Other recent articles under: Discrimination as of May 6, 2009
Topic: Discrimination
The Empire and Veterans of Foreign War
A veteran's real-life experience that served as a allegorical wake-up call about the hypocrisy surrounding America's treatment of veterans. by John L. Jones
(libertarian)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
For this story to make sense you're going to need to be filled in on the background. I am an alum of Falmouth (Maine) High School's class of 2004 and have recently returned home after a 4-year enlistment in the U.S. Air Force. While attending FHS, I was part of tightly-knit group of friends with whom I shared very similar musical interests. This is relevant because we were, for the most part, die-hard fans of Ween, a band that defies genre classification and whose music oftentimes confuses the non-fan.
Fast-forward to the evening of May 5th 2009. Portland's local music hall, "The Empire" is hosting a 21+ battle of the cover-bands between Ween and Flight of the Conchords. My buddy and I have been eagerly anticipating this show all week and are all riled up to show our support for Ween (coincidentally, a good friend of ours is playing the drums for the Ween cover band). So we march down Congress street towards "The Empire" only to be stopped dead in our tracks at the door. The girl checking ID's at the door said they don't accept Military ID's (a federally issued form of identification on par with a Passport) and asked for another ID, I produced my Maine driver's license. My driver's license was expired but state law recognizes it as a valid license for 30 days after being discharged from the military. At this point the bouncer starts to puff up his chest and tells me I can't come in, so I ask if I can explain my case to the owner or manager. The bouncer refuses my request. Luckily, my friend is playing in the show tonight so I figure he can vouch for me and sort this all out. He brings out who I believe was the owner, who promptly informs me that my ID was a fake (which it certainly is not) and asks me to leave. This gentleman wasn't even willing to hear my story and assumed I was lying about being a veteran.
I had no idea how to react. There I was, 23 years old, a local veteran, and huge supporter of the local music scene essentially being told I was lying about my military service and that my patronage was not wanted at "the Empire." My emotions ran high and I bit my tongue as I walked away. I was an outsider in my own hometown and apparently had earned no respect after four years in our nation's military.
Then the irony hit me.
This whole experience was a perfect allegory for the relationship between veterans and the U.S. Government. Did you know that statistics show that 1 out of 3 homeless men have worn this nation's uniform and that on any given night over 150,000 veterans are without shelter? These statistics are a direct result of our government's failure to treat veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a serious mental illness that afflicts all those that have served in combat, some more so than others. Our elected officials pay plenty of lip-service to the issue of health care for veterans, but the facts show just how seriously the issue is treated. After the American Empire has gotten what it needed from our nation's finest, they literally kick them to the curb.
Source: National Coalition for Homeless Veterans http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm
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The views expressed
in this article are those of John L. Jones only and
do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates.
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Posted By: Jake, the Champion of the Constitution
Date: 2009-05-06 13:28:04
Hey John!
Interesting piece! I saw Paul R from IVAW made it onto the Colbert show last night, thought that was great. Wasn't aware of the homeless figures, but it doesnt piss me off quite as much as this piece on vet suicides....
http://www.nolanchart.com/article5114.html
That said, at least you arent being met with outright hostility. From some of the 'Nam vets, this is how it was. I think for most, myself included, are very thankful for those who volunteered to defend our country, even if there is debate (to put it neutrally) about how our armed forces have been used.
Anyways, I am running for Congress and I would like to have a coherent, clear, and fair veterans stance. If you have any suggestions based on your experience or know of helpful sites, feel free to send them to my email (jaketowne AT gmail) or over facebook. I have some very... non-standard... views which I wrote about once here http://www.nolanchart.com/article4300.html
As a former Sergeant in the Marine Corps, I experienced the same problem when I came home to PA and I agree, it sucks, but Pennsylvania has tough legal reactions to bars and clubs that serve minors and will even send in decoys to try to get served. The bar/club manager was merely protecting the establishment.
As for the homeless vets, there are many reasons why the number is that high that have nothing to do with national apathy and more to do with the fact that these people were heading in that direction long before they joined the military. Many saw the military in the way that some view prisons, 'Three hots & a cot.' I doubt that many served their full enlistment honorably and most likely left when either they or the military realized they didn't have what it takes. I support vets suffering from PTSD, but the unfortunate truth is that these 'vets' are suffering from drug and alcohol addiction.
While I sympathize with your situation at the club, I think your leap to homeless vets is a bridge too far.
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