posted on February 24, 2007 06:10:03 PM new
HERE WE GO AGAIN JUST LIKE VIET NAM. ANOTHER FAILURE FROM OUR COMMANDER AND FAILURE BUSHY. BUSHY/CHENEY/RUMMY WERE ALL COMPLETELY UNPREPARED FOR THEIR INVASION OF IRAQ NOW LOOK AT THE MESS AMERICA IS IN BECAUSE OF THEIR FAILURES. THE NEW-CONS ALL SAY THEY ARE ALL ABOUT THE TROOPS NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR THEM. I SAY THE NEW-CONS HAVE SHOWED US ALL THEY ARE FULL OF BULL ROAR.
Vets on the Street
Hundreds of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are ending up homeless. How could this happen?
• How U.S. Is Failing Its War Veterans
• Hundreds of Iraq Vets Are Homeless
WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Sarah Childress
Newsweek
Updated: 2:41 p.m. ET Feb 24, 2007
Feb. 24, 2007 - Kevin Felty came back from Iraq in 2003 with nowhere to stay, and not enough money to rent an apartment. He and his wife of four years moved in with his sister in Florida, but the couple quickly overstayed their welcome. Jobless and wrestling with what he later learned was post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Felty suddenly found himself scrambling to find a place for himself and his wife, who was six-months pregnant. They found their way to a shelter for homeless veterans, which supported his wife during her pregnancy and helped Felty get counseling and find a job. A year later, he's finally thinking his future. "I don't want to say this is exactly where I want to be—it's really not," he says. "But it's what I can get at the moment."
Story continues below ↓
Young, alienated and often living on their own for the first time, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans increasingly are coming home to find that they don't have one. Already, nearly 200,000 veterans—many from the Vietnam War—sleep on the streets every night, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But young warriors just back from the Mideast—estimated around 500 to 1,000—are beginning to struggle with homelessness too. Drinking or using drugs to cope with PTSD, they can lose their job and the support of family and friends, and start a downward spiral to the streets. Their tough military mentality can make them less likely to seek help. Advocates say it can take five to eight years for a veteran to exhaust their financial resources and housing options, so they expect the number to rise exponentially in a few years. "Rather than wait for the tsunami, we should be doing something now," says Cheryl Beversdorf, president of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
The problem is mainly a lack of resources, advocates say. There are only about 15,000 beds available in VA-funded shelters or hospitals nationwide, and nearly every one is taken. In some smaller cities there simply aren't many places for a homeless veteran to go. And as affordable housing units shrink nationwide, veterans living on a disability check of, say, $700 a month, (which means a 50-percent disability rating from the VA), are hard-pressed to find a place to live. Most shelters require veterans to participate in a rehabilitation program, but a "fair amount" of veterans just go back to the streets once they leave, says Ed Quill, director of external affairs at Volunteers of America, the nonprofit housing group for veterans that helped Felty.
The VA says it's making a concerted effort to reach out to vets before they hit bottom, says Pete Dougherty, the VA's coordinator for homeless programs. Intake counselors are trained to ask questions, especially of newer veterans, to seek out mental health or other problems that could lead to homelessness. "We're much more sensitive than we were 40 years ago for signs of problems," he says. And they have expanded some services. Last week, the VA approved $24 million to boost aid for the homeless, which will allow them to add about 1,000 more beds and increase the number of grants to help the growing population of homeless women veterans and those with mental illnesses.
Much of the work with new veterans is being done one soldier at a time. At New Directions in Los Angeles, a center that rehabilitates homeless veterans, Anthony Belcher, a formerly homeless Vietnam vet who now works at the center, looks out for one particular Iraq veteran who shows up at the center about once a month, filthy, drugged out and tortured by PTSD. "He's a baby," Belcher says. "You can see it in his eyes." So far, the young vet is too wary to accept more than a night's bed or a hot meal. But as Belcher says, at least he has a place to go. That's more than many of the thousands of vets on America’s streets can say tonight.
posted on February 24, 2007 09:18:26 PM new
Utterly shameful!
_____________________
People who want to share their religious views with you almost
never want you to share yours with them.
posted on February 25, 2007 11:29:29 AM new
It is shame since the government promises recruits the world, but if they are injured in the line of duty they are discharged and abandoned by the government.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 25, 2007 12:08:08 PM new
The government let them down when they lied to them about the reason for going to war and now when they have returned wounded the government lets them down again by abandoning them. At the same time Bush eagerly wants to send more to meet the same fate.
