More Veterans Calling The Streets Home

(CBS)  Hassam Elgoarany knows the price of war.

He fought in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, where a sniper's bullet took his best friend.

"His head got blown off — I get nightmares about that," said Elgoarany.

The Muslim-American sailor drowned that pain in alcohol, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller, but drinking only led to an early discharge.

Back at home, he couldn't find work. His wife took their baby boy and left. Robbery led to prison.

When he got out, Hassam became one of many homeless veterans.

"We have no inkling of the full scope of the problem," said Roy Kearse, vice president of Samaritan Village, a state-funded homeless shelter for veterans with addictions.

At Samaritan Village, Hassam found men who understood his downward spiral.

"They're returning home, they're running into obstacles and problems and all of the mechanisms aren't in place to get to them," said Kearse.

One in three homeless Americans is a veteran.

On any given night in this country, an estimated 200,000 are living on the streets.

Many served in Vietnam, but experts expect the number of Iraq veterans to swell in coming years.

The Veterans Administration can provide beds to only 14,000 veterans, though it told CBS News its shelters aren't filled to capacity and that it offers what it called "very good" services to homeless veterans.

As President Bush orders more troops to Iraq, the Senate Committee on Veteran's Affairs wants more focus on those coming home.

"The president did not mention the word 'veteran' in his State of the Union address," said Senator Daniel Akaka, D-AK, chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Akaka has asked Congress to more than double the president's request for funding next year — 4.8 billion dollars more to help not just the physically wounded but the emotionally scarred.

"They train you to transfer from a civilian to a killing machine," said Elgoarany. "When you get out they should have trained me to go back into being a civilian."

The Army says one in three Iraq veterans will return home with mental health issues. Sooner or later, caring for them will become another cost of war.

[colonna98]

Nightmares about your buddy getting his head shot off are self-indulgent. Get over it and visit your buddy's family - see if you can heal together.

My husband spent two tours in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. I know about what I speak.
Posted by Barbaraf4 at 08:43 AM : Mar 26, 2007

---

The ignorance of Barbaraf4 is beyond comprehension. If her husband served 2 tours in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and they have no problems, someone isn't telling the truth.

Getting over seeing your buddy die in combat is about a simple as getting over seeing your child die in a car accident.

I'm sure Barbaraf4's family would help her "get over it."

Ignorance is bliss when you don't even have a clue.

[firststate]

lestb35
According to your post, I can *** about the war. I said we shouldn't invade Iraq because Saddam tried to have Duh-baya's daddy killed. There was no need for the rush, the inspectors could have been allowed to finish their work. I've been against the war since it was a sadistic gleam in the moron's eyes, but I've always supported our troops.

As an analogy, consider: McDonald-Douglas built the DC-10 to compete with Boeing's 747. The airlines that bought the aircraft were very happy with the obvious quality of the workmanship it assembly showed. McDonald-Douglas used their best assembly teams to build them, so assembly errors were almost never found after they were delivered. One day the port engine fell off a DC-10 on takeoff from Chicago. The specifications for the bolts that attached the engine to the wing's part of the airframe had been miscalculated. That design flaw was fatal for all aboard the aircraft. The assemblers had built the plane exactly to the specifications they were given. They deserve praise for their quality work, but the highest quality in their performance couldn't prevent the screwed up design from bringing the aircraft down. The military's situation is similar. They have performed impeccably, but their quality efforts can't compensate for the flawed plans they carry out. From the time some neo-con political hacks overruled the military's best planners and sent in too few troops, the war was FUBAR and didn't improve.

[kenkmh]

I am a Vet - Vietnam two tours three bronz stars -
Trying to make ends meet with $900 a month from the VA & it's not working home wise! I get care from the VA but long delays to being put off!
Trying to make ends meet today is not easy and YOU ask get a job true and if I do I lose the money I get from the VA and they have to go to pay for health care!
Yes I wish I could work with two byepasses and five stents - agent orange - type 2 diabites - copd........I am un able to work -
I figular by the end of 2007 I also will be homeless! my rent alone is $460 + Elec - gas for heating - food and on it goes - others said food stamps I can't get them I make to much money for food stamps & when last checked I would get $10 a month lol a joke - help for vets there is none! Do any of congress or others care NO -
so yes more of us on the streets soon from wars gone by to yes what is going on daily!
I just wish the people of the USA would stand up for us vets and give us what is due to us and give us the help a woman with kids can get off the street!
but being a man who went to war for his country i get penneys to live on and no help or a thought of what is happening to him ME today!

