2. “ You can't send soldiers to hell and expect them to come home and automatically snap back to watching football and drinking beer.” Soldier’s perspective I
3. 12,000 veterans under VA care attempt suicide each year, an average of 34 attempts a day …
16. There will be an estimated 700,000+ patients and claims resulting from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, with a total cost to $700 billion over the next 40 years.
23. Why do Veterans have a difficult time finding work? Veterans express difficulty transferring their military skills into the civilian workforce.
24. Why do Veterans have a difficult time finding work? Guard/Reserve troops often find that their jobs no longer exist, or their employers have folded, down-sized, merged or relocated.
25. What kind of financial difficulties do Veterans and their families face? 18% of Vets recently separated from service are unemployed.
26. What kind of financial difficulties do Veterans and their families face? 25% earn less than $21,500 a year.
27. What kind of financial difficulties do Veterans and their families face? 25% of military families carry loans that are 400% higher.
28. How many Veterans are homeless? Veterans comprise only 11% of the civilian population but Vets represent 26% of the homeless.
29. How many Veterans are homeless? Nearly 500,000 Vets experience homelessness over the course of a year.
30. Family impact? In 2007 alone, 700,000+ children have had at least one parent deployed to a combat zone.
31. What kind of help is available to families? There are limited resources for spouses, children, and parents.
32. “ When a loved one asks, ‘What was it like?’ and you look into eyes that have not seen what yours have, you suddenly realize that home is farther away than you ever imagined.” Soldier’s perspective II