Wars are strategic plans that governments make to obtain valuable resources. According to the United States Department of State, powerful nations have camouflaged their intentions and made society believe that there is a war on terrorism. Over the past decade, the United States invaded the soil of Iraq and Afghanistan and thousands of soldiers died (Maceda 2). The US government publicly announced that weapons of mass destruction were present in Iraq and that its intervention constituted a political obligation. These weapons of mass destruction posed a threat to the United States and its allies, war was declared and invasion was inevitable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although there is no proof of such claims, the United States and its allies started the war and American troops were quickly deployed to a foreign battlefield. After a long decade of incessant struggle, the war continues and the troops remain in the region. Derek Coy, a former United States Marine sergeant, said veterans, including himself, struggle both mentally and physically (qtd. in Maceda 1). The problems returning veterans face are the lack of a competent health care system, poverty, and lack of family support to avoid homelessness. Homelessness continues to impact and create a problem for returning veterans (Dalgish). Homelessness is prevalent in hundreds of cities across the United States. It is common to see people sleeping on bus benches and near metro stations. The United States government has created various shelters to combat this problem; nevertheless, veterans are still at risk of homelessness and loss of family. Stephen Metraux concluded that “a government agency like Veterans Affairs implemented effective use of homelessness prevention services, which included $100 million in the Veterans Support Services program veterans and their families in fiscal year 2012, and helped resolve the Veterans Affairs issue as a whole. commitment to end veteran homelessness by 2015” (7). The veterans health care system has been accused of mismanagement, falsified records, and preventable patient deaths (Landen 1). According to Rachel Landen, for some time, veterans have had difficulty making appointments for their health care needs and health administrations have had problems with keeping records of wait times (1 ). “Under a 1996 law, disabled veterans in need of care must be seen by a provider within 30 days, but they found that two-thirds of the clinics they examined had wait times longer than thirty days” (Landen 2). Additionally, allegations were made regarding mismanagement at a gastroenterology clinic in South Carolina; an inspector had to examine the causes of the delay in care (Landen 2). They discovered that there was a backlog of 2,500 delayed consultations and 700 were considered critical (Landen 2). Many of these patients were diagnosed with gastrointestinal malignancies, and fifty-two of them had delayed diagnosis or treatment; six of these patients had died (Landen 2). Homelessness has been a problem in every war andprotective measures have not been able to prevent this as the population of formerly homeless people has increased significantly in recent years. Likewise, Vietnam veterans remain part of the homeless population. Homelessness does not discriminate by race or gender; This is a problem experienced by combat soldiers. The number one reason veterans become homeless is because they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (Metraux et al. S255). Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health problem triggered by a terrifying event (Rieckhoff). Rieckhoff continues to say, “A third of Iraq veterans will face PTSD or another mental health issue; If left untreated, the effects on mental health struggles can lead to unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicide” (Rieckhoff). According to Ira Katz, “Analyses of mortality data presented in the data points column show that among veterans diagnosed with serious mental illness, homelessness was a major problem. This diagnosis contributes more to years of potential life lost” (605). Veterans suffer from this condition once they return home, making it difficult for them to adapt to a civilian lifestyle. In an article about homelessness among veterans, the "emotional trauma" experienced in war zones by veterans is "both a cause and a consequence of homelessness" among veterans. They suggest that many veterans suffer from "culture shock" and therefore experience difficulty transitioning from military to civilian life (Veterans Today). They are a barrier because they are full of terrible memories of fallen comrades and enemy killings. From the day a soldier is deployed overseas, blood and cruelty flood his life. Although combat soldiers are physically trained to endure life on the battlefield, it has a negative effect on their mental state. Veterans are not mentally stable and are not ready to adapt to civilian life without psychological assistance. This makes the transition more difficult because they are not willing to readjust their perception of their changing lifestyle. For example, in the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, one of the returning veterans failed to adapt again to his previous way of life. The lifestyle he led outside of war became dull and dull; there was no excitement in the quiet community in which he lived. Ultimately, he chose to end his life because the lifestyle he had known had ended months before his return. These soldiers lack the cognitive support and employment fundamental to being financially stable; many walk the streets abusing drugs and alcohol (quoted in SparkNotes). According to alarming statistics, veterans who find themselves homeless are prone to suicide because they feel helpless. Among veterans who died by suicide, five hundred and sixty-one (3.6%) had a history of homelessness (Bossarte 714). Robert Bossarte states, “Suicide among homeless veterans saw a single peak in middle age” (714). Veterans are more predisposed to experiencing homelessness than the general population. According to Wilbur Scott, “With the diagnosis of PTSD, psychiatrists now say it is “normal” for the horrors of war to traumatize people; War neurosis, or PTSD, occurs when this trauma goes unrecognized and untreated” (28). These veterans are primarily at risk because they.