As far as Bush and those higher up in government caring, I think they are so far removed from seeing any real war or suffering or street life or poverty that they could never begin to grasp what is happening in the real world. It's very sad.
Special thanks should go to those Vietnam veterans who have gone through this and now reach out to help these young people that follow in their footsteps.
posted on February 25, 2007 04:17:41 PM new
I wonder what people like Liar_K, Bear,Stone,quartermaster and Classic has to say about hundreds of Iraqi vets living on the streets.
I am betting they are really pissed off about how our unprepared Veterans Administration has failed the Troops.
All those that support BUSH and his INVASION of Iraq SAY "nothing but the best for our Brave American Troops".
I believe American Troops living on the streets is not the best this government can do I believe its an outrage! I saw it after Viet Nam and now I am seeing it again.
We can all see so far Roadsmith, logansdad and kiara all feel compassion for our troops and feel our Troops should be treated much better after coming home. Who else thinks this situation is an outrage?
But hold on where are the new-con Troop Supporters? I don't see any outrage from them about this very bad situation. WHAT'S UP CONS?
posted on February 25, 2007 05:21:06 PM new
I don't think there's an American alive that wants to see our injured troops being kept in the conditions that ONE BUILDING was in.
It was an old motel/hotel building and was being used TEMPORALLY to house these troops. The plans have been to tear it down and rebuild NEW facilities for our vets.
The Walter Reed building is going to be torn down in 20111 or 12.
IF any of you have read the studies on the homeless vietnan vets....they're homeless because THEY CHOOSE TO BE.
Not because there aren't facilities where they could stay. Many are alcoholics ....drug abusers....who refuse to live in any place that has expectations of their behavior. They are fighting the world...in the sense that they want to do as they please.
There are benefits for them...there are places available for them to be taken care of.
They have to WANT that help.
As do these 500 or so that have chosen the same road for their lives.
Try and keep things in perspective for once. 500 out of how many?????
Just like the lives that we've lost....each and everyone precious .....each and every family suffering because of their loss.
That doesn't change the fact they KNEW what they were doing when they VOLUNTEERED.....KNEW the risks...and still chose to enlist.
Just because some here can't understand why someone would volunteer to serve....can't understand why some would CHOOSE to be homeless.....doesn't mean they don't have the right to make that choice. I personally think they've EARNED whatever choice they make.
We are fighting a war on terrorism. And it's NOT going to be over anytime soon. Even IF a dem is elected in '08 - which I don't see happening.
We will lose MORE lives....there will be more injured....but thank God we have men and women like these brave soldiers who are special and are willing to fight....to represent what America stands for.
And that certainly ISN'T admitting defeat to our enemies. NOR sitting back and waiting until they attack us again.
So scream away....enjoy your rants...enjoy your hysterical ravings.....America is NEVER going to sit back and wait for another 9-11.
We may not be able to prevent another attack...but we're sure as heck NOT a nation FULL of COWARDS.
edited to add: That as soon as top brass was made aware of the terrible situation....they immediately went to work fixing it. AND those who are responsible for not fixing it before....will be disciplined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
Ann Coulter
[ edited by Linda_K on Feb 25, 2007 05:27 PM ]
posted on February 25, 2007 05:26:56 PM new
Yup, I can see Pres Bush looking at a list of returning vets and saying, I'll pick this one and this one and this one and since I'm president I'll personally MAKE sure they are homeless.
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
posted on February 25, 2007 05:30:37 PM new
I know.
I think MANY need a REAL BIG reality check.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on February 25, 2007 05:44:43 PM new
God, Linda.
_____________________
People who want to share their religious views with you almost
never want you to share yours with them.
posted on February 25, 2007 06:18:19 PM newThe Walter Reed building is going to be torn down in 20111 or 12.
That is a LONG time from now. I think that is also when Bush hopes the troops will finally be home from Iraq and the budget will be balanced.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 25, 2007 06:26:24 PM newIF any of you have read the studies on the homeless vietnan vets....they're homeless because THEY CHOOSE TO BE.
Another smart quote from Linda. What planet is she from. I don't know of anybody that choose to be homeless. I suppose Linda is going to say they made that choice years ago. Let's see, what do I want to do when I grow up.....graduate high school, join the military, get injured, be discharged and then be homeless.
Hey, but why should that surprise anyone. This coming from the intellegent one that gives out her email address so any one can track down where she lives.
They fight with honor.
But they fight with little ammunition and they fight with no armor.
