You really want to help the vets? I mean really do something that will help? Then give them a job.
As one who's been there and done that, I can tell you first hand what it's like to walk out of Walter Reed Army Medical center in Washington D.C. limping on my army issue cane on my re-constructed right foot and ankle, medical discharge in hand, and wondering just WTF I'm going to do now? With a wife and one kid, with another halfway on the way, being partly disabled and now unemployed is a downright scary thing. If it wasn't for some family, I'd have sunk.
Thank God for the V.A. and an apprentice jobs program. They got me into a job program and that made all the difference in the world. Having a job to go to, get some paychecks rolling in, and being able to at least buy a pair of sneakers for my oldest child and diapers for my youngest and some groceries in the kitchen cabinet. I'd have told these groups around now to keep their music therapy, art therapy, and sports events, and just get me a job. Most of the stuff these so called charity groups are doing is just window dressing to justify the admistrtion costs and their big 6 figure salaries.
You'll have to excuse my cynical attitude, but as a disabled vet, I've seen so many BS organizations, it's quite sickening. Every other con man has jumped on the bandage now, sometimes just of the publicity that will help their career. Living here in Washington D.C. and being at the VA often, I've become aware of the literally thousands, thats thousands, of prosecutions for fraud that is taking place in federal court involving charities for the vets.
I went through some good depression. I ended up in one of those groups at the VA hospital where the bunch of us would be sitting around in a circle trying to air out our problems. Without exception, the only thing we all wanted was to just get back into being a productive member of society. Of course that was the Vietnam era, and society was different. There was no welcome home, in fact, we were warned not to fly home in uniform because of the anti-war protesters throwing things at us when we got home. So there was no great overly effusive display of new found patriotism, no charities throwing events for us. And in truth, we wouldn't have wanted it. Like our fathers who came home from WW2 with no fanfare, we just wanted to go back to work and get on with life. That's all.
Those first few years when I was out, I'd have laughed in their face if they wanted to give me "therapy" or have an event in which some of the proceed would go to vets. All I'd have asked for was a job and a chance to get back to work and take care of my family. That's what a man does; take care of his family. More than anything when things were at the darkest, I'd have appreciated a box of groceries, or some help with the utility bills.
So if you really, really, want to help the vets, give them a job. Hire the handicapped vet and just let him get on with his life and stop making a big deal out of it so somebody can have a big salary and make a profit. If he doesn't have the job skills for the job you're hiring him for, then teach him. You'll find a very willing student. That's how I got going, the VA put me in a on-the-job training, and I started from the beginning. So keep the profit making events and just hire us to work. That's all we want. Having been there, I can tell you that for sure.
