Did you know there's already at least 100 homeless "War on Terror" vets living in New York.?

Question

as Bill O`Riley put it: "we expect everyone to support our troops, and if they can't do that, to shut up." what kind of treatment / care has been supplied by our beloved executive branch...what kind of occupational assistance? financial support? they're so eager to put down war-protestors saying that they're not supporting our troops...what kind of message do they send to our troops when they have to fight along side mercinaries who are immune to the same ROE they have to obide by? Does it seem like we're about to have another neglected bunch of veterins?

Answer 1

To quote Dick Cheney..The VA is just another Welfare Scheme!!

That tells you why they are are cutting the medical facilities available to Vets.

Answer 2

I would want to see a copy of their DD-214 forms. I did a year as a VISTA volunteer dealing with the homeless in my community. A lot of those said they were homeless vets. But, they couldn't respond with facts like their units, their branches of service, etc. NYC is also the home of a man who posed as a decorated, retired Lieutenant Colonel and attended a good number of events at the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen's Club in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan. The trouble is he was discharged as a Private First Class in less than two years.
So, until these "homeless vets" are checked out and produce real evidence, they are in the same category as the phony who posed as an Army Ranger on YouTube.

Answer 3

I received this from NAMI yesterday:

October 23, 2007

People with mental illness are disproportionately represented among the long-term chronic homeless. The Senate is considering the renewal of a program that helps bring permanent supportive housing those who need it most: people with serious mental illnesses and other disabilities. The bill (S 1518), would reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and maintain critical protections for homeless individuals with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders. NAMI strongly supports S 1518, and is urging the full Senate to pass the legislation as soon as possible. The legislation, sponsored by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Wayne Allard (R-CO), unanimously passed the Senate Banking Committee on September 19.

Act Now!

Contact your Senators today
( http://capwiz.com/nami/issues/alert/?alertid=10468086 )
and urge them to support immediate Senate passage of S 1518 to renew the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and maintain progress toward ending chronic homelessness experienced by people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders.

NAMI National Board Member Nancy Carter Testifies Before Congress on Homelessness

On October 16, Nancy Carter, President of NAMI Urban Los Angeles and a member of the NAMI National Board of Directors testified before the House Financial Services Housing Subcommittee on the McKinney-Vento program and federal policy regarding homelessness and mental illness. Her statement contains background on NAMI's positions on funding for permanent supportive housing and NAMI's justification for opposing an expansion of the current definition of homelessness. Click here to view her testimony.
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Housing4&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=52897
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Returning vets aren't getting the treatment they expect or deserve.

Mental Health Problems Rampant Among Returning Iraq Vets
http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2006/mental-health-problems.html

Report: Vets Mental Health Treatment Poor
http://www.nbc4.com/health/13296699/detail.html

A Quarter of Iraq and Afghanistan Vets Show Mental Health Problems
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/AnxietyStress/tb/5239

Answer 4

The first thing you have to do is weed out the number of those addicted to whatever, drugs, alcohol, gambling, whatever. Subtract that number from those listed as homeless. They are unwilling to help themselves and do not get my sympathy.

Subtract out the number of those with serious mental conditions. Why would I say that? Simple. The VA is short on bed space, but they do have some. So again, they are unwilling to help themselves. If someone is TRYING to get into a VA system, I will give them a pass, but if they have got out of a VA hospital within the past year and aren't taking their meds, aren't doing their part, they get subtracted from the number because they have the means to take care of themselves, but again, are unwilling.

Now, what is the number? What have they done to try and improve themselves? Are they looking for a program that will help them become productive members of society again, or are they looking for all the free stuff they can get?

I have dealt with some of these people, and talk about frustrating. Because they served their country, they think their country owes them something. My country doesn't owe me ANYTHING for my 9 years of active duty service. Well, security, a legal system, things like that, things that a country needs to be a country. But that's the same thing they owe everyone else in this country.

There are some hard stories out there. Things that went wrong because of something that may not have been in their control. Maybe they made a series of bad choices, and it spiraled out of control. There are a great number of things that could happen to make someone homeless. The ones who are working to make their life better, they get my help. The ones who gripe about how the system failed them as they shoot up or take another swig, they get nothing from me until they recognize that they have to work to improve themselves first.

Answer 5

In an effort to not sound disrespectful, I seriously have to wonder how many of these veterans would be homeless even if they never served.
When illegal aliens can come into this country, work and send millions of dollars back to their homeland - coupled with all of the social service safety nets and veterans' affairs programs, it is a mystery to me why there are so many homeless veterans. This is, after all, the land of opportunity.
I served in Viet Nam in 1968-69 and came home to another war on the home front - a war between Capital Hill and the anti-war zealots protesting in the streets and on the campuses. I was never homeless - I worked full time and attended college on the GI Bill.
Like the ol' saying goes, "God helps those who help themselves."

Answer 6

There's a whole hell of a lot more than that homeless because of terror so big deal.

Answer 7

honest to God above, if someone is homeless these days, they choose to be!!!!!! So many of us live in a fantasy world!

Answer 8

and with the seemingly never ending tax increases imposed by the pelosi/reid regime you can expect more ...LOTS MORE. it isnt neglect, its the plethora of failed tax and spend schemes that little of us can survive under.