They come home to inadequate services and a government that has lied to them. They come home wanting out of the service, not trusting. They come home to few resources.
They are the next generation of Homeless Veterans and we are already seeing the beginning of this wave at Operation Dignity.
They are falling through the safety net that was supposed to prevent this from happening. Shame on all of us for allowing this administration to do this to our Veterans. Operation Dignity asks all to join them in writing congress asking that the troops be brought home now.
Alex McElree
According to the federal government, veterans make up 9% of the U.S. population but 23% of the homeless population. Among homeless men, veterans make up 33%
We are fighting a war on terrorism. And it's NOT going to be over anytime soon.
According to Linda's estimated above, it will not be over for another 20,000 years or so.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 25, 2007 06:27:47 PM newWe may not be able to prevent another attack
Linda doesn't believe we are safe. This is not what Bush has been telling everyone. According to Bush we are safe.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 25, 2007 06:39:25 PM newedited to add: That as soon as top brass was made aware of the terrible situation....they immediately went to work fixing it.
THREE DAYS AFTER IT WAS POINTED OUT BY THAT LIBERAL NEWSPAPER - THE WASHINGTON POST
Now who is really looking after the troops.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on February 25, 2007 06:47:21 PM new
As far as 'fixing it' here is a report of them painting over mold as a quicky-fix for the tv cameras. Anyone that renovates knows that you can't just paint over mold.
Painting Over the Problems at Walter Reed's Building 18
By Dana Milbank
Friday, February 23, 2007; Page A02
It's not every day one gets to witness a whitewash in action, but Walter Reed Army Medical Center provided just such an opportunity yesterday.
The Army mobilized. Painters were deployed to cover the offending wall with a fresh coat of white semigloss. And television crews were invited in to inspect the result.
"Some of the paint is still wet against that wall, so be careful," Walter Reed public affairs officer Donald Vandrey, standing on the bed in his socks, advised the film crews. "They just finished repainting it about 10 minutes ago."
Mission accomplished?
Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley thought so. After the media tour of Building 18, the Army's surgeon general gave a news conference. "I do not consider Building 18 to be substandard," he said of a facility Priest and Hull found full of "mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses" and other delights. "We needed to do a better job on some of those rooms, and those of you that got in today saw that we frankly have fixed all of those problems. They weren't serious, and there weren't a lot of them."
Kiley might have had a stronger case if men wearing Tyvek hazmat suits and gas masks hadn't walked through the lobby while the camera crews waited for the tour to start, or if he hadn't acknowledged, moments later, that the entire building would have to be closed for a complete renovation. The general also seemed to miss a larger point identified by other officials: Walter Reed's problem isn't of mice and mold but a bureaucracy that has impeded the recovery of wounded soldiers.
The Army's vice chief of staff, only 24 hours earlier, decried "a breakdown in leadership" for the conditions in the place. And Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) noted that "you could put all the wounded soldiers in the Ritz-Carlton, and it wouldn't fix the personnel management and recordkeeping problems that keep them languishing in outpatient limbo out there for months."
"We're not letting soldiers languish," came Kiley's reply.
For all the stagecraft, there was still broken glass in the driveway of Building 18 yesterday, a banana peel on the steps and an empty Budweiser can in the shrubbery. There were signs of hasty repairs: a plumber's truck outside, dust masks and spray cleaners on window sills, rat poison outside the dumpster, and a discarded box proclaiming "Emergency Exit Lighting Fixture." Construction workers came and went.
The base's public-affairs crew arrived 25 minutes late for the tour but got right to work. "Some of these people are not on our list and are not coming in," announced Lori Calvillo, Walter Reed's chief spokeswoman. "C-SPAN, you're not on the list. You're not coming in." She then attempted to evict a Washington Post reporter, who appealed, loudly, to Kiley.
The tour began in the game room, where soldiers shot pool and watched a plasma TV. From there, the tourists climbed a stairwell smelling of chlorine bleach to a floor smelling of fresh paint.
"In the next room, there's a little water drop on the ceiling; you can get a nice shot of it," Kiley joked. Inside Room 416, there was indeed some rainwater dripping into a wastebasket, a missing lampshade, some loose wallpaper and a mirror on the floor -- but neither rodents nor fungus were visible.
Then it was down to Room 205, crammed with Tilex, sealant, paint rollers, a dropcloth and ceramic tiles. Spokesman Vandrey spoke like a real estate agent: "There was no plumbing leakage in the bathroom. That was all condensation." Outside the room, a man spoke urgently into his cellphone: "The drywall has to dry before they can paint."
