Veterans are people who sacrificed a lot for our country. They served so they could protect us and our nation but some have been treated differently because they were changed by what they saw when they were active duty. They served to protect us and then get treated poorly? That isn’t right. Some don’t even have a real home to live in. They live on the streets and most people don’t do a thing because we don’t know them and what they’ve done for us.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs on only a single night in 2018 there was counted to be 37,800 veterans experiencing homelessness and another 23,300 were unsheltered. This was just one night of counting, imagine counting all of them in the U.S., that would probably be in the millions.

That isn’t good, they’ve done so much most of us couldn’t even imagine having to do. They’ve served but don’t have a real home. This is heartbreaking, imagine that you did so much for somebody but get treated like you didn’t do anything and that it didn’t mean anything. This is what they probably feel, but worse because they don’t have anybody to lean on or anywhere to really go, if their family doesn’t talk to them anymore or if they don’t have anyone with them.

Both my parents and my great grandfather have served and serving in the military and if they were treated like this I don’t think I could live with that. They mean so much to me just thinking about this makes my heartbreak. They are the best and I want the best for all veterans even the one I don’t know.

I wish I could thank all of them because they protected us every moment they served and risked their own lives to protect loved ones and one they don’t even know. I wish no veteran has to live on the streets but some do. I hope one day we fix this and no veteran has to live on the streets because it’s not right. They served and was changed by it, it’s not their fault it affected them.

For more information: 

https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/pit_count.asp