[slumber1]

My point here was, those who join have no idea if they are going to end up in war or combat...So all this crap about if he was in Vietnam or not, is bull shit.

First of all take a deep breath and relax. No one is impugning the honorable service of any veteran. And technically you are correct. Someone who volunteered in 1973 - 1975 would be considered a Viet Nam ERA veteran but I would suggest that anyone who joined during those years would have damn near certain he would not have been sent to a combat zone.

Furthermore combat service is an issue since articles like these seem to imply the trauma of combat service is in some way responsible for the veterans homeless condition today. I am sympathetic to the homeless be they veteran or not but most homeless veterans, particularly non combat veterans, are homeless because of their own poor choices rather than shabby treatment by the government or the VA.

[dragnet2]

What's the matter, too much brutal truth and too many facts for ya? Why don't you go up in front of a bunch of veterans who've experienced shoddy, substandard treatment from this government and smugly tell them to, "take a deep breath"?

I'd pay to see that.

Furthermore combat service is an issue since articles like these seem to imply the trauma of combat service is in some way responsible for the veterans homeless condition today.

Wait a minute here, where in this article did it imply or attempt to embellish these vets problems were a direct result of combat or their service? Give me a quote.

most homeless veterans, particularly non combat veterans, are homeless because of their own poor choices rather than shabby treatment by the government or the VA.

Could the same be said for those in government who created this mess with their reckless foreign policies and politically correct compassionate wars for everyone but our troops?

Could their poor choices include making the mistake of joining the service and willing to lay down their lives for their country? Ya see many come home to no jobs, lost careers, wives who would not wait, girl friends married to their friends, parents or families members who died while their were 8,000 miles away...etc.

In fact, they've lost and sacrificed several years of their lives regardless of weather they were in combat or not.

Are these the military veterans you're referring to slumber1?