No Soldier Left Behind?

Veteran homelessness is an American shame.

The United States military has a common belief: no soldier will be left behind, particularly if they fall into an enemy’s hands.

Unfortunately many soldiers return from their tours of duty and fall immediately into the hands of a growing enemy: poverty and homelessness.

On Veteran’s Day 2015 my Facebook feed was awash with praise for America’s defenders, as it should be.

But there was a new meme being slung around, slamming the Obama Administration for taking in refugees but not helping America’s homeless veterans.

One administration after another has come and gone without making any impact on the ranks of homeless veterans. Obama, Bush, Clinton, another Bush, it just keeps going back that way.

Let’s be straight here: unless something unlikely happens, the government won’t be helping much.

That makes it our problem then, doesn’t it?

Instead of whining about the problem, blaming this president or that political party, what are you doing to help? You specifically, what are you doing? Anything?

I don’t mean liking and sharing memes – the modern bumper stickers – that someone else posted on social media. That takes zero effort and makes zero difference.  Here’s what Facebook social concern looks like:

“I care, so I ‘liked’ a meme someone else wrote.”

“Yeah, well I care twice as much as that. I care so much that I shared a meme someone else wrote to my page.”

You can pretend you’re making a difference by “calling attention to the issue”, making people aware of an American tragedy.

We’re already aware, thanks. We know that it’s America’s Vietnam, a quagmire that drags these men and women helplessly down.

But standing at the edge of a quicksand pit and reading the warning signs aloud to everyone isn’t helping. Throw a rope to the folks who are sinking! Chop down a limb and offer it. Get on your knees, thrust your hand into the watery doom, and start lifting!

You can’t proclaim the shame and then say you don’t know how to help. You just can’t. But if that’s still the case, allow me to make a few suggestions.

1.       Google. Search online for agencies that help provide shelter or services for veterans in need. They’ll tell you what you can do. If they need toiletries, canned food, maybe even volunteers, you can make a difference by providing for their needs.

2.       Check your pockets and purse. You say you don’t have even enough money for your stuff, let alone extra to donate? It doesn’t have to be a lot. You can set aside your change over the course of a month and donate it. Set aside a jar and add $1 per week – you could have a $52 donation this time next year.

3.       Think outside the box. My cell phone service gave me credits for being a long-standing customer. I went to the landing page, selected which agency supports veterans, and redeemed my credits to help them.

4.       Use your workplace’s outreach. When our local Heart of America Stand Down program listed a thank-you to the businesses which support veterans’ services, the Kansas City IRS campus (my employer) was #3 on the list.  IRS employees support local veterans by donating groceries and money to those in need. But it’s not about who does more or does it better – it’s about all of us taking the opportunity to get out there and make a difference!

5.       Re-think your excuses. Your donation would be too small to really do any good, so why bother? Isn’t that the same excuse people use for not voting and stuff? Except that, in this case, nobody’s donation can negate yours. Even one dollar you put towards taking care of veterans is one dollar they didn’t have yesterday. Even a drop in the bucket beats a totally dry bucket.

6.       Buy a box of greeting cards and get personal. Could you grab some seasonal gift cards after the holidays and send a card to a homeless veteran who feels abandoned and alone? Write a sincere letter stating how you feel about their service and their value as an American and a human being.

7.       Be productive in your complaints. Email the White House. Write your Congressperson. Send a daily e-mail to your mayor. Complain to someone who can act on your outrage instead of just people who can like and share it.

This is just a small list of things we can all do. You don’t have to solve everyone’s problems, but you do have to look past the overwhelming problem and resolve to do one good thing for one person. Then you’re actually helping.

A final note to everyone who whined that we can’t help outsiders until the government gets busy helping the Americans in need first:

Stop whining about a problem and then complaining that someone else isn’t fixing it! If you haven’t done anything to help but are happy to blame someone else, you’re part of the problem, straight up.