“We as post-9/11 Veterans are very resilient and can make significant and positive contributions to society. But at the same time, our military service and the difficulties we face reintegrating to civilian life make us one of the highest-risk Veteran populations.”
With 20,000 hearings completed by August 2021, the Board of Veterans Appeals is on pace to best its previous record, smashing its historical average of 16,000 annually.
Family members of Veterans are currently facing two challenges – supporting the Veteran they love with all they are thinking and feeling and coping with their own thoughts and feelings. VA has resources and information for both of these challenges.
On Labor Day, we honor America’s workers and all they have achieved. At the Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), it is our honor to serve and support you as you transition to the next stages of your working life.
When then-Army 1st Lt. Jim Riffe was preparing for the invasion of Okinawa in April 1945, he kept a small, black book. In it were the names of the 29 men he commanded. Seven would be dead within weeks. Fourteen wounded. When the now 100-year-old retired colonel prepares to celebrate the 76th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day Sept. 2, he said the names in that small, black book are what he will remember. He said remembering those names is what honors those heroes, something he advised Afghanistan Veterans to do as they deal with the news of the pullout. “Remember the individuals you served with,” Riffe said.