You do good for your country then get thrown to the streets when you get home:
I will see the rest of the vets on the streets soon

Kenkmh

[lestb35]

Having the country against the war is another reason vets have a hard time assimilating. They have enough to deal with in switching from military to civilian life without wondering if what they did was right or wrong. It's like telling a child that their parents are bad but they're good. How can we honor the work they've done when we don't support the work they're doing. Honor the troops unconditionally and without reservation. They are doing important work. If you don't believe it you should have spoken up prior to the invasion.

[nynative1340]

What ever happened to the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act (SSCRA)? It's supposed to relieve (but not remove) military members of some of the obligations they incurred prior to entering the service.

For instance, a service member may terminate a lease agreement signed prior to entering active duty. Their interest rate can be capped at 6%. They can't be evicted if their rent is less than $1200 (well, that won't work anywhere in SoCal).

The SSCRA is still alive and well. However, the problem is that it requires affirmative action on the part of the military member, and most members don't know about it or don't take the necessary action to use it.

[nynative1340]

"Found out from a friend that worked there, that the position I was to occupy was given to the nephew of somebody in the personnel dept. Oh, I scored 103 out of 105 possible with my vets pref. The one who got the job, never had or has served." Posted by Klingon69

Sounds familiar. Although I was a senior electronics technician with 28 years service, the post office turned me down. That's funny (in a sick way) because my mail is constantly delivered to the wrong street.

Many of the postal employees I know can't even spell their own name...

[nynative1340]

"Where the hell did you get that figure from. Now the population in 1945 was less than 140,000 according Government records. Would you care to tell us WHERE you got the 10 percent there Herr Gunnerv. When you take 10% of 140,000 you get 14,000." Posted by skyk

You're off by a few zeros, skyk.

The U.S. population in 1939 was approximately 139 MILLION (six zeros).

The number who served was over 19.75 MILLION (14.2% of the population).

The number killed/missing was 462 THOUSAND (2.34% of those who served); number of wounded was almost 690 THOUSAND.

Over 130 THOUSAND U.S. military members were POWs.

Ironically, the Axis powers suffered far less deaths than the Allied powers did: 12 MILLION to 50 MILLION.

Source is the DoD as reported by Wikipedia.

Search on "World War II" and World War II casualties"

[pattipace7]

While our politicians are voting on the needed emergency funding for VAMCs a new type of DRAFT should be implemented;Out of Patriotic duty, humanity, and the future of our economy, just one fourth of the more affluent private medical/mental health facilities should be directed to use their office and expertise just a few hours a month for some of our young veterans. By temporally picking up the slack for the grossly under funded, over booked and under staffed VAMCs, each of our young children/veterans will have a chance to resume a comfortable life as a productive member of the society for which they offered to give up their own life to serve and protect.
ps- even attorneys do pro-bono to help out society. since WWI the medical field and drug companies have greatly benefited from the research they have done involving our veterans. A few months ago 60 minutes did a segment entitled A Pill To Forget? It was about the old drug used for high blood pressure called Propranolol which they now believe can be used to cure PTSD because they believe this drug, if prescribed off-label can help the memory be erased. The story ended saying the military has provided funding to test this theory on veterans returning home from this war. It is time the private medical community return the favor/knowledge they have already received from our veterans. Too many veterans from past wars have already ended up as just another number in a research project.

[gunnerv1]

skyk: Are you sure that the population in the US in 1945 was only 140,000. Think now, I'll spell it out for you, "One Hundred Forty Thousand" (and no sense) Are you sure you don't mean One Hundred Forty Million (140,000,000) Then take 10% (ten per cent) of that and see what you get? A small hint , it's more than you can count on your finger, toes and with your pants unzipped and thats what your doing right now, Play with yourself. And no, I'm not a NAZI. (but Hillery is)

[michellem99-2009]

I read the story and it is so heart breaking to watch on TV the war in Iraq. I don't know what you vets went thru. I was brought up to thank them. I am 52 and I have flag mouse pad that my vet roommate hung in my computer area. I was born multi-handicpped plus legally blind so there are those of us who can't serve. My vet friend feel that able body men/womem should serve. I have met homeless and sick vets. They don't want pity but the young can't handle the fact their love one becomes disabled and walk out. I don't want the Bible readers to have a tizzy over this. I don't base my life on a book ages old.This nation should be there for vets. My Dad served this nation. He wanted to and did. Thanks the CBS Evenig News I saw a family member of mine talk on the news and in Iraq serve. I would like to see the well to do people serve. It is the poor that step up to the plate and join. I am poor. There are those who feel that the young must serve as our birth-right. Yes if abled to. No if disaled in mind and or body.