I just finished watching MTV (yea, it's still on the air!) and they had Senator(s) Obama and Clinton speaking with a group of recently separated veterans.
At one point a young veteran, who had been homeless for a period of time after departing the service, asked Barack what he would do to ensure that our military veterans did not find themselves living on the streets after they're done serving our country.
Mr. Obama stated that he's already drafting some legislation at the Senate level which would provide housing, medical, emotional, and job training facilities (and those facilities would be on-site) for military veterans to transition back into civilian life.
Having served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1988 to 1992, and as a Desert Shield/Desert Storm veteran, I can write the rest of this post based on my actual experience.
Sorry Senator, but the troops have what they need while they are serving. If they choose to depart the service, it is of their own free will, just like it was when they enlisted. There are job search facilities, resume assistance, and a host of other transistional services already in operation - but those are for currently enlisted troops, and it is up to the individual soldier to take advantage of them before they exit the service.
I remember when I departed the service, back in 1992, and I had been a civilian no more than 4 hours when I decided that I was hungry. A quick trip to the base commissary (grocery store) was the first thing that I thought of, so I jump in the car and headed back to base. They wouldn't let me on base because I didn't have a military ID card (they take them when you leave the service).
Sure, I was a bit pissed, because I was used to having everything that I needed nearby for the last 4 years of my life. So, that was a rude awakening back to the civilian life, but that is the way it goes.
In summary, Senator Obama - please do not spend our tax money on duplicating a system which is already present.
To any of the currently enlisted men and women who might happen to read this - check the job listings before you decide to get out of the service - while you may think that things are rough where you are, the job market is much worse out here, and there's nobody out here with us to help make things any easier.
This is the year, where if I had stayed in the service, I would be retiring with 20 years of service. It sure got here quicker than I ever imagined.
