Soldier On

[Ripley]

I recently learned about this wonderful program. There are vets there from WWII, Vietnam and our current war's. A 93 year old Army vet lives there.

Did you know that 1 of every 5 homeless Americans is a veteran? And that 85% of them have substance abuse and/or mental illness problems?

Well, MY answer to this problem is to bring ALL soldiers home to work on America's infrastructure instead of Iraq's or Afghanistan's and cut the fucking wars OUT of the budget.

Wa-lah! No need to cut SS or Medicare or ANY social programs.

But in the meantime this program in Massachusetts is a great solution and should go nationwide.

Oh, and to all those who want to kill government programs like HUD...it partially funds this.

http://www.wesoldieron.org/

[Forkboy]

1. K&R, and thank you.

[Ripley]

2. Thanks for the kick

You gotta be Forkman by now. :P

[Forkboy]

3. Not yet, I'm a notorious procrastinator.

I didn't even get a birth mark until I was eight. ;)

[Forkboy]

9. Kick

[Ripley]

4. So here's a personal story

Four years ago, Michael Shindler's home was a sleeping bag under a pine tree in a park in Pittsfield, Mass. Today the 54-year-old Air Force veteran, recovering alcoholic and mentor to at-risk kids lives just up the street, but worlds away in his own gleaming apartment. He also owns a share of the complex and has a voice in how the place is run.

(quoted from an article by Sally Abrahms for AARP, July-Aug 2011)

[handmade34]

5. watched the video

and am very heartened... no excuses for any homeless and least of all veterans...



...made me think of the history of the VFW National Home for Children
after my grandfather (WWI Vet) died in '28, my grandmother was able to move there with my father and aunt, she became one of the housemothers and worked there for about 40 years, raising dozens of children. I have very fond memories of the 'Home'...

http://www.vfwnationalhome.org/page.aspx?pid=408

"The beginning of today’s VFW National Home for Children lies with a poignant story of a young girl named Amy Ross. On a cold February day in 1922, 23-year-old Amy Ross walked into the office of Dr. Clarence L. Candler, the VFW Department of Michigan Commander with the idea to find jobs for the thousands of veterans who were walking the streets of Detroit looking for work.

While the task seemed insurmountable, Dr. Candler turned over the limited facilities of the VFW to Miss Ross, and she went to work. “What followed is history (over 9,000 veterans were found employment),” he wrote in the Nov. 1924 issue of the Golden Stripe, Michigan’s VFW Newspaper. “But not all of you know that the present high standing of the VFW in Michigan, our wonderful headquarters in the General Motors Building, the Yanks Convalescent Camp, Inc., our 300-grave burial plot at Roseland Cemetery, and our new $500,000 VFW National Home, Inc. all came as a direct result of Amy Ross’ sacrifices for the veterans of this community.”

Through Amy Ross’ efforts, millionaire cattleman Corey Spencer came to meet with Dr. Candler in the summer of 1924. Having learned of Amy’s great work and the needs of the VFW, Mr. Spencer had an idea. He had 472 Acres of land near Eaton Rapids, Michigan, known as the Grand River Stock Farm, and he wanted to make it a gift to the VFW. Spencer’s offer was presented to the 1924 Convention in Atlantic City, where the Commander-in-Chief appointed a committee to investigate the offer and report back to the National Council of Administration..."

[Ripley]

6. Great history lesson, handmade34

And a great thing that young woman Amy Ross did and she deserves credit for her efforts.

[SaveAmerica]

7. Thanks for the link and your thoughts, difficult thing about veterans, by nature they'll endure much

in silence and without asking for help. Having agencies like this and people who care (like yourself) helps give them direction when they would usually 'soldier on' without help. The way they're trained to handle everything when they are active duty ends up going against them when they're out in the civilian world.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Here we have

In San Francisco a group called Swords to Plowshares. They try to help homeless vets, with finding them a place to stay, having a place for their mail, phone use, legal help, and other things.

http://www.swords-to-plowshares.org/