Veterans of War

When veterans return home, many do not fully leave behind the horrors they face in war. The NY Times reported that last week alone, three veterans killed themselves on Department of Veterans Affairs health care properties. The VA estimates as many as one in every five veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan currently suffers from PTSD. For Vietnam veterans, the number is nearly one in three in their lifetime. Approximately 20 veterans kill themselves every single day. Homelessness, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress and a military culture that tends to sweep things away are all aggravating factors for veterans.

Unfortunately, 70% of veterans do not regularly seeks care from the Veterans Administration. Although there are many reasons for this, the culture in the military, one of discipline, perseverance, and resilience, does not lend itself to seeking help. And in the civilian community, there remains both a stigma surrounding these problems for veterans and a general unawareness about how to help. Furthermore, the public face of the VA has all but disappeared; in 2017 only $57,000 of its $6.2 million media budget was used. Concurrently, funding for suicide research and prevention in the mental health community has been cut.

A first vital step in preventing more veteran death by suicide is reaching out to veterans and letting them know they are not alone. At 3 Generations, we aim to put faces and names to our silenced heroes. By telling their stories, we aim to bring these issues into the light and help raise awareness of the ways we in the civilian population can show gratitude to our veterans.

We are delighted to salute the 93 veterans serving in the new Congress.  Of the 16 freshmen arriving on Captiol Hill this month, three are female House members: former Navy pilot Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), former Air Force Capt. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Navy veteran Elaine Luria (D-Va.). Our mantra has always been to value all our veterans no matter their race, gender, religious beliefs or political affiliation. Those who chose to serve in Congress deserve  special respect as they continue a career of public service.

At 3 Generations we still see the need to raise awareness around issues that are of concern to many veterans: PTSD, homelessness, sexual assault, drug-dependency and LGBTQ rights. Presently two-thirds of current and former female military report they have experienced sexual harassment or assault. The same number report sexual discrimination.  11% of veterans are homeless. 17% experience some degree of PTSD. Meanwhile less than 40% of current military believe the transgender community should serve in the military, creating vulnerability for transgender recruits and veterans.

Throughout 2019 3 Generations will continue to tell the stories of veterans through our project Valuing our Veterans. It will be our special pleasure to watch the work of the 16 freshmen veterans in the 116th Congress.  We thank them for their work and you for your support.