Again the distractions. The President can appoint, Congress can oversee, but it’s the bureaucrats in any organization who determine results. In private AND public companies it takes guts to stand up and say this is wrong, there IS a better way. Most people see what happens next, then look the other way and “follow the rules”. The worst just look out for themselves, to hell with their clients/customers.
The suicide rate among veterans has always been high among those who saw combat. It is very hard to live a normal life after being expected to kill people on a daily basis. PTSD also affects most veterans to some degree, and it his hard to maintain solid employment with mental issues that can make bosses and coworkers uneasy. My wife’s grandfather, who fought under MacArthur in the Philippines and Pacific theater, spent his entire life unable to speak to anyone Asian without getting upset to the point of tears. We are taking kids at 18 years old, putting them in an environment where their lives are constantly in danger, and not supporting them enough when they get back. WWII had the advantage that there were plenty of job vacancies to be filled, mainly because of the number of men who died. Today, yes veterans have a box to check on their employment application, but our workforce is fluid, not permanent. A 20 year old suffering from PTSD may get the job initially, but will lose his job with everyone else when the corporate leaders feel it is time to make a new bonus payout. What is really left are low paying service jobs, so now these young men and women who damaged their minds to support whatever freedoms they were sold on cannot support their families or afford to start a family. VA clinics should be appropriately funded to provide psychiatric hekp for all who need it, and our military budget should be turned in that direction instead of towards finding new countries to invade. But our corporate culture needs to change as well. A job should be able to turn into a career that will support the worker. These kids are getting technical training, but are not able to find professional work because the jobs are now contract positions or do not pay enough to live on and have no future. Walmart is making a push to hire more veterans. Now they can look forward to coming home to a nice minimum wage job.
Maybe if there were some jobs for them when they returned those numbers would drop. Raising taxes(again) as Barry proposes, will not help.Plus, I’d like to know where Ted got his “22 a day” number.Is that from the Veterans Administration?
Stoploss, which keeps military personnel from getting out when their hitch is up.
Multiple tours of duty.
Both of these will increase the misery of being in the military exponentially. More chances to be killed, maimed, and have friends/comrades go through the same. This leads to PSTD and depression.
Why can’t we let these people lead regular lives? Because no one will volunteer to fight in a stupid, unwinnable war, so the ones who volunteered before they started are still there.
Bring back the draft. No exemptions, no deferments. Suddenly, we won’t go to war, unless there is absolutely no choice.
This scandal is about to grow larger with Obama bringing thousands more military “home”….and at the same time,cutting the defense budget which should at least honor the promises made to new recruits. The transition to civilian life should be a funded program, and healthcare should be a basic, including mental healthcare, for combat vets.-I plan to increase my occasional donations to Wounded Warriors by a monthly automatic plan….I want to do my part for our volunteer military.-IMO the federal government needs to be compelled, by public opinion, by lawsuits & courts, to enforce laws on the books and to honor government contracts with volunteer military retirees.
WTF? Some are so damaged that they take out their frustrations on innocent civilians.I don’t consider them terrorists. Unfortunately, some bureaucrats believe they can make a pronouncement, and we will go along with it. We have allowed TV to some extent dictate our attitudes toward reality. Remember Bush administration people citing 24 in support of waterboarding?
ms. ima,i usually just ignore your empty and, to be honest, quite boring rants but … i work with vets who can no longer function in ‘real’ life. until YOU have done so, please stay out of the picture with inanities like your comments here. you cannot ‘adopt a vet’ and ‘open your home’ to them. they are not stray dogs!b/t/w, many courageous vets who seem ok, are ok but many veterans are one slammed door or car backfire away from not being ok. the psychological help offered to them is woefully thin, if available at all and the financial situation many of them are in – well, it’s pretty bad. i won’t belabor you with the facts but i do wish you’d stay out of a subject like this. stick to writing on sidewalks with chalk.
wcorvi about 11 years ago
Hey, it’s just collateral damage – you know how much we all like war.
