The Wrongologist

Veteran’s
Day came into being on June 1, 1954 as a date to honor all who served in the US
Military. Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who died while serving in
the Military.

We
celebrate Veteran’s Day on the date of the WWI armistice, the 11th day
of the 11th month in 1918 that ended the fighting. That was
exactly 95 years ago today.

A
few facts about veterans:

• There
  are 21.2 million military veterans in the US

• 1.6
  million veterans are women

• The
  Vietnam War has the most living veterans, 7.4 million

• The
  two Gulf Wars have 5.4 million

• The
  Korean War has 2.3 million

• World
  War II has 1.6 million

• 3 states have more than 1 million vets. California (1.9
  million), Texas (1.6 million) and Florida (1.6 million)

• 9.6 million veterans are 65 and older, while 1.8 million
  are 35 or younger

3.6 million vets have service connected disabilities. Veterans should read the article at https://www.fraudlaw.org/fraud-in-veterans-disability-claim-what-you-need-to-know/ before making a disability claim. A “service-connected”
disability is one that is a result of a disease or injury incurred or
aggravated during active military service. However, veterans can receive compensation for their service-related injury, and law groups such as grebelaw.com show how you can caluclate your disability claim. Disabilities are rated on a scale
from 0 to 100%, and eligibility for compensation depends on one’s rating. 881,981
veterans have a rating of 70% or higher.

14.7 million
(69%) of veterans voted in the 2012 presidential election.

Turning to
employment, according to the BLS Report this October,
veterans have lost ground since October, 2012. Their unemployment rate moved up
from 6.3% in October 2012 to 6.9% in October 2013, still better than the 7.3%
experienced by the country as a whole, but significantly worse than last year. Iraq
and Afghanistan-era Veterans, (called Gulf War II-era Veterans by the BLS), do
not fare as well. Their monthly unemployment rate remained unchanged year over
year at 10%.

Let’s
also remember that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is at epidemic levels,
as is suicide by vets. According to a study
by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 22
vets a day commit suicide. The Fiscal
Times quoted Craig Bryan of the National Center for Veteran Studies: (emphasis
by the Wrongologist)

Far
too many vets experience shamefully hard times upon discharge; too many
families continue to pay a price for having their loved ones serve. The National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans estimates that 62,619 vets are homeless on any given night in
America.

Our
leaders need to spare no expense at making these folks whole again. Period.

We are
quick to say, “Thank you for your service”. Returning veterans are getting more
respect today than they did when the Wrongologist served during the Vietnam era, but gratitude
alone has never paid a bill. We also
need a plan. Hopefully, America’s public and politicians will act on
behalf of veterans when it comes to both the fiscal and political decisions that
affect this group of people to whom we owe so much. Here are a few suggestions:

• Give
  any company who hires and
  retains for a period of one year, an unemployed veteran (or any long-term
  unemployed American for that matter), a tax credit equal to 50% of the 1st
  year salary plus FICA.

• Give free resume writing and interview
  training
  at local community colleges.

• Get
  the F1000 to offer 50 one year internships each to unemployed veterans. Give
  the company the 100% of the salary plus FICA for each intern. This might be the best use of $1.25
  billion, if we ever prioritize government expenses.

In
the meantime, huge thanks to the guys/gals who follow orders, who do really
hard and dangerous things and who too often pay a high price for doing so.