But that doesn't belittle the fact that they served. Just because somebody is a mental patient doesn't mean that they don't deserve respect. Remember that a lot of people developed mental health issues
as a result of their service. And 5 figures could be as little as 10K a year, which is around minimum wage.
OK. I
will say this. I am the wife of a Vietnam-era Vet. Nobody knows the frustration of this more than I do. People coming back today are thrown parades, given free houses, free cars, and made out to be heroes, even if they never left the motor pool or the mess hall. Todays soldiers come back heroes and have possibly never even seen combat. Vietnam vets came back and were spat on. My husband had to remove his uniform when he disembarked his plane, along with all the other soldiers, because his company commander didn't want them to be spat on, or called baby killers.
Big difference in the way they were treated, and it stinks. You see homeless vets now? I'd bet 80% or higher are Vietnam vets.
The issue I have is this -- people shouldn't talk about things they don't understand. If they've never served, they don't have the right to complain about the military. Put on a uniform, walk a mile in a soldier's boots, or be the wife or the child of a soldier, and then they can talk. Otherwise, they can STFU.