ConserveGov about 11 years ago
And the other 99.9999% don’t kill themselves.
edward thomas Premium Member about 11 years ago
Again the distractions. The President can appoint, Congress can oversee, but it’s the bureaucrats in any organization who determine results. In private AND public companies it takes guts to stand up and say this is wrong, there IS a better way. Most people see what happens next, then look the other way and “follow the rules”. The worst just look out for themselves, to hell with their clients/customers.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
Soooo… How many are at YOUR house? Third Amendment says that is the Governments’ responsibility.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
The suicide rate among veterans has always been high among those who saw combat. It is very hard to live a normal life after being expected to kill people on a daily basis. PTSD also affects most veterans to some degree, and it his hard to maintain solid employment with mental issues that can make bosses and coworkers uneasy. My wife’s grandfather, who fought under MacArthur in the Philippines and Pacific theater, spent his entire life unable to speak to anyone Asian without getting upset to the point of tears. We are taking kids at 18 years old, putting them in an environment where their lives are constantly in danger, and not supporting them enough when they get back. WWII had the advantage that there were plenty of job vacancies to be filled, mainly because of the number of men who died. Today, yes veterans have a box to check on their employment application, but our workforce is fluid, not permanent. A 20 year old suffering from PTSD may get the job initially, but will lose his job with everyone else when the corporate leaders feel it is time to make a new bonus payout. What is really left are low paying service jobs, so now these young men and women who damaged their minds to support whatever freedoms they were sold on cannot support their families or afford to start a family. VA clinics should be appropriately funded to provide psychiatric hekp for all who need it, and our military budget should be turned in that direction instead of towards finding new countries to invade. But our corporate culture needs to change as well. A job should be able to turn into a career that will support the worker. These kids are getting technical training, but are not able to find professional work because the jobs are now contract positions or do not pay enough to live on and have no future. Walmart is making a push to hire more veterans. Now they can look forward to coming home to a nice minimum wage job.
ConserveGov about 11 years ago
Maybe if there were some jobs for them when they returned those numbers would drop. Raising taxes(again) as Barry proposes, will not help.Plus, I’d like to know where Ted got his “22 a day” number.Is that from the Veterans Administration?
krisjackson01 about 11 years ago
And you, too, oppose raising taxes on the rich? Are you one of the rich, or just one of their supporters?
I Play One On TV about 11 years ago
Stoploss, which keeps military personnel from getting out when their hitch is up.
Multiple tours of duty.
Both of these will increase the misery of being in the military exponentially. More chances to be killed, maimed, and have friends/comrades go through the same. This leads to PSTD and depression.
Why can’t we let these people lead regular lives? Because no one will volunteer to fight in a stupid, unwinnable war, so the ones who volunteered before they started are still there.
Bring back the draft. No exemptions, no deferments. Suddenly, we won’t go to war, unless there is absolutely no choice.
snibbodmot about 11 years ago
According to the Obama misadministration, the victims at Ft. Hood were killed due to “workplace violence”…
echoraven about 11 years ago
Ted, you knocked this one out of the ball park. Heck it’s probably in orbit! .Great job!
disgustedtaxpayer about 11 years ago
This scandal is about to grow larger with Obama bringing thousands more military “home”….and at the same time,cutting the defense budget which should at least honor the promises made to new recruits. The transition to civilian life should be a funded program, and healthcare should be a basic, including mental healthcare, for combat vets.-I plan to increase my occasional donations to Wounded Warriors by a monthly automatic plan….I want to do my part for our volunteer military.-IMO the federal government needs to be compelled, by public opinion, by lawsuits & courts, to enforce laws on the books and to honor government contracts with volunteer military retirees.
thisisretarded about 11 years ago
Great idea! How many are you hosting?
38lowell about 11 years ago
…and Homeland Security says returning vets are terrorists?
edward thomas Premium Member about 11 years ago
WTF? Some are so damaged that they take out their frustrations on innocent civilians.I don’t consider them terrorists. Unfortunately, some bureaucrats believe they can make a pronouncement, and we will go along with it. We have allowed TV to some extent dictate our attitudes toward reality. Remember Bush administration people citing 24 in support of waterboarding?
SABRSteve about 11 years ago
I think ConserveGov was stressing a point Oscar54. It’s like political cartoons.
jerry6665 about 11 years ago
ms. ima,i usually just ignore your empty and, to be honest, quite boring rants but … i work with vets who can no longer function in ‘real’ life. until YOU have done so, please stay out of the picture with inanities like your comments here. you cannot ‘adopt a vet’ and ‘open your home’ to them. they are not stray dogs!b/t/w, many courageous vets who seem ok, are ok but many veterans are one slammed door or car backfire away from not being ok. the psychological help offered to them is woefully thin, if available at all and the financial situation many of them are in – well, it’s pretty bad. i won’t belabor you with the facts but i do wish you’d stay out of a subject like this. stick to writing on sidewalks with chalk.