Social Problems Facing Veterans Today

The Growing Social Problems Facing our U.S. Veterans Today

There are numerous social problems that plague our world today. These issues can be very detrimental to our society as a whole and can also have very negative impacts on many lives. One major social problem we are facing today is the way we are dealing with and handling our United States Veterans. Despite the fact that we are one of the world’s most powerful nations we are failing to properly take care of our service members who put their lives on the line to ensure our safety and freedom as United States citizens. The issues facing our veterans are substantial and numerous. I will be focusing on the majority of the most outstanding and significant issues facing our veterans
A discharge can be honorable or dis-honorable and the later meaning one has been essentially kicked out due to a violation of some sort. Regardless of how someone is discharged there are usually lots of questions and much confusion which follows. This is where the problems originate and primarily is the source of these social issues which face our veterans today. The root of the problem is fundamentally the system which has no foundation for exiting the military, where on the other hand all types of efforts and bonuses are given upon being recruited when entering the military. When one is classified as a Veteran, they have usually lived a life that was based on; orders, structure, hard work, cleanliness, timeliness, resiliency, and being very attentive and keeping their “wits” about them at all times. After being removed from this structured life where one is completely dependent on the government for everything and usually works in a unit or group situation, to a life where one is completely independent and has to relearn how to function without the aid of any government institutions can be a very difficult experience for many. This can physically and more so mentally cause great anguish for many. Many veterans have no idea of where to turn or where they can go. The process for finding out what is available to them is no easy task. Also depending whether the Veteran had been oversees, injured, or had seen any form of combat can play a big part of
The trauma that they have endured is not handled appropriately and the facilities which they need are often not mentioned to them, this leads to problems developing such as; committing suicide and violent crimes, and suffering homelessness, addiction, and mental illness in record numbers. On January 13, the New York Times published the first part in a series of examinations into killings committed in the United States by returned veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Under the title “War Torn,” the series examines 121 cases in which Iraq and Afghanistan veterans had committed or were charged with killings, most of them murder, and many linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and consequent substance abuse and domestic distress. Families or single veterans are left to contend with the mental damage themselves. Overwhelmingly from lower-income working class backgrounds, military families bear multiple burdens in caring for wounded loved ones: psychological difficulties, alienation and lack of social infrastructure, enormous, medical costs, and lost economic livelihoods. With our general economic situation in poor standing – job prospects being impossible to attain, and the cost of living rising – all the difficulties manifest and compound into huge burdens for these veterans. Consequently, domestic disturbances, self-medication and drug dependency, homelessness, and incarceration are becoming more and more