. It really doesn’t have as much to do with the fact that he is a vet as it does with the fact that he’s a drug addict, an alcoholic, or that he’s menatlly ill. Like I’ve said before, if we concentrated on providing mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services as much as we do providing food, shelter, and warm blankets, then we’d go a long way toward solving the problem of homeless veterans.”
Yes.. SOME would still be addicts/alcoholics even if they were not vets… but I would say a BIG percentage is related to psychological trauma of war. Many addictions of vets are also tied to physical disabilities and even exposure to low dose radiation and defoliants such as “Agent Orange”.
Yes.. we need to improve and better fund drug and alcohol treatment, and stop putting mentally ill people out on the street. On the other hand, drug and alcohol treatment isn’t for everyone.. I know many drunks who have been dried out multiple times. I DO think it is vital and necessary, but I also think that giving them hope of a future and a hand up is equally important to many, especially those with mental challenges that destroy their self worth and ability to see their own way out….
I truly believe and have seen evidence that many people lost in addictions and hopelessness, if pulled off of their “pity pot” and given a chance to re-enter society, will CHOOSE to fight their addictions, seek counseling, and be open to learning skills that will help them to live a normal life.
Those who choose NOT to conform.. well, they still need blankets and food when we find them cold and starving in an alley or under a bridge.
What you say is true, Sam. But our society has becme very enabling, which has made the homeless problem worse.The mental health system does allow those with severe mental illness to fall through the cracks too often, plus the laws have changed. You can’t force someone into treatment unless they’re a risk to themselves or others, and many refuse help because they’re too sick to realize they need help.It’s the same with addicts, unless they want to change their lives you can’t really help them.
I don’t like people getting too comfortable in their addiction, because it only contributes to their self destruction. I understand how hard it is to watch someone suffer and not do everything to try and ease their pain, but you have to realize that until they get tired of the pain and discomfort, they aren’t going to be motivated to change, and when you do for others what they need to do for themselves, you only add to their sense of worthlessness and low self esteem.There are many caring people with their heart in the right place, but all the food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, clothing give-aways, free haircuts, etc. has helped to create a subculture of people who can hang onto their addictions, survive on the streets, and become too comfortable with their lifestyle.
PEEMom, Why don’t you stick your head in that commode and hold your breath for say… five minutes?…………….Beeeeeeeeyotch!