There are nearly 25 million veterans living among us, in every state and territory and from every walk of life. Veterans Day was created to thank veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who have served, both dead and alive, have sacrificed and done their duty.

The massacre at Fort Hood last week that took the lives of thirteen servicemen and women has pulled a dark cloud over this year’s Veteran’s Day events. If anything, we received a stark reminder of the need to guard against becoming numb against the horrors our soldiers face in war.

The United States has been at war for more than seven years and veterans say the repeated extensions of duty are emotionally battering, even for the most stoic of warriors.

• Since 2001, 1.6 million U.S. soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• From 2006 to 2007, the number of U.S. troops diagnosed by the military with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) jumped nearly 50%, bringing the total of diagnoses to nearly 40,000.
• Shockingly, the numbers represent only a small fraction of all service members who have PTSD because not included are those diagnosed by Department of Veterans Affairs workers or civilian caregivers, and those who avoid seeking care out of concern over stigma or damage to their careers.
• Less than half of soldiers with mental health problems seek treatment.

All this has culminated to skyrocketing rates of divorce, domestic violence, and suicide over the course of the wars.

The dangers

DoSomething.org analyzed statistics on Vietnam veterans to see what could potentially happen to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans if mental health issues go untreated. The results were frightening.

• 23% of homeless population are veterans (that’s between 529,000 and 849,000 vets).
• 76% experience alcohol, drug, or mental health problems.
• In 1998 alone, 56,500 Vietnam vets were being held in State and Federal prisons.

What can you do?

ots of people plaster yellow ribbon magnets to "Support the Troops" on bumpers. How about taking it a little further?

• One of the most personal and meaningful Veterans Day activities you can do is to send notes or cards to hospitalized veterans or those living in veterans homes. You can design and send an individual note or card or work together as a group with your friends and/or family to send an oversized card or poster signed by all of you. The cards and posters can then be mailed in one large envelope to the nearest VA medical center or state veterans home. Addresses for state veterans homes and VA medical centers in your area can be found in the blue government pages of the telephone book. There also is a link to the VA facility locator on the VA website. Make sure that envelopes sent to VA medical centers are addressed to “Voluntary Service Director” and those sent to veterans’ homes should be addressed to “Administrator.”
• Too many veterans are homeless and hungry. You can help by organizing a canned food collection drive and donating them to our Feed the Need campaign.