A few doors down was Spec. Duncan, in his new room. "Unfortunately, I had to stand up and tell them, 'Hey, the room is messed up,' " he told a Voice of America camera. "I got my point across."
He sure did -- and that's why Kiley, who was the commander at Walter Reed before assuming his current role in 2004, found himself staring into a bank of 12 cameras yesterday. Missing was Maj. Gen. George Weightman, the current Walter Reed commander -- "called away to important business," Kiley explained.
At times, Kiley appeared to acknowledge a systemic problem. He promised to "go at this thing soup to nuts," adding: "We're gonna get at it real quickly." But then he quibbled with the scope of the problem. "Some of this bureaucracy, as much as it frustrates us, I'm not sure that's a breakdown in leadership," he reasoned.
He then attacked the "one-sided representation" of the Post reporting. "I do not think that Building 8" -- he apparently meant 18 -- "is emblematic of a process of Walter Reed that has abandoned soldiers and their families," Kiley said. "I want to reset the thinking that while we have some issues here, this is not a horrific, catastrophic failure at Walter Reed."
posted on February 25, 2007 06:53:18 PM new
Like EVERYTHING in life.....things aren't perfect. Things aren't as we'd like them to be.
Join those who live in reality...and not in some fantasy land where the world isn't perfect but the military is supposed to be.
It will NEVER happen. The anti-war posters will ALWAYS find something they can complain about. And even though it's being fixed...they're STILL not happy.
No...there's some government conspiracy that's happening to eliminate our wounded as quickly as possible. And, of course, it's ALL this Presidents fault.
posted on February 25, 2007 07:18:23 PM new
Diane Sawyer did an award winning expose on the conditions in a veterans hospital years ago and there have been follow-up reports about vets being drugged daily and not receiving the medical care they should so it hasn't been a secret. Nor is it a secret about how many live on the street. Never having to experience the first-hand horrors of war or the pain of a damaged body or mind because of it, how can one judge why these men drink or take drugs?
posted on February 25, 2007 07:33:57 PM new
Who in the hell is JUDGING?>????
AGAIN, it's only in your mind, kiara.
It's a FACT....a REALITY OF LIFE....that they are alcoholics and drug abusers. FACT!!!
===============
And what I'd like to see, rather than all the WHINING about what's not being done for our injured troops, is MORE of this kind of personal involvement.....rather than THINKING/BELIEVING that nothing can EVER be done UNLESS our big brother government does it for you.
There ARE wonderful people in our society that don't spend all day on a chat board WHINING about everything they don't like.....BLAMING others when they do NOTHING themselves.
Put YOU money where your mouths are....and TRULY do something that helps our troops. Your whining and complaining doesn't help on THING.
=========
The Center for the Intrepid and the two new Fisher Houses will be operated by the Defense Department, but building them was purely a private endeavor.
Radio-show host and contributor Don Imus helped raise the last 40 percent of the funds for the center by campaigning on his show for six weeks.
Richard Santulli, chairman of the Fallen Heroes Fund, said, "That's the American way, we don't expect the government to address every need in our lives." But some question why private funds were necessary.
The Veterans Affairs department's budget has grown from $48 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $80 billion in 2007, and funding for veteran health care is up 70 percent since 2000. But the costs of the current conflicts are yet to be realized, even as the armed forces expand to cope with new threats and current burdens.
Arnold Fisher, whose family started the nationwide network of 37 "home away from homes" at military and veterans' health facilities for relatives of wounded troops, said they wanted to build something equal to the quality of their service to the country.
"Some say the government should be building the center. Why wait for our government to do that which we can do on our own in half the time?" he asked the audience.
And some of the same whiners want to put OUR HEALTH CARE under the control of a gov. agency that they feel isn't caring for our troops in a positive way.
Well....wait until you're in THEIR place....under your socialized medicine program.
[ edited by Linda_K on Feb 25, 2007 07:38 PM ]
posted on February 25, 2007 07:49:21 PM new
Linda, what you read as whining and screaming in the posts of others does not come across the same to me so perhaps you tend to read them as the way you are writing. Once again I will remind you that I am writing in a calm factual manner and I'm not upset or angry.
