They’re Coming Home. AND THEY NEED YOU.
Our nation's defenders answer the call to duty selflessly, without hesitation. But all too often, deployments can be incredible financial and emotional hardships for them and the families they leave behind.
Some 40,000 troops returned from Iraq late last year. Thousands more will arrive from Afghanistan. For more than 10 years, they’ve left their families behind to honorably and selflessly serve in a multi-theater conflict.
They’ve fought long and hard — and at great personal cost. Still, for many, the toughest fight of all lies ahead… coming home.
Severe Injuries — It's a tragedy: young veterans in wheelchairs, living with amputations, burns, blindness or other physical injuries.
But those aren’t the only casualties. Other veterans carry devastating “invisible wounds.” More than 220,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have experienced a traumatic brain injury. Many are now haunted by crippling mental illnesses like PTSD, and at high risk for suicide. For all these heroes, it’s often an uphill battle to get the help they need to make it through.
Staggering Unemployment — Approximately 200,000 veterans of OEF/IEF are jobless — significantly higher than the general population. And the numbers are rising. Transitioning to civilian life can seem utterly hopeless without the prospect of employment or the ability to care for their families.
Families in Crisis — What happens when a young spouse suddenly becomes a full-time caregiver? When a child must now care for a disabled parent? When a military family buckles under the stress of living with a veteran forever changed by war? It’s happening every day in the homes of our heroes as they cope with all they’ve lost.
YOU CAN HELP. WE ALL CAN.
VFW is on America’s front lines, seeing to it that justice isn’t denied nor delayed for any veteran.
Learn more about the assistance VFW is providing to OEF/IEF veterans and veterans of all wars.
