Veterans day should be every day

With military servicemen and women on the forefront of our thoughts this past Veterans Day, we are presented with a chance to reflect on the unfortunate issues and concerns facing veterans every day.

 

Across the nation, Americans honored veterans by taking special notice of those who dedicate their lives to serving their country. Even the University of Cincinnati hosted a ceremony paying tribute to our nations’ veterans.

 

But perhaps the best way to pay tribute to the troops is to take a closer look at the very real problems veterans combat once their active-duty service is over and how their quality of life is affected.

 

One unfortunate reality is a growing number of veterans face the real threat of increased homelessness, as more veterans are turning up homeless quicker than veterans of previous conflicts have.

 

Veterans make up about one-third of the adult homeless population according to a report by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. The IAVA report also contends in 2007 nearly 154,000 veterans were homeless on any given night with nearly 300,000 veterans experiencing homelessness at some point during the course of the year.

 

Some veterans are struggling to adapt to life outside of active duty and have a hard time landing a job and keeping up the necessary funds to pay for expenses. Veterans often face employment discrimination by skeptical civilian employers because of the worry about the condition of a veterans’ mental health and other psychological injuries caused under the stresses of military life.

 

Returning veterans, faced with the often-difficult transition to civilian life, are also suffering the effects of the tumbling economy as hundreds of thousands of new veterans are faced with an uncertain economic future. Among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan-era wars, the unemployment rate was more than 8 percent in 2007, which might be as much as 2 percent higher than the rest of the civilian population, according to the IAVA report.

 

A pandemic of sorts is also on the rise with suicide among military veterans becoming an increasingly troubling trend. There were 62 confirmed suicides in October, with 72 potential suicides still pending, according to the Army. At least 134 active-duty soldiers have taken their own lives so far this year, which stands at the doorstep of breaking last years record of a startling 140 active-duty suicides. Since 2006, the number of Army suicides has increased to 37 percent.

 

This is a tragedy that should sting all those who respect and honor the men and women who brave unimaginable dangers in the line of duty.

 

While thinking of the hardships veterans and active-duty military face, it is impossible not to bring up the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the claim that the war in Iraq is over, a significant number of troops remained stationed there.

 

And now President Barack Obama and company are about to reach a decision that could reportedly send around 40,000 more troops to join those already in Afghanistan.

 

The war in Afghanistan, a conflict which has lasted longer than World War II, continues to drag on with no clear end in sight. The objective remains obscure at best, with no real victory to be defined.

 

More Americans are growing weary of the war and there has been a significant drop in public support in keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.

 

The survey found only 50 percent of Americans favor keeping troops in Afghanistan, down from 57 percent in June. Those who favor removing troops as soon as possible rose from 38 percent to 43 percent in September.

 

It’s clear that there’s a steady belief that the current wars are simply not worth the price we and our military are paying.

 

Bringing all the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and all the other countries we have soldiers stationed in, is the best possible way to prevent future veterans from entering the continued cycle of unnecessary hardships after a noble service to their country.

 

So with all the professed support and respect for veterans and active-duty military men and women Americans express every day, these issues should remain in a more prominent position in our minds.