veterans

After serving in the military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, Merlin “Bud” Hill, was declined service by the VA as his health deteriorated. The family of Bud Hill lamented that they provided enough documents to prove he was justified and qualified for VA assistance, but the agency only wrote a check for post-traumatic stress disorder and denied in-home care (Dillingham). Eventually, Hill passed away in August last year after several attempts by the family to convince the VA to provide more care through appeals. Speaking to 3TV, Bud Hill’s daughter, Tammi Sbordini said “It was devastating. My dad was a hero.” The Phoenix VA hospital is currently under investigation for alleged delays in providing veterans’ medical care (Dillingham).

Veterans should be treated as heroes because through their hard work and dedication we have freedom. To defend the greatest nation in the world, the United States, should be the pride of every citizen but Ex-servicemen sometimes bring negative qualities from the military into civilian life. Many servicemen face trauma or injuries serving overseas and return to the US with health issues that require treatment. However, these men and women do not receive enough care. These ex-servicemen should receive enough incentives to help them re-integrate into our communities again since they face various adversities during this transition.

Ex-servicemen more often than not face the problem of homelessness. There is an increase in the number of veterans in the homeless population. “Nearly 13 percent of the U.S. homeless population are veterans, and another 1.4 million veterans are at risk of homelessness” (Hoffler). Although the VA has a homeless assistance program and other affil...

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Suicidal thoughts and attempts are also prevalent in the veteran population. Among other demographics of the population, suicide rates among veterans are high. A recent study by Miller, Mathew, et al, stated, “Recent suicide rates among younger, but not older veterans were markedly higher than rates among age- and gender-matched nonveterans.” In attempts to reduce the suicide incidences among veterans, the US Department of Veterans Affairs in 2007 sponsored an intensive data collection through the Suicide Prevention Program and according to the findings, “majority of Veteran suicides are among those age 50 years and older. Male Veterans who die by suicide are older than non-Veteran males who die by suicide” (Kemp). Although these studies on suicide seem to contradict each other, they both agree that suicide is an issue among veteran populations.