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Unless we have been where you are, none of us can know what you and other veterans have been through or are currently going through. I can refer you to the VA, where you would receive help, but, shamefully, no one can take back their lack of respect or give you back all those lost years.

We will never know the horrors that you have survived or currently live with. We are too naive to fully understand the concept of war and how it truly affects those on the front lines. However, with your help, we may begin to comprehend some of it.

Very often, I have heard writing can be therapeutic. In fact, I use it myself quite often. Perhaps, if you were to open your life and let others get a glimpse inside, changes would begin to happen with you and others who suffer. While I can understand not wanting to expose yourself to the world, but until we can fully comprehend what happens to our men and women in the military - war will never end. Our children are disilusioned by the lure of easy money or an education,  and the misconception that it cannot happen to them. Maybe by talking to them, things would be different.

Video games and movies which glorify war, acts of courage, and heroism do not paint a picture of the after effects. What happens to the soldier 10 years down the road after coming home? How do they cope? What services are available to them? Do they go to college and live a normal life? Do they get married and live happily ever after? While I do understand the need for a military, does and 18 year old comprehend the effect it will have in their life?

I know when I was full time military, I had never seen anything which would have scarred me for life. If I had, maybe I would have thought twice. I understand desperate times call for desperate measures, but at what cost? The military recruiters will tell the enlistees whatever they want to hear, but when the time comes, the recruiters are not on their way overseas.

I think more people would value the contributions you could make to this site and to society as a whole.

Veterans gave-up a lot to served this country, yet they are only rewarded doing war time, after the war they are forgotten about. These are young brave men and women that has put their life on hold to forefill their duty to country with honor! However, there are so many homeless veterans that have yet to made it back from the war within their mind. I know like so many veterans that suffer's from PTSD, that we are still living back within a war zone! I was one of those veterans who missused drugs and alcohol for the better part of my life. I am like so many who came home to nothing, no crowds thanking you for your service! "Like Today" I came back from "Hell", the country called it the Viet-Nam war, within my mind, or what is left of my mind relived events never seen before, they just now put a handle or gave what I am suffering from is "PTSD". This disease was unknown until the 80's, veteran's back then was mostly drug related, and alcohol related leaving us no other course but to go down the wrong road in life without any kind of help from the government that sent us in harms way. Now, who is going to take responseability for the crimnal record I received on behalf of serving my country? Yes; I did break the law, however, doing this period of time, there was no treatment for veterans, they called it shell-shock, and told us there was no help for us! The government did not step in until late within my mess-up life! They should forgive veterans that suffered from this disease without any help that is now here for veterans who suffers from being within a Combat zone, for many years; there are many veterans that are wearing these same shoes, who need help from other veterans to stand by our side and say this was wrong for the government not to give those who need it the most a break with their crinmal recorder being cleared up if they deserved it by doing all that required of them within the law of this country;