Issue Position: Veterans
Issue Position
Veterans' Affairs
"It's time to get beyond lapel pin patriotism and actually get behind our troops and veterans."
It's truly amazing to think of the sacrifices our soldiers make for this country. In this time of debate about the 1% and the 99%, let us not forget that just 1% of Americans have served this country in the Iraq and Afghan wars. That we have an all-volunteer army, that they are the best trained and most professional military in the world- this is all exemplary. It's not enough to thank them for their service though. Too often, we forget about the soldier after he comes home. We wave our flags and salute them in parades but we also ignore the staggering unemployment rate (13.1%) for our nation's veterans. In Michigan, we have an Iraq and Afghan vet unemployment rate of almost 30% (this is the highest in the country). I am reminded of the tragic story from last Christmas where a Holland, Michigan solider was reduced to pawning his Purple Heart earned in Afghanistan to pay his bills.
More facts shed light on the situation faced by America's veterans. According the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, about 67,000 veterans are homeless which represents about 20% of the total population of homeless people in the United States. The RAND Corporation found that 1 in 5 veterans suffer from PTSD or Major Depression. A study by the Center for a New American Security reports that veterans commit suicide at a rate of one every 80 minutes.
We need to strengthen the VA. Recent suggestions that we voucherize veterans' health care are appalling. This will not happen on my watch. I will advocate for more funding for the VA. I will encourage the government to work with veterans' advocacy groups to help further identify and treat the problems of veteran homelessness, PTSD, and suicide. I will advocate for greater support for promising new alternative interventions that promote creative emotional expression to better help veterans process their experiences. We should expand our homeless prevention programs and continue to work towards ending veteran (and all) homelessness. I would encourage more programs aimed at hiring veterans and greater access to higher education for those who seek it.
Let's show respect for our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen by supporting policies and programs designed to help them. It's time to get beyond lapel pin patriotism and actually get behind our troops and veterans. True patriots deserve nothing less.
If you would like to do more to support our nation's troops and veterans, I urge you to visit one of these veterans' advocacy groups:
Wounded Warrior Project
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Disabled American Veterans
Vietnam Veterans of America
Veterans of Foreign Wars
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
USA Cares
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