Veterans-good enough to serve but not to live next door to Betty?

Neighbors worry about home intended for homeless veterans
Rockford Register Star - Rockford,IL,USA
By Chris Green
RRSTAR.COM
Posted Jun 25, 2008 @ 12:10 PM
Last update Jun 25, 2008 @ 03:16 PM

ROCKFORD — The grass is mowed, the flower beds are weed-free and the scent of freshly painted interior walls lingers throughout the home.

Carpenter’s Place closed Friday on the three-bedroom ranch home at 3426 Ridge Ave. It moved in furniture over the weekend, and on Tuesday, a group of employees and volunteers stood in a circle in the living room, held hands and prayed for the people who will live in the house and the neighbors.

The only thing missing now is the tenants, and that’s what has neighbors worried.

Located in a quiet northwest neighborhood, the home will be used to house three military veterans who are transitioning back into society.

“It’s got the neighbors in an uproar,” next-door neighbor Betty Percey said Tuesday afternoon.

“They’ve been exposed to war. What happens if one night one of them goes off the deep end? All of this looks fine and good now, but is it going to last?”
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First, not all homeless veterans have PTSD and the majority of PTSD do not "go off the deep end" so both of these notions are absurd. Are there some who commit crimes? Sure but they are rare compared to how many veterans have PTSD. Do some "normal civilian" neighbors commit crimes too? Yes. So why aren't the homeless veterans worried about the neighborhood they are moving into? Anyone can have PTSD if they lived through trauma. So it could be anyone in the neighborhood. Why do they have to single out veterans when it comes to them living in their "nice" neighborhood?

Veterans are just like everyone else surviving trauma, only veterans were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of people who do not want them in their neighborhood because of some ridiculous notion. Homeless veterans were good enough to serve the country but not good enough to move in? Given a choice, I would rather have someone with the character who was willing to serve the country living next door to me. It takes a special person to be able to do that. Does Betty Percey understand that law enforcement officers get PTSD too? Well maybe she'll move and improve the neighborhood these veterans want to move into.