Veteran's Day reality check

[SHRED]

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http://m.democracynow.org/stories/14771

It was only a couple years ago, Amy, that the Veterans Administration actually started tracking veteran suicides on a national level. But right now we’re looking at at least 22 veterans kill themselves every day. More than two of those veterans every day who kill themselves are Iraq or Afghanistan veterans. Those numbers will climb as those veterans get older. But what that means for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is that more veterans have killed themselves after coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan than have been killed in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan.

[NYC_SKP]

1. 22/day. Thank you for posting.

I maintain that, despite this horror, it's not inappropriate to thank a veteran in all cases.

Wow, there sure is a hell of a lot of "what not to say or do on Veterans Day" posts today.

Some say Viet Nam war vets were never disrespected coming home...

Others say, don't say "Thank you", say "I'm sorry"...

I guess I'm supposed to use this day to condemn war or some shit.

Fuck that.

Veterans served, they hurt, they hurt bad, 22/day suicides.

I will thank them for their service, I will thank the troops for their service, but I will never let go of how shitty they are treated.

The number used to be 18/day and a really shitty LA Times article suggests that the number is too high because some of these people are getting old anyway.



FUCK YOU LA TIMES: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/20/science/la-sci-sn-veteran-suicide-statistics-20131219