Orlando Sentinel Report Scott Maxwell explains why veterans deserve special attention

I don't make a practice of emailing reporters but in this case I had to. Scott listed all the reasons we should pay special attention to veterans. We are great at saying we support them but lousy at really doing it.

I do a lot of posts on homeless veterans. What I end up getting are emails on not caring about all homeless people equally. The fact is, veterans are equal to no one. They risked their lives serving this country and the last two words that should ever be put together are "homeless veteran" but few want to acknowledge that. My heart goes out to all our homeless but it is the veterans tugging it more. I donate to charities serving all in need but I donate more to the veterans. I cleaned out my closet the other day because it was full of clothes I hardly ever wear. Today the Vietnam Veterans of America driver will pick up the two bags I filled with warm clothes and a couple of coats. A couple of days ago I delivered bags of clothes, a blanket and comforter my daughter left behind when she moved because she didn't want them anymore. That donation went to general use for anyone in need. Why? Because these men and women would probably not be homeless had they not served the rest of us in the first place.

PTSD, self-medicating, unemployment and divorce all contribute to the homeless veterans' population. In most cases these issues can be directly tied back to their military life. They face the same problems everyone else in the country does but they have a harder time as veterans after combat yet few want to acknowledge this.

Read Scott's article on why he feels the same way and then maybe you'll understand it too.

Special attention for veterans? Yes, and here's why

Scott Maxwell
TAKING NAMES
10:23 p.m. EST, December 18, 2010
Every now and then, I get a note from a reader who wants to know why I often highlight veterans when writing about homeless people and the downtrodden.

One reader recently suggested that I must think "veteran homeless are superior to other homeless people."

Another asked why I think veterans are special.

Well, let me tell you why.

Because this country has a shoddy record of taking care of the men and women whom it sends off to war.

Because veterans constitute a disproportionately large segment of the homeless population — one out of every three people on the street, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Because when I stood outside the Orlando Rescue Mission one day last month, I couldn't even count the number of men and women wearing jackets and hats that indicated they had served our country.

Because many of the chicken-hawk politicians so eager to send men and women off to war have never served themselves.

Because the number of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans in this country can now be counted in the tens of thousands.

Because about 150 soldiers took their own lives last year, marking a record high.
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Special attention for veterans