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Posted on 06/10/2026 7:31:53 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
By focusing on the physical search for a home, it can be easy to overlook the quiet, internal crisis that happens when a Veteran feels they no longer belong to a community. It is a specific kind of isolation—a feeling that their values, their purpose and their spirit have been sidelined while they struggle to survive.
Some of the most common challenges Veterans experiencing homelessness may face include:
Abandonment: A deep sense of isolation and loneliness that can leave a Veteran feeling forgotten by their country and their community.
Disconnection from self: A loss of self-identity that occurs when a Veteran is forced to focus solely on survival, causing them to lose sight of their inherent value.
Value ruptures: A painful disconnect between who the Veteran believes they are and the difficult reality of their current circumstances…
Whether a Veteran identifies as religious, spiritual but not religious or simply a person looking for purpose, VA chaplains are trained to meet them where they are. With fewer than 900 chaplains nationwide, these professionals are among a small group of highly specialized clinical providers trained specifically in spiritual care within a health care setting. Their work is informed by evidence-based practices rooted in deep listening and empathy.
Their role is not to persuade or convert, but to help Veterans reconcile their self-understanding and find the strength to move forward.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.va.gov ...
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Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Retired Navy chaplain here current VA chaplain. It is an honor and privilege to minister to our Veterans. Absolute what I do!
But many,many vets aren't nearly as lucky as I've been...and am today.It absolutely enrages me to know that there are vets sleeping on the street while wetbacks are housed in 5 Star hotels.
Outstanding!
bkmark
I wouldn’t be so sure of our vets. If they have the strength to put up with months of basic training they should be able to handle adversity. Having served the country is not a knockout punch. Served in battle? It’s therapy. That’s all we can offer. My Viet Nam vet buddy said the ones that came out troubled from the experience were troubled going in-can’t blame the military. In the mid-70’s there were 25 million vets. Today there are 17 million. The WW2 generation’s gone and they went through much worse. Is it leftists in the media that are guilt tripping us? They’re good at it and you don’t have to be a vet to put to use your best item in the tool box when it’s the ability to make a stranger feel sorry.
The military is made up of the better quality portion of the population, they are vetted and have to meet enlistment standards that surpass the average of their peers, and they have the type personality that wants to challenge themselves and serve in the military, and they are patriotic and believe in something in life.
The left thought up a brilliant plan to attack the very concept of military service and the patriotic noble veteran by creating this myth and image that military service breaks you, it ruins you and makes you mentally and emotionally unstable and weak, it turns you into a babbling broken homeless guy.
This was conceived and introduced as part of the Vietnam war anti-America strategy from the left and media, and Hollywood, and it still works almost 60 years later and is now institutionalized as actually being part of the cost of military service, and it is profitable.
It makes me angry to see what you describe: the default position that every vet who has served in a combat zone is broken and fragile. Are there such vets? Certainly, and they deserve help (and can get it from many sources) but they are a tiny minority of those who have served.
Colonel, USAF JAGC (Ret)
Studies have shown what common sense should tell us, that Vietnam vets are better educated, more well-adjusted, and successful than the average for their peers, they measure things like intact marriage and home ownership, income, education.
As far as the crazed homeless vet, the book “Stolen Valor” destroyed that myth by exposing the news shows like 60 minutes as not checking to see if the subjects of their stories were actually vets, including some of the media’s most iconic photos of mourning veterans at the black gash.
Wow! Thank you for your service. May God richly bless your ministry as it continues forward.
No one can doubt the resilience of those who serve Colonel, but It’s not just mental healthcare and housing help that’s problematic, I know personally of vets who struggle to get physical healthcare in a timely and competent fashion from the VA. It’s inexcusable.
Whatever acknowledgment on the part of the VA regarding ANY help that’s sorely needed should be welcome.
Thanks so much! I started out as an enlisted Marine, Navy chaps afterward. I feel like I’ve come full circle now that I’m ministering to Veterans.
My Viet Nam vet buddy said the ones that came out troubled from the experience were troubled going in-can’t blame the military
.should get government assistance.
problems are helped with relationships.
Thank you for formulating and posting this thoughtful and measured response to DS.
Had intended to respond but couldn’t seem to put a response into actual words.
Due frankly to a multifaceted state of astonishment at what DS had said. And how much he had said.
Thank heavens for people like you!
I may have read it wrong but I thought that DIRTYSECRET and I were on the same page, just that I was fleshing it out a little more.
If you and DS are on the same page, your translation is far superior!
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