Literature Review: Reintegration Of Veterans Into Civilian Employment

The American Legion drafted the original legislation with the help of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and both organizations helped push it through Congress. The Act was in response to a foresighted prediction by the US Department of Labor estimating fifteen million former servicemembers would be unemployed after the war’s conclusion. This Act provided a wide range of benefits to servicemembers returning from World War II. The Bill’s goal was to provide immediate rewards for practically all veterans.

“How dark would you have to paint a vet to make him or her beyond sympathy” (Molin,Onward to DC–War Writing at AWP17). After returning from war, a veteran expects one thing which is sympathy. Veterans are stereotyped as these troubled men who are traumatized from the war. Peter Molin challenges this stereotype by questioning what a veteran needs to do to be viewed as more than just a traumatized war hero by saying what can makes a veteran “beyond sympathy.” Veterans are accustomed to being treated with sympathy due to the fact that civilians view them as troubled by the war, which is only a myth.

Along with the shift in surroundings comes a shift in the mental stability of the soldiers. A good example of the effects is

The difficulty of transitioning from military service member to contributing civilian citizen has been acknowledged by the United States government as early as 1924. As wars have come and gone, so too have versions of veteran’s benefits; including that of education aid. The tone and outcome of the wars have impact on the veteran’s education programs that follow. Philip M. Callaghan, of The American Legion Magazine, details the upswing and fall by explaining, “The golden age of college benefits for veterans ended on June 25, 1950, at about 4 a.m., Korean Standard Time.” Before that moment, WWII veterans enjoyed a lucrative version of the bill which afforded them a home loan and education that the average, 1940’s American could not have funded

Many came home to find that they were replaced in their old occupations and that, in general, jobs were in short supply. As a result, unemployment among veterans was triple that of civilians in 1947. Moreover, housing was hard to find leaving many veterans without a stable home. Furthermore, while there was a baby boom after the war, there was also a divorce boom. Marital relations suffered after the war as veterans silently struggled with their mental health.

As a daughter of a United States Marine, I have a real-life perspective on veterans. I have deep respect for my father, and all veterans who have put their lives on the line for America. My heart really goes out to those soldiers fighting this very moment. My brother-in-law has an old high school friend that went into the National Guard. While this friend was away he encountered a form of great disrespect.

I chose this topic because there seems to be a growing epidemic of homeless veterans in our country. This is very sad when you think of how those men and women voluntarily signed up to serve. There are so many Americans that live by the slogan “Land of the Free because of the Brave” yet, you have so many brave men and women eating out of garbage cans and sleeping under bridges. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans there are several factors that contributed to displacement of veterans such as shortage of affordable housing, low income, and inadequately healthcare. As well as the lack of family and social support not to mention the returning home wounded veterans suffering with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression

Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) have high rates of unemployment and mental health disorders. In addition, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common injury among OIF/OEF veterans, often leading to cognitive impairments and post-concussive symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and difficulties with cognitive and functioning. TBI and comorbid psychiatric conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) limit cognitive readiness for civilian employment and may lead to impaired job performance. These conditions all serve as potential barriers for OIF/OEF Veterans entering the workforce.

The Effect of Poor Health and Unemployment On Homelessness Among Veterans According to the Homeless Research Institute, veterans compose more of the homeless population than they do the civilian population, formulating only 11% of civilian life compared to 26% of homeless population (Veterans Inc.). Although not all veterans wear camouflage, all face similar struggles upon returning to civilian life. Unfortunately as they return to civilian life their needs hinder. As a result, veterans face a future of poverty, illness, and above all, homelessness.

A lot of America’s veterans are now having to live on the streets after coming home from combat. and a problem like this should not be occurring. There are close to 50,000 homeless veterans here in America. This is due to the lack of support networks for returning veterans and also the substandard pension veterans receive. There have been efforts to combat this problem but it is still a large problem all across America.

"1 out of 10 veterans alive today was seriously injured at some point while serving in the military." (Morin). While any of those ten veterans could have a hard time re-entering regular civilian life, the injured one will most likely struggle. Military personnel struggle most coping with service-related injuries when returning, which can affect them by developing PTSD and finding it difficult to maintain a full-time job. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can happen to anyone.

Men and women who have made the sacrifice to serve in the military are often thought to be deserving of special resources and benefits after their service to our country ends. Unfortunately, for the veterans who become incarcerated, they may not receive these resources. This may be a contributing cause of their incarceration. They also may not have access to these resources while they are incarcerated, or even after their release. Neglecting to recognize the importance of their needs is likely to hinder their ability to reintegrate into society and lead productive lives.

Another issue that veterans struggle with when they come back from war is mental illnesses like PTSD. According to “bringing the war back home”, “Of 103 788 OEF/OIF veterans seen at VA health care facilities, 25 658 (25%) received mental health diagnosis(es)”. This disabilities can make getting into the workforce much more difficult and even leave veterans to live on the streets from lack of employment. The solution discovered from this research is that if these mental diseases are caught early enough, the veterans will receive the help they need and be able to continue their normal civilian lives. “Targeted early detection and intervention beginning in primary care settings are needed to prevent chronic mental illness and

You left your family and friends into a bloody war you could of died but you didn’t mind. You took your life for mine. You made things in life better then if you didn’t go into the war. My papa went into the war and he made it out safe. Those stripes and stars in our flag came from you.

Along with being deployed some of my learned skills were acquired when I was assigned as a Fury FSC retention NCO two years ago, and my job was to educate soldiers about what they qualified for and other entitlements. Even though the soldier already knew the skills needed in the Army and had knowledge of the Army, I still had to persuade individuals to why they should reenlist. This required some craftiness on my part as some of these soldiers needed to hear something that they haven't heard