If my tax dollars are spent on war they should also be spent on caring for the veterans that come home from the wars. It is the responsibility of the government of any rich nation. The media should spend more time reporting conditions like this so everyone becomes aware and demands that the government get involved in caring for them afterwards. It makes for a stronger country.
posted on February 25, 2007 07:50:28 PM new
And there are COUNTLESS numbers of facilities JUST like this one .....who are there....willing to help ALL vets.....IF they want it.
Eisenreich's story is typical among the people he serves.
After growing up near Brainerd, he was drafted 1968, and went to Vietnam. The war changed him, and he didn't know how to deal with it. He came home and got involved in alcohol, drugs and crime, ultimately spending nearly a decade in prison.
In the early '90s, Eisenreich sobered up at the VA, went back to school and got his graduate degree in social work. And now 15 years later, a lifetime to him, he's sharing his story with other homeless vets, to encourage them to get help and get off the street.
posted on February 25, 2007 08:08:27 PM newWho in the hell is JUDGING?>????
So scream away....enjoy your rants...enjoy your hysterical ravings.....
There ARE wonderful people in our society that don't spend all day on a chat board WHINING about everything they don't like.....BLAMING others when they do NOTHING themselves.
Put YOU money where your mouths are....and TRULY do something that helps our troops. Your whining and complaining doesn't help on THING.
And some of the same whiners want to put OUR HEALTH CARE under the control of a gov. agency that they feel isn't caring for our troops in a positive way.
Well....wait until you're in THEIR place....under your socialized medicine program.
Who in the hell is JUDGING?>????
None of the above that you wrote applied to me or anyone else writing here so when you wrote it I would say you did all the judging, Linda.
posted on February 25, 2007 08:33:37 PM new
Oh you're DAMN right I'm upset.
Upset that people like you can do NOTHING for our troops except use them for your own agendas.
Check out how your own country let your military deteriorate for years and years....just as clinton did to ours.
It was more important for him to use that money to balance our deficit....rather than to IMPROVE the situation for our military.
CUTTING them back by 40% didn't help one bit. Letting their housing ROT didn't help one bit either.
THIS President has done MORE for our military than ANY and ALL recent democratic presidents put together.
Then their supporters thinks that ONE man can come in and change all the damage the dems did in just a short time.
Again, reality check....it just CAN'T happen that way.
But meanwhile all the ignorant liberals here posting everything they can that DEGRADES the men and women in our military.
Heck according to you they don't even know how to properly get rid of mold ....without having to tear the whole place down.
lol lol lol
Maybe YOU should sign up so you can tell them how YOU want it done.
There's NO ONE in our military who would agree with most of the garbage you liberals post about how 'terrible' they treat our soldiers.
We sure didn't read about the soldiers families complaining to the press. Where were they?
We sure didn't read about the soldiers complaining....WHY NOT?
Why is it ALWAYS the liberal PRESS trying to find ANYTHING they can to turn people against this President....this war.....or the care our vets are given?
posted on February 25, 2007 08:37:21 PM new
Heck....I'm surprised that the liberals here aren't blaming this administration for the RATS and FILTH found at KFC and Taco Bell in NY>
After all....the NY Dept. of Health was just there the DAY BEFORE....and gave them a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH.
THEN the press broke the story of all the rats, rat droppings, FILTH, unbelievable FILTH all over the place.
It MUST be HIS fault....everything else is according to the MISINFORMED liberals who blame him for not being aware of EVERYTHING all across this land...AND in all the world.
posted on February 25, 2007 08:52:00 PM new
liar_k,
I said a prayer tonight. I prayed God would always give me the strength not to be drawn down to your level of LIES and Hate.
posted on February 25, 2007 08:56:45 PM newUpset that people like you can do NOTHING for our troops except use them for your own agendas.
Linda_k, you are judging again seeing as you have no realization what I do for the troops.
Check out how your own country
Which one?
Heck according to you they don't even know how to properly get rid of mold ....without having to tear the whole place down.
I do renovations. Mold cannot just be painted over to make it stop growing. We avoid buying places with a mold problem. Mold can cause serious health problems.
Cheney cut back the military under Bush Sr.
Thank goodness for any part of the liberal press and the reporters that bring problems to light and report the truth instead of constant smear campaigns and cover-ups.
posted on February 25, 2007 09:02:26 PM new
Yea, I KNOW you don't kiara.....just like you pretend to know so much about my feelings/thoughts/etc.
And on mold...it depends Miss homeremodeler....lol lol
Bleach kills all mold. Now they also have chemicals that one adds to the primer and it blocks the mold from coming back. Then apply the final coat....and it's good enough until the building is TORN DOWN this year.
