7 Facts about Veterans

[Shellback1]

[historyljc]

An the point you're trying to make is?

[Fastcar]

Seems pretty clear to me.

The manner in which this country has cared for its veterans is shameful imo.

[powerboatr]

i dont agree with the poster/ad/etc or its information
it seems awfully skewed and aimed at making beleive its the "not my fault" or the "clinton excuse" syndrome

as a severely dis-abled vet with ptsd/adjustment issues/dont play well in the sand box/does not let anyone place a hand on me/resist horses rears telling me what to do when they are wrong/etc

homeless vets is appalling PERIOD, so is any other homeless group.
but to say its PTSD caused is pure BS.

the thing makes it look like all vets are freaking nuts and that bothers me
I am not nuts. life happens and does things to our minds, people that have never had to put it on the line and watch their comrades die/maimed/etc simply do not have any idea. that includes leo's that have lost a partner or fellow officer in the course of their jobs. it simply does not come close

pulling your fellow aircrew out of a broken aircraft,
cleaning the brains off a cockpit glass to find answers
aiding your buddy that just got a leg/arm blown off is...well [moderator edit]
it doesn't make us homeless.
what makes us homeless is the jack rears that wont hire once they find out your not maybe well 100% perfect

what they dont understand is we as vets are DEPENDABLE and work hard, will stay long term (because we like routines). We like perks like vacation time and oh yeah...having co-workers that show up and do their contracted jobs

we don't have rice bowl issues at work
we already saved the world, so its your turn. stop thinking of us as the threat, so what we have masters degrees, it means we stuck to something.

[stepside454]

This thread will probably be removed soon

[tomwalt]

Complex topic I do not pretend to have the answer to. Why do some excel at life after war while other becomes homeless? Luck maybe? Each has a story; each has the scars and night mares that last for decades or a lifetime. I made it but had nothing different from the homeless other than luck I guess. Through no particular skill set, no college degree (due to the draft). However, I did have a family so I had to succeed to feed them – maybe that was it – failure wasn’t an option even during the 1978 recession. Bottom line - I thank God that I and my family succeeded, but I don't know why.

[Theberrys]

I'm a Vet and spent 24 Months in Nam pulling combat pay. It did make me Obsessive-Compulsive. I wasn't before that experience. That behavior makes a pretty good military man and after I got out it made a very good engineer. So I migrated to a position where my personality was desirable. I have never been homeless and in fact made a good living using the tools I obtained in the military schools and lifestyle. The hard part for me was the complete scam we were subjected to by the then elected officials. It's hard to learn that what I was committed to was in fact really a wrong thing to do. I did it in good faith and would under the same conditions do it again, but it was just plane not the right thing to do. Fifty Eight Thousand Americans died for that lost cause, what a waste.
Do I have PTSD? Perhaps... but it didn't make me homeless or unemployed.
If folks could just treat the Vet like "real" people and quit putting a stereotype on us, all would do better. Were not RAMBO! We have done things that others haven't had to do, some by choice and some by inscription, but that doesn't make us Baby Killers or Psychos.
How about a break, adds like that single us out and puts us in a bad light. The homeless Vet doesn't deserve any more than the homeless Hippy. Address the problem and we can get to a solution.
We live in an enabled society not an empowered society, change that and the Homeless count will go down.

BTW I own a RV and love to go into this great country of ours and meet all kinds of people. This topic should have something to do with RV's
Dick

[99-Am.Star]

I would like to add that each and every vet has their own view on these subjects. We all handle the memories in a differant way. I will not try to judge any vet on his or her own feelings. I do not feel it is correct to judge.
If you feel I'm wrong, it is your privelage.
May God Bless all the former and present military members. Thank you all for your service. May you all find peace in your own way.

[Cat320]

Much of that information is not proven and I do not believe it is true. A big part of the problem is the VA. They are trying to get more and more people in their system that don't need to be there...me for one. They are after the Iraq/Afgan vets by convincing them they have PTSD...whether they do or not. The VA is even running ads saying that.

[cb5300]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat320 Much of that information is not proven and I do not believe it is true. A big part of the problem is the VA. They are trying to get more and more people in their system that don't need to be there...me for one. They are after the Iraq/Afgan vets by convincing them they have PTSD...whether they do or not. The VA is even running ads saying that.

The more patients the more funds from congress...or at least that's the theory.

[Rmiscoord]

In the vain of "Just Conversation"
I am a Vet, along with most of my family past and present. Those stats compare one group -Vets, mostly young males- with the general population. Just being a vet does make you superman. Your just another guy or gal doing a job for your country and willing to give your all for country. But many others do the same but maybe just for your community - police, firemen, EMT's, search and rescue (including the Coast Guard). Anyone can suffer PTSD, it is the brains reaction to any traumatic event, car accidents, plane crashes, earth quakes, fires etc. As a Vet, fire fighter, EMT, game warden, search and rescue, and small plane biological census work I have had people (both friends and strangers) die in my arms, or need to be place in a body bag, or have had comrades killed doing the same thing as me - The point is all this could result in the same medical condition as any combat veteran. Vets are owed by the county that sent them out as are anyone else asked to perform similar duties and witness similar tragedies. But to try and play on my sympathies with fuzzy statistics is unfair to me and to the vets that really need help. Remember they may have had many of those same problems before they went in and did nothing more then fly a desk in some boring building stateside. So do not lump all vets together any more then any other group of folks, even RVers when it comes to what caused future conditions. Stay between the cactus and be safe.

[CharlieTwo]

It is interesting. PTSD is a real thing. I love to watch WWII films but I have never watched a movie about Viet-Nam. Can't do that. I've been employed all my life. Maybe, just maybe the thought ought to be about the real cost of sending people into "Harms Way". Anyway, I like my RV and enjoy this forum. Have a Merry Christmas and when you see someone in uniform this Holiday season, tell them .......... thanks.

[rmmpe]

I can watch a movie about the 'Nam but not a documentary. Or visit 'The 'Wall'.
I'm just too emotional about the whole era, beginning in 1963 with SOG, the Hmong and Montagnard people.

Merry Christmas and God bless us, every-one (quote of Tiny Tim in the 1956 version of 'A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sims).

Darn, it's cold here and my Phoenix Cruiser, next to my house, is calling "Take me".

[sdennislee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmmpe I can watch a movie about the 'Nam but not a documentary. Or visit 'The 'Wall'. I'm just too emotional about the whole era, beginning in 1963 with SOG, the Hmong and Montagnard people. Merry Christmas and God bless us, every-one (quote of Tiny Tim in the 1956 version of 'A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sims). Darn, it's cold here and my Phoenix Cruiser, next to my house, is calling "Take me".

Answer the call PA is cold spent 10 years in Washington, PA after I got out of the Navy.