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Most of us remember our military veterans on November 11th, sometimes with visits to graveyards and occasionally with pinning on red poppies. And all of us enjoy the extra holiday. But what about the rest of the year? Are our veterans really being supported and cared for after they leave active duty?  Sure, they get discounts, are called heroes, get special parking spaces, and receive words of appreciation. Beneath of all this, though, the picture seems cloudy these days, what with PTSD, Veterans Administration controversies, suicides, disrupted families, and troubled re-integration into civilian life for some veterans. My wish is for all veterans to receive helpful benefits and support as they re-join civilian life. Here's a booklist that offers libraries a wide range of titles and a broad coverage of the issues affecting our veterans these days, along with some memoirs and autobiographies. 

Some interesting current statistics regarding U.S. Veterans (Sources: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, American Community Survey 2015, United States Census Bureau)

• 22 veterans, on average, commit suicide every day.
• The suicide rate for younger veterans (18 -29) is 7 times higher than their civilian peers.
• The rate of suicide among veterans is 21 percent higher than the rest of the country.
• The suicide rate of among female veterans is a 140 percent higher than their civilian peers.
• No one knows how many military spouses and families members commit suicide.
• There are 18.8 million veterans living in the United States.
• 3.8 million of these veterans are disabled (2014).
• U.S. military is the world’s second largest (China’s army is the largest) and troops are deployed across the globe.
• It is believed that 45 percent of all veterans who served in the Middle East are disabled.

 

The Pew Research Center released an informative profile for Veterans Day 2017 titled "The Changing Face of America's Veteran Population."

Veterans Day, November 11th