What if veterans had a stronger voice?

I could do this. Starting it wouldn't be a problem at all, but ending it would be. How could I do this when there is so much the veterans need? Where would I draw the line with all the reports I track and the veterans I help online?

Do I focus on the Vietnam veterans still waiting for help, fighting to not only have their claims approved, but still dealing with PTSD and Agent Orange, plus suicides, being in jail because the court systems across the country never stopped to consider them as combat wounded the way they do now? Yes, they are still in jail and most of them are in because of PTSD that no one was talking about.

Do I tell the stories of how they ended up homeless, saw their families fall apart, lost their jobs, or had to deal with co-workers thinking it was funny to set off a fire cracker or drop something behind their backs or say something they knew would get them ticked off?

Maybe I could do a story on how they came home, as outcasts, given up on by the American people, but they never gave up on us. They kept fighting to get the rest of us understand them and what they went through in our name, plus what they ended up having to live with when they came home. They kept giving us a chance waiting for the day when we would finally honor them, understand them and try to help them.

Do I write about the newer veterans and what they need out of us, which frankly is a hell of a lot more than words of "support the troops" when we can't seem to do much else?

Do I write about how they all serve together, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, from all walks of life, beliefs, faiths and races, but come home to a divided nation that places politics above all else?

Do I write about how they had to endure endless deployments with the topic of the day on the 24 hour cable news was fixated on celebrities while they were getting blown up because no one thought how to really plan the occupation of Afghanistan or Iraq? They didn't even have the equipment they needed but no one cared. The news stopped covering both military campaigns.

Do I write about the DOD or the VA or any of the problems with claims backlogged in a pile of almost a million, their families suffering with the lost income at the same time they are dealing with the fact the lifetime in the military they planned on was obliterated with combat wounds, physical and mentally? Hmm, then I'd have to figure out if I focus on them or their families with no clue, no support and no one to help them take care of their husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Where would it end?

Then there is the other cluster when you have 95 million groups (exaggeration but close) all competing for money, grants and clout against each other instead of working together for the sake of the veterans they really do want to help, but have let their egos get in the way?

That's my dilemma. Starting it wouldn't be a problem at all. Deciding what is the most important story to me would be impossible.

How about you? You must have a favorite topic on this blog. I bet you know almost as much about it as I do so how about it? How about using your love, your talent, and coming up with a video project for CNN. You never know, you could change a life too. After all, there is no greater feeling in the world than to help someone, especially someone willing to die for you.

I do it all the time and to be honest, sometimes I want to scream about it to the world that "today I saved a life, then unloaded the dishwasher" because no matter what I'm able to do, life goes on and there are responsibilities I have just like everyone else. That's the point. So do they. No matter what they do when they are deployed, they still have to come home and do mundane things like take out the trash and go food shopping, pay bills, and everything else we all have to do during the day but for them, coming home never really feels like home. Tell their stories and make CNN know, they are a lot more interesting to us than Michael Jackson.

What if veterans had a stronger voice?

It’s a sad reality that war veterans are oftentimes forgotten in the United States once they return to their civilian lives. Economic struggles, homelessness and inadequate veterans benefits are just some of the problems they face.

But what would happen if veterans had a stronger voice in our society? Together, we can find out.

Grab a video camera and find a veteran – whether a relative, a resident at a nearby nursing home, or someone you just met – and ask about his or her biggest concerns.

If you don’t have access to a video camera, take photos of a veteran and write a short summary of your findings.

Try and keep the interview under three minutes and be sure to provide basic details about the veteran you profile.
Assignment rules:

Challenge: Interview a veteran

Format: Video (preferred) or photos with text

Length: No longer than three minutes

Deadline: Wednesday, September 9, 2009

go here to find out more
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=323775