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Originally Posted by DeltAlum
I'm not so sure about that -- at least in terms of the Vietnam veterans. The all volunteer "professional" Army is supposed to have smarter soldiers than our armed forces of the past.
The "average" grunt in Vietnam was 19 years old, likely to have a high school education or less, a minority and probably drafted soon after high school. That doesn't give you a whole lot of preparation for life. As the article says, the vast majority of homeless who are former soldiers are from the Vietnam era.
Finally, the troops returning from Vietnam were hardly greeted as heros as our troops today are.
That men and women who served in our Armed Forces end up homeless is terrible -- but it is hardly a new thing.
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Not to mention that a significant portion of Vietnam troops were addicted to heroine when they got back to the states because it was made readily available in Vietnam. I was watching a special about drugs in America and I believe it said something like 1 out of 5 troops were addicts when they got back to the states. I am sure that would play a significant role in the lifestyle of troops when they got back.