The Harsh Irony that is Veterans Village of San Diego

For my exercise I visited Veterans Village of San Diego. First, I visited the triple threat combat veterans group for combat veterans who have been diagnosed with combat posttraumatic stress, substance abuse and are currently homeless. Many of the narratives hit really close to home as group members mentioned a myriad of struggles from managing anger, maintaining sobriety and dealing with survivor's guilt. Moreover, several of the members had become involved with the criminal justice system at one point or another since leaving the military. A recurring theme was felony convictions such as assault and domestic violence much of which was likely due to untreated posttraumatic stress and the anger issues that accompany it. It became very apparent that much of the anger, frustration and bitterness that these men felt were rooted in behaviors that in combat are essential for survival but are highly maladaptive in the civilian employment sector and society as a whole.

During the second day of my visit, I conducted three individual interviews with residents at the facility. Ironically, every person that was interviewed had the following characteristics: 1) unemployed for at least 2 years or more 2) had a prior misdemeanor or felony conviction 3) were enlisted personel on active duty 4) came from low SES backgrounds in which no person in their immediate family had higher than a high school education.

The first individual I spoke with, "Robert" indicated that he viewed the military as a pathway out of poverty and the discrimination he faced growing up in the Deep South as an African American. After being medically separated from the Navy after 16 years as a fireman he felt bitter when he realized that he lacked the transferable skills or social contacts to compete for employment in the current economy. In the past two years that he has been unemployed, "Robert" stated that he had submitted over 50 applications that had resulted in 2 interviews and no job offers. In addition to a stated lack of human capital such as advanced education or training, Robert as indicated that a lack of social capital such as relevant job references or networks greatly affected his ability to obtain employment. When asked how many references he listed that were pertinent to the employment he was seeking Robert indicated that he not listed any references.

Next, I spoke with "Michelle" who had been unemployed for the past three years. Initially, Michelle stated that she did not have any difficulty in transitioning out of the military as it relates to employment. She stated that she remained in the area where she was stationed on active duty and immediately found a job at Starbucks. Afterwards, she moved to California to live with her aunt where she worked in telecommunications selling cellular phones. When asked if she experienced a decline in her standard of living and income comparable to her active duty pay she indicated that she experienced a considerable decline in both. Moreover, having worked in a military occupation of telecommunications in the Air Force Michelle indicated that she had applied for a job that was a civilian equivalent with a defense contracter and was unable to obtain employment despite her training due to not having a Bachelor's Degree. Further, when asked how the current economy was impacted her she indicated that in the past 3 years she had applied to over 100 jobs and recieved 4 interviews and no job offers. Moreover, Michelle indicated that upon exiting active duty she only had two relevant job references.

Finally, "Hector" told me of his transitional story from the Wounded Warrior Battalion that culminated in swallowing his pride 5 years later and arriving at the homeless veterans standdown event in July. Based on my interactions with him it was very apparent that Hector had severe cognitive deficits due to a traumatic brain injury from an IED in Iraq and would likely be defined as unemployable by the Veterans Administration. While Hector initially attempted to obtain employment he had great difficulty maintaining it as he couldn't remember how to use a cash register or the proper steps for laying tile. Moreover, he indicated he felt angry due to feeling stupid over not being able to do something that was previously so simple. Additionally, he attempted to take college classes but would fail his courses because he was too embarrassed to use the disablity services program at school even though he had a diagnosed disability. Also, because he came from an impoverished family he realized that his resources where limited and did not want to be a burden as a result of his physical and emotional baggage. Moreover, being latino he was too embarrassed to tell his family that he is currently a resident at VVSD.

Listening to these veterans stories it was very apparent how broken the system is in respect to combat reintegration. In particular, it is a system that addresses symptoms of transitional difficulty by emphasizing employment that is typically semi-skilled or unskilled labor. However, the root cause of reintegration issues such as lack of human or social capital is often overlooked which is reflected in the current unemployment rate for veterans between the ages of 24-34. Consequently, this approach makes the veteran worse off than when they were while on active duty despite the fact that military service is marketed by recruiters as a means of upward social mobility. Moreover, many of the administrators who create such support programs with an employment centric focus are individuals who are or were military officers that are often oblivious to the human and social capital deficits faced by a majority of enlisted personnel. Case in point, none of the individuals I interviewed or met could identify a single officer who resided at VVSD. One of the things that struck me was the fact that the VVSD facility is merely 100 yards away from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Ironically, several Marine recruits will arrive at MCRD to begin boot camp as the first step of achieving upward social mobility and escaping the social class constraits of their youth. Unfortunately, in an economy such as the one we are facing, with a few missteps during the transition process it is very likely they could end up at Veterans Village a few years from now as homeless veterans.