Homelessness is a problem for an estimated 4,000 veterans in Suffolk

Veteran groups concerned about health care crisis among Iraq vets
BY MARTIN C. EVANS mailto:%20martin.evans@newsday.com
10:02 PM EST, November 4, 2007

Long Island faces a looming health care crisis among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning with serious injuries, post traumatic stress disorder and depleted bank accounts, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars said yesterday.

Already, homelessness is a problem for an estimated 4,000 veterans in Suffolk, said Richard Woltman, Suffolk VFW commander.

"When you were serving, when you were carrying a rifle, you were king of the hill," Woltman said. "But when you come home, no one knows you. It can be very discouraging."

Woltman and others spoke at a legislative breakfast at the VFW Post 4927 in Centereach, which drew about 175 veterans, plus several candidates running for various county offices in tomorrow's elections.

Woltman said homelessness is a growing problem among returning troops because of financial pressures and mental illness.

Personnel serving in the Reserve or the National Guard often see their income slashed while on active duty, and often come home to find they have lost their jobs. Many soldiers return with anxiety and depression disorders or serious injuries, further hampering their ability to maintain a household.

At the same time, a war-weary public is less enthusiastic in its support for returning troops, further isolating struggling veterans, Woltman said.
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