Veterans Suicide – an Epidemic – Part I

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

On Memorial Day, Americans honor the fallen.  Soldiers whose faces will never appear before us again are remembered for their service.  Only the few, friends and family, will recall the life of those young men and women who passed from this world into another.  

I found this sign in the garbage on my way to work. I saw it peaking out amid other rubbish and went over to uncover it. I knew what it was because I had seen it before in the hands of its former owner while I was walking by.

Every morning I see homeless veterans on my walk to work. They stand between lanes of traffic holding signs and hoping to be seen and offered help. To see them fills me with a mix of anxiety, remorse, sadness, and embarrassment because I lack the courage to look them in the eye and speak with them.

When I saw the sign jutting out of the trash, I was drawn to it because I would finally be able to read what it said. I took the corner in my hand, shook off the surrounding refuse and unfolded and extended it up so I could read it.

What do you do when the greed fueled madness of the few becomes the stark deadly reality for many, and the blatant lies of the killers become the truth that is ejected day after day from the plastic reality box , where shiny bright vultures of the ruling class, with perfect teeth and perfect hair, proclaim and affirm that what you see isn't what you get, that your eyes and ears are lying, that war is peace and hate is love and all is righteous and good in God fearing America.  What do you do when our soldiers, bound by oath to fulfill their duty, are lied to, abused, sent to fight ill equipped, under manned, without competent leadership, stop lossed, numbed with medication, re deployed, over and over,  then are dumped into our cities and streets, forgotten and left to fend for themselves. What do you do.

 You've probably already seen news stories like these.

 More than 400 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have turned up homeless, and the Veterans Affairs Department and aid groups say they are bracing for a new surge in homeless veterans in the years ahead.

The financial strain from extended tours of duty is part of the reason for this travesty, where one in four members of the National Guard have lost their jobs while serving overseas and the government refuses to do anything about it.

 It's a very old tradition that repeats over and over again throughout history, where the bravest and most patriotic of the working class get screwed first. It is particularly likely to occur when a republic begins to drift towards empire.

After weeks of being extremly busy and also ill, I was in the past few days catch up on my readings in the DailyKos, Huffington Post, and TPM, as well as some other news blogs. I even managed to put in a few responses to some moving articles. However this post comes not from an article per sae, but from one of the respondants post criticizing Obama and liberals, esentially calling us "dumbasses" for thinking Osama bin Laden wasn't trying to get us anyway he could, and the "politics of hope" that Obama brings with him in his Presdential bid belongs more in the places like Disney or Pixel studios rather then real life. My reponse to this idiot went something like this:

I would like for any reading this to travel over and read

Field Producer Robin On Veterans and the Petition Delivery, a very moving, and short read, of her travels with the Homeless Veterans to
the FOX media New York city studios.

A sample below:

Last night I posted some of the following on a couple of sites. KO reported, on his show, about these Veterans, but for some reason he doesn't have that Video report at his site.

Homeless veterans bringing their fight to Bill O’Reilly — Directly

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. I have try mixing my own rants and ideas, with national issues, news items, and some very local groups and events in an attempt to both help shape debate and to help people find their own ways of getting involved.

This week I highlight Bill O'Reilly's latest insult: denying the existence of some 200,000 homeless Veterans. For my NYC readers I highlight a very important attempt in the City Council to require permits for citizens to use devices that detect harmful materials in the air, water and soil. For my North Carolina readers I highlight a Democratic candidate for Congress, Marshall Adame, who is pissing off the mercenary firm Blackwater. I am urging people to support Marshall Adame for his willingness to challenge Blackwater. And I continue to highlight local events in all the states where I have had a good number of readers. Interestingly, Florida and Texas are joining New York and California as states where I have lots of readers. Don't forget to visit an advertiser or two and if you want more, please visit Culture Kitchen.

For those of you who have been following the saga, Bill O'Reilly originally ripped into John Edwards for mentioning the plight of homeless veterans.  O'Reilly originally denied that there were any homeless vets at first, then when pressed said he'd get any homeless vets off the street if he knew of any.

But it seems now he's reneged on that deal, instead saying that he'd just pay for a homeless vet to travel to John Edwards' house.  Why won't Billo take them in?  Probably because he thinks they're crazy and on crack!

Go below the fold for the video...

Well, after this latest verbal diarrhea from Bill O'Reilly, with which Keith Olbermann and IAVA's Paul Rieckhoff blasted him for his assholery, what's O'Reilly to do?

Why, ramp up the attacks on homeless vets and John Edwards, that's what!  The sordid details after the fold.

I just sent out a Heads Up to Vet Pax, which is the coalition of Veterans For Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against The War Chapters in and around New York City.

I had been thinking about what could be done on this issue of o'really and his total lack of not only knowledge, about the Plight Of Veterans Who Are Homeless, but his total lack of Compassion, wasn't that what his hero ran on, and Support towards Veterans in General.

lbear sent me an E which cleared the thought process.

After spending this morning clearing the back patio of fast-weathering furniture, weeds, and innumerable tiny white snails (the bane of my gardening existence), I treated myself to lunch at one of our tiny town's restaurants. This was the last meal of the season; this restaurant, along with so many others in the area, won't be re-opening again until the end of March. I was one of five customers.

I had an extended and far-ranging conversation, mostly about America, with two of the other customers, both elderly French men.

[From the diaries - BarbinMD]

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

I forget sometimes how fortunate I am to live in close proximity to a city rich with history, memorials, museums and beauty.  One thing that we aren't lacking for are memorials dedicated to particular wars, battles, and the military.

While I appreciate these monuments and honor the sacrifice which spelled their necessity, I'm not certain that we are memorializing the right things.  

Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

I remember visiting the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial shortly after its dedication on Veteran's Day 25 years ago.  My family waited until the following spring to visit, combining a trip to The Wall with a visit to the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms. I was 15 at the time, and I was undoubtedly focused on things that didn't much consider history.  In fact, if I recall correctly, I was quite the pill when informed that I would NOT be staying home to watch MTV (which was new at the time - man I'm old!), I would be making the annual family trek with the family.

World War II Memorial

I still remember when we first walked near The Wall, near enough for it to truly come into view.  Flowers were everywhere.  Dog tags lay on the ground.  Photos lay with dog tags and flowers.  Remembrances competed with each other in an unbroken line at the base of the wall.  People stood by, close, looking - reading - searching for a name.  Some had found them and stood touching a name on the wall.  Still others touched and wept.  I must have been rooted to the spot, gaping, because my mother told me not to stare.

Korean War Memorial

That was probably the first time I remembered really connecting to wars and consequences and devastation.  I was profoundly moved by that trip and, as my parents can attest, picked their brains forever after about what it was like to be alive in the 60s and how they felt about Vietnam past and present.  It was one of those moments in life when you can feel your outlook fundamentally altered and, in some ways, your innocence irretrievably lost.

These memorials exist for us to see and reflect, to draw our own conclusions about how we feel or felt about a particular war and make judgments as to the war's relative "rightness" or "wrongness".  I deeply appreciate these memorials despite the fact that in some ways they glorify battle, something which should be avoided at all costs.  What I mean is, if you were an alien who was dropped in the middle of Arlington at the Iwo Jima Memorial or you were dropped into the center of the World War II Memorial you'd see odes and testaments to bravery and patriotism that wouldn't necessarily tell the real story of the war itself.  It would utterly lack context.  Yet living in this country and being reasonably well-educated allows me to appreciate the memorials within their respective proper contexts.  

The sign reads: "Vet Air Force. Dont use drugs or drink. Money for food".

The Memorials You Don't See

I didn't write this diary, however, to talk about the beauty of our national war memorials or to specifically discuss the bravery of the individuals honored or the folly or wisdom of the particular war itself.  Rather, this diary operates in reverse order of my thought process as I rose this morning and reflected on Veteran's Day.  It made me think of a report I saw on CNN last Thursday, one which featured this staggering opening:

More than 25 percent of the homeless population in the United States are military veterans, although they represent 11 percent of the civilian adult population, according to a new report.

The sign reads: "Homeless veteran very sick with liver disease. Lost job after 21 years. Please help. God bless you."

I personally see them every single time I go downtown, which is several times a week.  They stand at the light where Roosavelt Bridge ends and becomes Constitution Avenue at the entrance to DC.  They walk up and down between the cars, carrying signs.  Most people ignore them - but I always roll my window down and give them some money (and yes - I realize it could be a scam but my conscience won't allow me to ignore them on the chance that it's not), usually moved by the signs they carry.  Recently, I've seen these vets moving farther out of the city.  They appear at busy intersections along the DC Metro lines having traveled, presumably, to greener pastures.

Disabled homeless veteran.

One thing that I'm also noticing is the change in the appearance of these vets.  They have, sadly, been a mainstay in DC and the always seemed roughly the age of a Vietnam vet.  Yet lately, younger faces have been appearing on the streets of DC and holding signs.  I suspect this is something that is going to continue to increase, given the dire state of funding for Veteran's care coupled with the appalling lack of wellness care afforded the current Iraq War veterans.  The CNN article touched on this as well:

Veterans such as Jason Kelley find themselves in a Catch-22, not able to find a job because of the lack of an apartment, and not being able to get an apartment because of not having a job, The Associated Press reported.

"The only training I have is infantry training, and there's not really a need for that in the civilian world," the AP quoted Kelley as saying in a phone interview. In addition, he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he told the AP. Kelley served in Iraq with the Wisconsin National Guard, the news agency said.

There have been some great diaries on PTSD here at Daily Kos (follow the link to all 502 of them), and I believe that the readership here understands what a huge problem it already is and its potential for growth.  In a system that already clearly can't accommodate the unique needs of veterans, I'm sick to think about how many Iraq War vets will degenerate from lack of proper mental and physical care and join the ranks of the veteran homeless in the coming years.  I sadly expect that the faces will continue to get younger, blending in with the older, telling a story of literally generations of veterans tossed aside by a system that doesn't serve their needs or interests.

Remembering ALL Veterans on Veteran's Day.

So coming full-circle - I appreciate the memorials.  I do.  But most of these memorials honor the dead.  Yes, the living may be represented, but The Wall, for example, is all about the dead.  It's about those who died in service to our country, right or wrong.  The irony is that YARDS AWAY from The Vietnam Memorial you see homeless veterans.  I always wonder, when I see them, if they believe that the people on The Wall itself were the lucky ones.  Here is a living person who gazes at a memorial to those who didn't survive yet he, the living, is dishonored daily.  The irony is enough to make me cry.

As I watched the ceremony laying the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier this morning and saw that it was Cheney who did the honors and heard the reporter stating that Bush was in Crawford engaged in "critical meetings", I became incensed.  That passed, though - because I don't know how I could expect better of a person who didn't serve and who currently treats living veterans like GARBAGE.  The only bright spot with this Veteran's Day and the days leading up to it was the attention that the homeless veteran story received within the more mainstream press.  What better time to show the criminal treatment veterans are receiving than nearly simultaneous with Cheney's wreath-laying and Bush's speech at the Waco VFD?  Does he think that whatever words he spoke this day have truly spoken louder than his actions?

Sadly, there are living memorials across this country.  Right now I can tell you for certain that there's an encampment under an overpass on 395 north - I see them there all the time, camped out.  They are more valuable than any stone or engraving that men's minds can conceive.