Post by 101ABN on Jan 16, 2014 19:13:27 GMT -8
Advocates for the homeless say many of the estimated 2.5 million Americans who served in the two wars went into combat zones on multiple deployments, something many veterans of previous conflicts never had to endure.
"They're coming home to a bad economy. The country is different. Their families are different. They are different. Plus they are dealing with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other issues around mental health," says Gregory Scott, president of New Directions For Veterans, a non-profit assistance group in Los Angeles.
"We don't know what the long-term impacts will be on the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans," says John Driscoll, president and chief executive officer of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/01/16/veterans-homeless-afghanistan-iraq-wars/4526343/
Leaving the combat zone is no guarantee against becoming a casualty.