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Homeless Heroes
Paul Rieckhoff | May 04, 2006
The next generation of American Veterans is on its way home. Over 1.3 million American troops have already served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and tens of thousands more will return from combat over the years to come. After these young men and women put away their uniforms, they will still be coping with the consequences of years spent at war. When these conflicts have faded from the headlines, will we, as Americans, continue to honor our yellow-ribbon commitment to “Support the Troops”? Already there are many disturbing signs that we are not prepared to meet that obligation.
More than a year ago, I met my first homeless Iraq Vet. Only months after her return from combat, former Army Specialist Nicole Goodwin, 24, was staying in New York City shelters with her infant daughter. Just a few days later, I met former Private First Class Herold Noel. Herold had driven fuel trucks to the front lines during the invasion of Iraq, but when I met him, Herold was on three kinds of medication for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and living in his car with his son, a shy two-year-old named Anthony.
Herold and Nicole are not isolated cases. Ricky Singh, of the Brooklyn-based veterans' service organization Black Veterans for Social Justice does outreach in some of the toughest parts of New York. Mr. Singh, on the front lines of the new battle against homelessness, says he has seen the dozens of homeless Iraq War veterans, “and we know that this is only the tip of the iceberg.”
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, nearly 200,000 American veterans are homeless on any given night, and over 400 of those homeless veterans served in Iraq.
Without a comprehensive support system for returning vets, it's no wonder so many troops are failing to successfully transition from military to civilian life. Our troops are in Baghdad one week and Brooklyn the next. The shift from soldier to civilian in a matter of days is not an easy one to make. According to the Army's latest figures, approximately one-in-three Iraq veterans will have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other mental health issues. Throughout the war, that percentage has risen, and experts predict that trend will continue for decades, just like in Vietnam.
These veterans aren't getting the support they need because the Department of Veterans' Affairs is dangerously under funded. Despite outcry from every major veterans' organization in America, funding for the VA is still not mandatory. This means that every year, veterans' groups have to battle with politicians to get the funding they need. For 2007 alone, veterans' groups from Disabled American Veterans to the Veterans of Foreign Wars are urging Congress to increase the Administration's budget by more than $2 billion.
Faced with this budget shortfall, VA hospitals across the country are reducing their services -- even as 18,000 wounded Iraq vets are returning seeking care, and hundreds of thousands are seeking mental health treatment. One IAVA member veteran from Virginia Beach seeking treatment at his local VA was told recently that he would have to wait three months for an appointment with a counselor because, “all of you guys are coming home.”
Herold and Nicole, through a combination of perseverance and good fortune, navigated the patchwork of services available in New York City and managed to get themselves and their families back on their feet. But many other new veterans who have fallen through the cracks will not be as lucky. An under funded VA will push a new generation of veterans toward a multitude of problems, from homelessness to unemployment, alcoholism, drug addiction, crime, and even suicide.
When it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the American public can either pay now or pay later. Herold and Nicole and the hundreds like them should be America's wake-up call. Their stories are no longer hidden from the headlines, thanks in part to a powerful new documentary premiering this week at New York's Tribeca Film Festival. When I Came Home is a must-see that traces the problem of veterans' homelessness from New York to Los Angeles, and from Vietnam to Iraq.
We as Americans need to show real support for our returning heroes, and we can start by holding our elected officials accountable. Mandatory VA funding and a comprehensive program for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, including transitional housing, job training and mental-health services, will make the difference for many returning veterans like Nicole and Herold. Like the American public, our lawmakers in Washington claim to, “Support the Troops.” With the 2006 elections on the horizon, it is time for them to put their money where their mouth is.
[url="http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,96237,00.html"] http://www.military.com/opinio n/0,15202,96237,00.html
Movie about homeless veterans:
[url="http://www.whenicamehome.com/"]http://www.whenicamehome.com/
Grustno i obidno za veteranov.
Paul Rieckhoff | May 04, 2006
The next generation of American Veterans is on its way home. Over 1.3 million American troops have already served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and tens of thousands more will return from combat over the years to come. After these young men and women put away their uniforms, they will still be coping with the consequences of years spent at war. When these conflicts have faded from the headlines, will we, as Americans, continue to honor our yellow-ribbon commitment to “Support the Troops”? Already there are many disturbing signs that we are not prepared to meet that obligation.
More than a year ago, I met my first homeless Iraq Vet. Only months after her return from combat, former Army Specialist Nicole Goodwin, 24, was staying in New York City shelters with her infant daughter. Just a few days later, I met former Private First Class Herold Noel. Herold had driven fuel trucks to the front lines during the invasion of Iraq, but when I met him, Herold was on three kinds of medication for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and living in his car with his son, a shy two-year-old named Anthony.
Herold and Nicole are not isolated cases. Ricky Singh, of the Brooklyn-based veterans' service organization Black Veterans for Social Justice does outreach in some of the toughest parts of New York. Mr. Singh, on the front lines of the new battle against homelessness, says he has seen the dozens of homeless Iraq War veterans, “and we know that this is only the tip of the iceberg.”
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, nearly 200,000 American veterans are homeless on any given night, and over 400 of those homeless veterans served in Iraq.
Without a comprehensive support system for returning vets, it's no wonder so many troops are failing to successfully transition from military to civilian life. Our troops are in Baghdad one week and Brooklyn the next. The shift from soldier to civilian in a matter of days is not an easy one to make. According to the Army's latest figures, approximately one-in-three Iraq veterans will have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other mental health issues. Throughout the war, that percentage has risen, and experts predict that trend will continue for decades, just like in Vietnam.
These veterans aren't getting the support they need because the Department of Veterans' Affairs is dangerously under funded. Despite outcry from every major veterans' organization in America, funding for the VA is still not mandatory. This means that every year, veterans' groups have to battle with politicians to get the funding they need. For 2007 alone, veterans' groups from Disabled American Veterans to the Veterans of Foreign Wars are urging Congress to increase the Administration's budget by more than $2 billion.
Faced with this budget shortfall, VA hospitals across the country are reducing their services -- even as 18,000 wounded Iraq vets are returning seeking care, and hundreds of thousands are seeking mental health treatment. One IAVA member veteran from Virginia Beach seeking treatment at his local VA was told recently that he would have to wait three months for an appointment with a counselor because, “all of you guys are coming home.”
Herold and Nicole, through a combination of perseverance and good fortune, navigated the patchwork of services available in New York City and managed to get themselves and their families back on their feet. But many other new veterans who have fallen through the cracks will not be as lucky. An under funded VA will push a new generation of veterans toward a multitude of problems, from homelessness to unemployment, alcoholism, drug addiction, crime, and even suicide.
When it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the American public can either pay now or pay later. Herold and Nicole and the hundreds like them should be America's wake-up call. Their stories are no longer hidden from the headlines, thanks in part to a powerful new documentary premiering this week at New York's Tribeca Film Festival. When I Came Home is a must-see that traces the problem of veterans' homelessness from New York to Los Angeles, and from Vietnam to Iraq.
We as Americans need to show real support for our returning heroes, and we can start by holding our elected officials accountable. Mandatory VA funding and a comprehensive program for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, including transitional housing, job training and mental-health services, will make the difference for many returning veterans like Nicole and Herold. Like the American public, our lawmakers in Washington claim to, “Support the Troops.” With the 2006 elections on the horizon, it is time for them to put their money where their mouth is.
[url="http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,96237,00.html"] http://www.military.com/opinio n/0,15202,96237,00.html
Movie about homeless veterans:
[url="http://www.whenicamehome.com/"]http://www.whenicamehome.com/
Grustno i obidno za veteranov.