You can't really see the whole thing. This is a tiny piece of it. The stones are so small, and the land so big, that you have to zoom in pretty closely to get this effect. This is true of our living veterans as well.
Today's facts*
25 M living veterans. 1.6M of them served in the wars we are currently engaging.
50% of those are married, with a total of 1.9M dependents
Those conflicts are officially known as OIF - Operation Iraqi Freedom ("the war in Iraq") and OEF - Operation Enduring Freedom ("the war in Afghanistan")
Together they are referred to as GWOT - Globar War on Terror
About 1/3 of OIF/OEF veterans have experienced a traumatic brain injury.
1/5 are living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or depression
14,000 purple hearts have been awarded. Approximately 500 amputations.
Seems like a good place for a pie chart. These are their ages.
Typical outpatient recovery at Walter Reed - 10-24 months
Average wait for a disability claim - more than 6 months
Monthly payment for 100% disability $2400/mth
Find a way to get involved -- reach out, even to one. It may be too hard to see them all.
We know these are hard times in our country. Imagine coming home to it.
* Facts from http://www.veteransnewsroom.com/files/press/VETERANS-Fact-Sheet-Veterans.pdf and http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com Commentary is mine.
As usual you not only put not only a human face on the mass of veterans, but you also found a way to help us focus on doing something meaningful. Thanks.
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