Quote Originally Posted by Schmedlap View Post
Maybe I'm out of touch.
You're not out of touch; this is an issue that simply persist below the radar. Last year, I had trouble adjusting, and I wanted to know why. So I went out and asked questions to anyone I could find on the street or that I met through my social network.

I took a long, hard look at it. I interviewed numerous veterans from various wars and socio-economic statuses ranging from homelessness and gangs to upper-middle, rich classes. Moreover, I asked the opinions of social workers, prison volunteers, psychologists, and psychiatrists that work directly with veterans. The common denominator was that the individuals had some form of issue in coping for some amount of time after combat.

Sample Set (Direct Observation)
Topeka- 40 veterans
Salinas, CA- 10 veterans
Monterey, CA- 20 veterans
Orange County- 5 veterans

I applied the same techniques learned in tracking down al Qaeda in the Diyala River Valley- I simply went out and had honest conversations with them.

What I found was suprising to me. The suprising thread was that the men were bright, informed, and fascinating, but they were still stuck in their war. That's the only way I can describe it right now.

Just somethings to consider. I'm not throwing out generalizations when I make statements. I'm just particularly frustrated by the DHS and others that do.

v/r

Mike