Today should be a very somber Veterans Day as we think about the those serving, those we have lost and those injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the Veterans seemed to be put on the backburner of issues during this election to the economy, gas prices and health care.
Let this be the year in Congress that we address mental health issues with veterans. I think mental health issues are far too often ignored in general, but especially amongst our veterans. We already have an aging Vietnam Veteran population that was never given the proper tools to readjust upon returning from War.
**We still have a Georgia Senate Runoff with Jim Martin ( A Vietnam Veteran) Running against Saxby Chambliss (who deferred many times because of a bum knee). Remember that in 2002 Chambliss went after disabled Veteran and Senator Max Cleland for being un-patriotic.
We still need a little over $1,500 to reach our Peach to Blue goal. Now would be a great time to honor our Veterans and give to a candidate that will take care of their needs.
IAVA and the AD council have teamed together to launch a new ad campaign directed at helping veterans facing transition challenges.
The campaign aims to address the mental health consequences of combat, which threaten to overwhelm a new generation of veterans. The 1.7 million men and women who have served, or are currently serving, in Iraq and Afghanistan are facing an increased risk of mental health issues. Nearly 20 percent of military servicemembers who have returned – 300,000 in all – report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment, according to a RAND Corporation study released in April 2008. Untreated mental health conditions can cause or aggravate other debilitating problems in the veterans' community including high rates of unemployment, suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, divorce and child abuse.
When we think of Veterans we need to think of those that have just returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. We often times think of World War II veterans, but most of those have passed and those that haven't are in their 80's and 90's. We do a great job of honoring those vets. For example, my grandfather, a World War II vet, participated in an Honor Flight back in September .
Mental health issues are the most pressing issues with today's Veterans and they should be addressed now rather than face the consequences and costs later. Not only is it the right thing to do now, we will be better off financially later.
- Saxby Chambliss is amongst the worst on IAVA scorecards and has done nothing to really help Veterans or do anything for mental health. Jim Martin on the other hand was instrumental in getting more funding for children with mental health issues.
*Here's also a link to a website for the Veterans Green Jobs Alliance. Very good information on the site.