“U.S. Veterans Unplugged” Debuts on Radio Station KPFK-FM in Los Angeles

July 23, 2012 - PRLog -- “U.S. Veterans Unplugged” debuts on radio station KPFK-FM in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 2:30 pm.  Hosted by veterans, the half-hour program is about veterans and those who care about our military veterans and their role in our democracy.

“Since the elimination of the draft in 1973, there has really been no shared sacrifice during our military conflicts,” said host Jim Goyjer, a Vietnam era veteran. “In the post-9/11 world all the conflicts have been fought exclusively by a professional military and enlisted volunteers. During this sustained warfare, only about 0.5% of the American public has been on active duty at any given time.  Most Americans have no idea the human and economic costs of these wars for generations to come.”

U.S. Vets Unplugged is co-hosted by Vietnam veterans Shad “Floyd” Meshad, founder and president of the National Veterans Foundation;  David Culmer USMC (Ret), Commissioner of the Los Angeles Veterans Advisory Commission and Service Director of the American Legion of the Los Angeles County Council; and Rick Seaman, founder of Veterans Network, an online video news program for and about veterans.

U.S. Vets Unplugged will not only report on and help veterans, such as navigating the complex bureaucratic system, which can often deter them from obtaining their benefits, but also educate the public.  A 2011Pew Research survey finds that 84% of modern-era veterans say that the American public has little or no understanding of the problems that those in the military face.  According to a companion Pew Research survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,003 American adults ages 18 and older, 71%, of the public shares in that assessment.  

Although our society holds those who serve in uniform in high esteem, returning veterans are at greater risk for unemployment, homelessness and suicide. In too many cases, their American dreams have become nightmares. Compared to pre-9/11 veterans those who serve in the modern military are fewer, older, better educated and more likely to be married. A greater share is women and minorities.

More than 6,200 American troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade, and more than 46,000 have been wounded.  Of the post-9/11 veterans who served in a combat zone, 49% say they have suffered from post-traumatic stress. Among post-9/11 veterans who were married during the time they served, 48% say their deployments had a negative impact on their relationship with their spouse.  In addition, the unemployment rate among these veterans is 12% compared to the national average of 8.2%, and the suicide statistics may be most startling of all. In 2010, the VA estimated that 20 percent of suicide victims in America are former service members, not  to mention the suicide rate in the military, which is at one a day.

According to the Los Angeles Legal Aid foundation, homeless veterans comprise 25 percent of the 73,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County.  If not homeless, many veterans live in cheap hotels and over-crowded or sub-standard housing, despite the wealth of benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The multitude of issues surrounding our military veterans will only be heard on U.S. Vets Unplugged on KPFK 90.7 FM.