Veteran Day 2008

Today is Veteran's day. I didn't do much. I bought a new couch. I am sure I did more last year. Ha ha. But then again, I wasn't a veteran then. I was an active duty soldier. Today I am sitting in my living room, not in my "hooch" with my dogs and my honey at my side instead of my M16. And even though I am so glad to be back home, I have moments when I can't stop thinking about Iraq. I hear from my bud Blucher and he says he is having some of the same feelings. Yeah, this time last year we were thinking about what it would be like a year from then. Which is today. Ha ha. But today being Veteran's day, means that my thoughts are with guys and gals who are still over there and those who have come back. The other day, I was saddened by a report that came out that said that over a quarter of all homeless people were veterans. That is really stunning to me for some reason. Another report says that there has been a dramatic increase in suicide among returning Iraqi war veterans. And there is still alot of problems with VA care for wounded soldiers. So as much as everyone always says we need to take care of the "troops" and our "vets", it seems that alot of it is all talk and no action. Veterans day should not be one day. It should be everyday. When I was in Iraq, we didnt have to worry about much. We had a warm place to live, plenty of food, entertainment, free health care and we got paid really well. Granted, sometimes we got shot at, but that was rare. But as soon as we become "civilians", well thats when the stuggle begin. Homelessness, unemployment, poverty, and so on. So once the government has used us up...then its off you go buddy...wtf? So, yeah. Today is Veteran's Day. We don't want parades and people flying flags and all that shit. We want jobs, places to live, and decent health care. Just like everyone else.