Disappointment With Humanity
I stole the picture above from a veteran on Twitter because it made an indelible impression on me. I love dogs. But that’s not what the picture is about. To love dogs and care for them to this degree while in such dire straits shows the young veteran’s profound disappointment with humanity.
We take young people into service; we force them to witness and do things, many of which they couldn’t have imagined in a civilian life, and we don’t provide them with enough support upon their return.
The picture above can be seen as heartwarming or as heartbreaking. For me, it is the latter. It breaks my heart to know that this young veteran is homeless; to know that he risked his life to serve us but here at home we let him down.
No wonder he gave up on people. He gives his all to dogs because dogs are accepting, forgiving, trusting and love unconditionally. Dogs appreciate caring. Apparently, people don’t.
This particular veteran doesn’t have to tell his story, it’s plain for all to see. He is a good person, compassionate, dependable and loving. And yet, he is homeless and barefoot. We are not. What does it say about us?………
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The official number of American veterans committing suicide every day is 20. (Other sources report that it is 22.)
The number for female veterans is so mind-boggling, I don’t dare to touch the subject. I don’t believe that women – who by nature are life-givers and nurturers – belong in the military. It has nothing whatsoever to do with gender equality, but nature. And personally, I’m not surprised that disproportionately high numbers of female soldiers suffer from PSD, depression and yes, take their own lives.
According to official sources as of January 2014 there were “only” 49,933 homeless veterans. (It was stressed that it is a significant “improvement”… I’m dumb, to me ONE homeless veteran is one too many.)
I didn’t serve in the Army. I didn’t face the horrors of war. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for a veteran to reintegrate into a life in a society.
I’ve seen – on TV, not in person – veterans coping with traumatic physical injuries. The footage was shocking, their suffering impossible to comprehend. I read how long the wait for an appointment at the VA – leave alone for medical care – is for veterans. The wait would frustrate anyone, but for veterans it must be adding insult to injury.
Emotional wounds are not photogenic. There is no way to depict crippling emotional trauma, PSD, depression, anxiety or a diminishing will to live. And yet, most veterans return home with them.
Just because a soldier returns from service, just because he or she may not have physical wounds, doesn’t mean that these young people come back unchanged. They are expected to rejoin a society that didn’t – and THANKS TO THEM, didn’t have to – change. Many are unable to make a smooth transition. The veterans suffer. Their immediate family, friends and community can’t relate. The lack of care for emotional wounds of veterans is appalling. Shame on us.
