As Veterans, we took an oath that we will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that we will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. This is how our services started with the United States Armed Forces.
While in the Military, our country sends us to places you’ve never heard of and never want to visit, because our country believes that it is better to fight over there than over here. If the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 is a good example, you can see the impact of a one-day attack that basically changed our lives forever.
What will happen to us if we have terrorist attacks throughout the year? Will we survive? We don’t want to find out. We hope and pray that these attacks would never happen. That’s why our country sends our Veterans over there to fight.
But when we are sent to fight in dangerous places, we encountered experiences that are so traumatic that they will forever impact our life. We saw things we hope you never have to see. We do things we hope you never have to do. And the ugliness of war remains with us for the rest of our lives.
While serving, regardless of our duty station, there is always a support system, or in instances someone, like a buddy, to support us and this is usually available 24/7 365 days a year. This support system, whether good or bad, continues throughout our life in serving our country and defending our freedom.
When our contract with our country ends, we leave the military. In leaving the military, we also leave a support system we are accustomed to having. If we have a family, we go back to our family where no one understands us and we don’t understand them, so we feel like a foreigner. Regardless, if we have a family, some sort of support system is available.
On the other hand, what if we don’t have a family? We are alone and to prepare ourselves for the future, we enroll and attend a higher institutional of learning only to be left behind, because the fast pace of academic learning is too fast.
Now our next choice is to get a job. We get a job but for some reason or another, we quit. We couldn’t get along with our co-workers, supervisors and sometimes the customers. The money we save to pay for our monthly apartments payments while serving is almost gone. Our jobs didn’t pay much because we didn’t stay too long. With no money, no work, and no family as our support system, we “hit rock bottom.” We become homeless.
As homeless Veterans, we wonder if this is the price we pay for suffering lifetime impairment injuries while fighting for our country. While other Americans continue to enjoy our freedom, we are trying to survive. We cannot afford to live in the country for which we served, and at times, if need be, to sacrifice our life. As a combat veteran, we know however, that we will somehow get out of our current situation. We have done it in numerous combat encounters. We just need reinforcements.
While seeing action, we know we wouldn’t leave any of our comrades behind. If they are hurt, we must stabilize them before we could perform any diagnosis. Thereafter, we can call in for support or a helicopter to pick our comrade and take him to a hospital.
Now we are homeless. We are being left behind. Without shelter, it is hard to stabilize us while we remain homeless. With shelter, because of the passage of MEASURE E, we can begin to stabilize our homeless Veterans and thereafter, develop a Plan of Care, giving opportunities to become economically independence.
With shelter, you can help us, the homeless Veterans, who fought for our country, to experience the freedom we so dearly fought for while becoming a productive member of our society.
We need housing for Homeless Veterans, stabilize them so we could help them plan a lifetime care. WE NEED MEASURE E. OUR HOMELESS VETERANS NEED YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS.
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Tito A. Cortez, MSW, is a US Army, Vietnam War Disabled Veteran. Mr. Cortez is also the Founder and Volunteer Executive Director of Veterans Supportive Services Agency, Inc. (VSSA).
About Veterans Supportive Services Agency
Veterans Supportive Services Agency, Inc. (VSSA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to help eligible Veterans apply for service connected disability life-time compensation. We are solely dedicated to providing life enhancing supportive services to US Armed Forces Veterans and their families. Serving Veterans since 2011.
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For a copy of our letter of support, download here