Many argue that war is a necessary evil. It is justified by both aggressors and defenders and even aggressors disguised as defenders. On either side of the argument are soldiers deemed heroes – despite the politics behind a war its citizens are asked to support the troops who stand in harms way to defend their way of life. In the
The research results for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for war veterans as well as other war-related psycho-social traumas successfully averted the media’s attention toward the psychological consequences of war. Thus, soldiers from Desert Storm received ceremonial welcome-home celebrations while the VA braced itself for the onslaught of physical disabilities as well as needed mental-health services. Unfortunately, there exists a gap in services such that the VA estimates that approximately one-third of the adult homeless population are veterans – mostly from
Indicators for homelessness are complicated but decipherable. And the risks for homeless veterans can be averted by ensuring that funding is allocated for Veteran’s Affairs medical facilities. That’s obvious. However, what may not be so obvious is the relationship the indicators have to our current health care, educational, and economic quagmire. That is, we have to be persistent about changing our current systems and implementing policies that ensure both security and health so that no one falls in the gaps. Particularly for veterans who are charged with ensuring our security. Thus, support of our troops should not be relegated to a mere slogan for t-shirts and bumper stickers but truly be part of the demand in our current state of reform. NYC should not have to “bolster its efforts to shelter homeless veterans” (www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/nyregion/16vets.html?_r=1 ) if policies are in place to usurp risk factors for homelessness among veterans and non-veterans to begin with.
Holly Tomlin
BW 706, Blog 5
4 comments:
I completely agree with your blog concerning support for our soldiers. The current systems only skim the surface of aid that soldiers need post-service. There are numerous ethical considerations when it comes to a soldiers service (e.g., human experimentation on servicemen for "the greater good"); however, I agree that the lapse in support for our post-service soldiers is where we have the greatest ethical discrpepancy.
For example, my brother was in the Desert Storm. After his return, he was definitely a changed man. Much of his experiences were not up for discussion among the family; however, our family was always there to support him. But what happens to the service men and women who went into war without support and came out of war without support? And I am not just talking about moral support, because that is for the birds...my brother came home to much fanfare (which was appreciated), but after what he had been through, it seemed irrelevant and pointless. What soldiers also need is more tangible support from the community and the government; this being job placement and relocation assistance.....good pick Holly :0)
I completely agree with your blog concerning support for our soldiers. The current systems only skim the surface of aid that soldiers need post-service. There are numerous ethical considerations when it comes to a soldiers service (e.g., human experimentation on servicemen for "the greater good"); however, I agree that the lapse in support for our post-service soldiers is where we have the greatest ethical discrpepancy.
For example, my brother was in the Desert Storm. After his return, he was definitely a changed man. Much of his experiences were not up for discussion among the family; however, our family was always there to support him. But what happens to the service men and women who went into war without support and came out of war without support? And I am not just talking about moral support, because that is for the birds...my brother came home to much fanfare (which was appreciated), but after what he had been through, it seemed irrelevant and pointless. What soldiers also need is more tangible support from the community and the government; this being job placement and relocation assistance.....good pick Holly :0)
Unfortunately, you're correct; policies and practices must be implemented to reduce or eliminate the ever-rising phenomenon of homeless veterans. I am always amazed at the number of veterans who have mental illnesses as well as drug and alcohol addictions. I agree that "we have to be persistent about changing our current systems and implementing policies that ensure both security and health so that no one falls in the gaps."
But my question is what is being done to prevent this from happening to our veterans returning home today? I actually work for a company who writes government applications to obtain the funds necessary to conduct military research for PTSD and many of the other problems of veterans. So, hopefully, work is being done to eliminate and reduce this problem.
Thank you LIsa and Christina. This subject is near and dear to my heart for multiple reasons. I think the problem is the complete lack of services available to a good portion of service men and women before they enter the military. Since the standard for military service is so low, many entering soldiers do not have a minimum H.S. diploma or even its equivalent. I used to work in PTSD research at the VA and one consistent variable we found was the difference in demographic variables (including education) for PTSD vs. non-PTSD veterans. Although we didn't say that a person has to be "smart" to protect against PTSD; having the tools and resources that come along with education (such as the ability to land a decent-paying jobn) is an essential component.
Thanks again for the feedback, ladies. It helps to know that I'm on the right track.
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