Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters, page 1


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Topic started on 9-12-2004 @ 07:24 PM by cargo
Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters


Washington, DC, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. veterans from the war in Iraq are beginning to show up at homeless shelters around the country, and advocates fear they are the leading edge of a new generation of homeless vets not seen since the Vietnam era.

"When we already have people from Iraq on the streets, my God," said Linda Boone, executive director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. "I have talked to enough (shelters) to know we are getting them. It is happening and this nation is not prepared for that."

"I drove off in my truck. I packed my stuff. I lived out of my truck for a while," Seabees Petty Officer Luis Arellano, 34, said in a telephone interview from a homeless shelter near March Air Force Base in California run by U.S.VETS, the largest organization in the country dedicated to helping homeless veterans.

Arellano said he lived out of his truck on and off for three months after returning from Iraq in September 2003. "One day you have a home and the next day you are on the streets," he said.

In Iraq, shrapnel nearly severed his left thumb. He still has trouble moving it and shrapnel "still comes out once in a while," Arellano said. He is left handed.

Arellano said he felt pushed out of the military too quickly after getting back from Iraq without medical attention he needed for his hand -- and as he would later learn, his mind.

"It was more of a rush. They put us in a warehouse for a while. They treated us like cattle," Arellano said about how the military treated him on his return to the United States.

"It is all about numbers. Instead of getting quality care, they were trying to get everybody demobilized during a certain time frame. If you had a problem, they said, 'Let the (Department of Veterans Affairs) take care of it.'"


I find this really bizarre. When you hear the term "homeless veterans" it conjures up images of aging men wearing a few pieces of their Vietnam era uniforms while hanging out in the streets asking for change. Back in the 80's at least. In 2004 there are younger homeless veterans from a war in Iraq that is still being waged? How can this be allowed to happen?


Asked whether he might have PTSD, Arrellano, the Seabees petty officer who lived out of his truck, said: "I think I do, because I get nightmares. I still remember one of the guys who was killed." He said he gets $100 a month from the government for the wound to his hand.


[edit on 9-12-2004 by cargo]


reply posted on 9-12-2004 @ 07:54 PM by DeltaChaos
Originally posted by cargo
I find this really bizarre. When you hear the term "homeless veterans" it conjures up images of aging men wearing a few pieces of their Vietnam era uniforms while hanging out in the streets asking for change.


Yeah, only now, the familiar OD green or tiger stripe camoflage pattern and jungle boots will be replaced by the desert camo and suede desert boots.

The transition from military to civilian life is a difficult one. I ended up homeless for some time, having a hard time coping with the unfamiliar terms and conditions of the civilian world. You feel like you're leaving something that works well, and with purpose and reason, for something that you can't figure out how or why it holds itself together. The bottom line is, the security that the military can provide, when all of a sudden removed, can be a frightening thing, whether you've seen combat or not.

I feel really sorry for these guys who have been subjected to two and three times the violence and bloodshed through extended tours of duty than most Vietnam era soldiers were expected to endure. This is going to make for an extremely difficult mission for the VA, as well as local social programs, to be sure.

I really believe that after this war, we will have a solid and sound basis for the study of PTSD leading to more efficient treatment. Already I've heard many stories of young Marines who have returned from a year in Iraq who just can't cope with this world and the horrific memories their heads contain.

This situation feels like just the perfect vent for this uncomfortable 'Christmas Spirit' I'm currently experiencing. Good then.

If anyone out there can spare some time and effort, please use a little of it to do something for a soldier this holiday season. It can be a very lonely time for some.
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