Homeless vets

Heartbreaking story from the Washington Post on the many combat vets from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan living in homeless shelters. The article notes that the number of homeless veterans from these two wars is difficult to measure, but according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, between 2004 to 2006 the government has provided shelter to some 300 veterans

However, critics note that this figure is a lowball estimate because it doesn't bother to include the many other vets who are forced to sleep in buses, cars and on the streets.

The Post reports: "As in the Vietnam War era, when thousands of vets ended up homeless, there are already signs that the recent conflicts are taking a traumatic psychological toll on some service members. Many veterans' advocates said that despite unprecedented attempts by the military and Veterans Affairs to care for veterans, increasing numbers of the new generation of warriors are ending up homeless."

This is the tragic consequence of war that is often swept under the rug, as the media understandably focuses on the thousands of casualties that result from IEDs, ambushes and helicopter crashes. But beyond the death toll and beyond the men and women who have their limbs blown off, there are the psychological scars that are invisible to the naked eye, but just as destructive to the individuals who are being afflicted.