The war may be over but not for those returning.

• • The troops will be coming home from Iraq by the end of this year.
    
    After the joy and excitement of their homecoming comes the next set of hardships. The jobs they left many years ago are no longer here for them, and not only will they face problems brought on by extended deployment and readjusting to civilian life, they will also find a job market that has no place for them.
    
    They will have to realize that the legislators who, at the start of this conflict, demanded they go to fight no longer support them. Instead, those same legislators wish to cut funding for VA programs.
    
    Many will suffer from the effects of PTSD and, like the Vets from Viet Nam, they will have to deal with a world of non-veterans who have no idea of the trauma those returning will have to cope with. Add to that the stress of adjusting to life at home with little prospect of employment and we will undoubtedly witness an increase in domestic violence and suicide.
    
    The irony is that those coming home may face an even bigger challenge than they had in Iraq. They will find that we have become a divided nation of haves and have nots ....... a nation in which, after fighting for us all these years, they may find it will be difficult, if not impossible, to vote.
    
    They may find that their views are not favored by those on the other side of the political fence. I remember returning home in '73, when wearing ones uniform was actually advised against. My hope is that they never have to feel the way many Nam vets felt coming home.
    
    In today's political climate they are returning to a scene where those not fortunate enough to have employment are viewed by many as undesirable, as lazy and as freeloaders ..... a scene in which if you're not willing to work for minimum wage, without any benefits or pension, you are unlikely to be able to secure work. Even worse, many companies will no longer hire you if you're not already gainfully employed.
    
    My prayer is that those who hold the reins in Washington will not cut the funding for the service men and women that gave this nation the security and service that was asked of them.