Gratitude

First, a hearty and sincere thanks to all who served then and now. Veterans' Day should one of the few days where we can all be on the same page, even if some goofy bastards don't seem to be in the same library.

But what the hell?

Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11 percent of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday.

And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.

....

Advocates worry that intense and repeated deployments leave newer veterans particularly vulnerable.

“We’re going to be having a tsunami of them eventually because the mental health toll from this war is enormous,” said Daniel Tooth, director of veterans affairs for Lancaster County, Pa.

I don't care what political stripe you claim to paint, that's unacceptable. The parades and ceremonies are all well and good, but what matters is taking care of people, rewarding their sacrifices, and ensuring that they don't fall through the cracks. I don't know when that became too much to ask. But since our geniuses at the top didn't plan for much of anything, it makes sense that they didn't count on thousands of discharged five-tour vets coming home to a desiccated life.