Free Essay About Editorial Essay: Homeless Veterans

According to Munz (2006), homelessness among veterans remains a compelling issue in the United States (US), specifically within the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is claimed that around one-third of homeless people in the US were veterans, with a study from the University of Washington confirming the same number to be true in the case of St. Louis. Most of the homeless veterans in St. Louis have been single mainly because their families left them for being involved in a slew of problems related to addiction, health, income and housing. Yet, the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans found that veterans are at greater risk of homelessness compared to nonveterans because of the following: (1) vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, (2) lack of social support, (3) non-transferability of military jobs to civilian jobs, and (4) inability to adjust from the high-structured environment of the military (Munz, 2006). With that, Munz (2006) has emphasized that homelessness among veterans is caused by their experiences in the military and lack of support on issues related to addiction, health, income and housing.
The rigors provided by military life has, indeed, entailed veterans to struggle outside it. American soldiers often experience several traumatic experiences that have placed them at the brink of death, yet such is the menace that entail in choosing to serve the US above themselves. Nonetheless, it is tenable to presume that homelessness among veterans is an indication that American soldiers are at risk of living a life devoid of adulation for their efforts in serving the US. With that. I find the premises raised by Munz (2006) plausible, in that she based those on her thorough investigations with the help of organizations like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), National Coalition of Homeless Veterans and National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness, alongside first-hand interviews with actual homeless veterans in St. Louis. The views Munz (2006) has gathered are in no way prejudiced, in that she was able to produce her investigations based on the existing problems articulated by the organizations and homeless veterans she has interacted with.
However, it is also equally understandable that the argument of Munz (2006) claiming that lack of adequate institutional support has led to the rise of homelessness among veterans may find diverging perspectives. For instance, one may say that military experiences may be easily transferred to productivity in the civilian world if veterans keep their virtues of discipline and integrity intact. Surely, the rigidity of military life would definitely form veterans into individuals with a distinct brand of knowledge and wisdom sufficient for making them into successful civilians. To say the least, homeless veterans, according to such a view, are those who have failed to apply discipline and integrity they learned from the military unto themselves, henceforth putting them at fault instead of the institutions designed to support them. Nonetheless, homelessness among veterans not only within St. Louis but also throughout the US remains an institutional problem arising from the lack of awareness towards their plight in the military as well as the perils of civilian life hindering them to avoid problems related to addiction, health, income and housing. Yet, such also serves as a divisive issue that involves a clash between those who believe that it is a systemic problem and those who claim that it is a problem among the individuals concerned (Munz, 2006).
Overall, it is important to place great concern over the problem of homelessness among veterans because it serves as quite a disgrace to the honorable people who have willingly served the US with the knowledge that their lives would be risked. To honor the valiant efforts of veterans, they must be ensured of a beautiful life when they finally finish their service and continue their lives as civilians. Otherwise, serving the US by joining the military would no longer serve as an honorable undertaking.

References

Munz, M. (2006, April 23). America's veterans. America's homeless. A third were stationed in war zones. But many homeless vets find bigger struggles at home. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. B1.