Taken from The Struggle of African American Vets by Vince Emmanule:
The socioeconomic situation facing returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan is quite grim. Broadly speaking, returning veterans are enduring the multiple stresses of combat trauma, physical injury, unemployment, homelessness, imprisonment, drug/alcohol dependency and a multitude of other social, economic, and psychological ailments. In this context, it's important to remember that veterans from all ethnic backgrounds are disproportionately represented in any and all socioeconomic statistics within the United States. However, the situation is even more tragic for African American veterans.
Vince Emmanule at Memorial Day,Chicago 2013.
According to Tom Tarantino of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, referencing a recent survey conducted by IAVA, over 16% of veterans surveyed reported being unemployed. That's almost three times the national average.... Read More