Resources Tough on Veterans

And what are those that Didn't Demand 'Sacrifice' from the American Public as they started and then Rubber Stamped everything for their Wars of Choice actually Demanding now, still tax cuts on the wealthy, many who reaped that wealth from these conflicts that are still ongoing, and their supporters back that wholeheartedly!!

High unemployment rate, reduced state resources tough on veterans

Veterans returning home from their battles in the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan are being faced with a new challenge — finding a job and staying off the streets at home.

December 5, 2010 - Veterans returning home from their battles in the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan are being faced with a new challenge — finding a job and staying off the streets at home.

But high unemployment rates, fierce competition for a sparse selection of jobs and cuts to the programs keeping many veterans off the streets are cause for concern for veterans advocates in the private and public sectors.

“Times have been difficult and, unfortunately, the veteran population is getting hit,” said Ericka Walmsley, a veterans employment representative with the Texas Veterans Commission in Lubbock. “When their term is up and they get out, there’s almost nothing for them now.”

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The troubling news, however, comes for recently returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, who have a considerably higher unemployment rate — 10 percent as of November, said Lisa Waddell, a spokeswoman for the veterans commission in Austin.

The number of unemployed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans increased by about 27,000 in one year, from 162,000 in November 2009 to 189,000 in November 2010.

She attributed the higher unemployment rate for recently returning veterans to their arriving on the job market during a period of recession and all-around high unemployment.

Other recent veterans are finding difficulty working due to the physical and mental tolls of serving in war zones, Waddell said.

Advances in battlefield medicine are keeping soldiers alive even after receiving debilitating injuries from such threats as roadside bombs.

“They’re surviving, but they’re surviving with more serious injuries,” Waddell said. {read rest}