As COVID-19 continues to ravage the United States, many people have lost their jobs or businesses, causing them to struggle with maintaining an income for themselves and their families. Amongst these people include veterans of the US military forces.

According to studies and surveys done in recent years, over 20% of veterans aged 18-34 are unemployed. Data shows that veterans are over 40% more likely to owe more on their properties than what they are worth and almost 1.2 million veterans have an income below the poverty level. How is it that this can be happening to so many veterans? What factors contribute to these statistics? How are these veterans dealing with the current pandemic? We asked these questions to retired US Marine Tintu Parameswar who co-founded a non-profit organization called Operation Decisive Victory with his wife, Dona Parameswar, to give support to veterans.

Parameswar served in the US Marine Corps for over a decade until he was medically retired in 2014 due to combat related injuries. He currently lives with his family in Charlotte, North Carolina where they started ODV to help as many veterans as possible. There are various veteran support organizations in the US but many of them only focus on specific niches or certain issues – resulting in many veterans getting turned away. The Parameswar family and ODV’s goal is to provide a system that does not have any prerequisites for veterans to receive assistance.

Parameswar explained that while financial assistance is a major issue for veterans, there are numerous other factors that are just as crucial. He says that many of these veterans “leave a stable life in the US to serve their country but then come back to an unstable life. There are so many veterans who enlist at age 18 who then come out of service after 15-20 years to a whole different world that they don’t even recognize.” Many of these veterans have spent much of their lives learning, practicing, and applying skills that don’t apply to modern day society and this causes them to be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding employment. In addition, psychological and mental issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are common disorders that up to 20% of veterans suffer from, playing a major role in their struggles to find a stable income. Parameswar explains how “the traumas of war causes issues for [veterans] to come back and not be able to reintegrate into society. They struggle with mental health issues that make them want to isolate themselves from the outside world and this often leads to extreme depression, substance abuse, and many other problems. It’s not a transition for these veterans, it’s more like a light-switch. Soldiers receive monthly paychecks, consistent meals, and don’t have to pay any bills while they are serving but suddenly when they come back, they’re in a completely opposite situation. Also, it takes up to 90 days for their pensions to arrive and those 90 days are already a struggle. The delays in money coming to you and the financial and emotional burdens causes many vets to lose a sense of purpose. It feels like an uphill battle.”

Lately, with COVID-19 causing panic nationwide, support for these veterans has become even more sparse. Veteran Affair hospitals have been hit especially hard due to a huge drop in volunteers and many have had to extend their no-visitor policies as far out as 2021. Soup kitchens have closed down. Shelters have become overcrowded and their unsanitary conditions provide the perfect conditions for the rapid spread of the coronavirus. A study done by the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans reported about 1.4 million veterans who are now at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing. So many of these soldiers who have risked their lives to defend our country are now struggling to survive. How can we help?

Veterans don’t necessarily need tens of thousands of dollars. Sometimes they just need one or two hundred dollars to pay off the month’s rent or debt. These soldiers are extremely resilient people. They go days without food, hike countless miles, and beat unbelievable odds. They are used to fighting for themselves and are extremely self-disciplined. It’s not likely for them to ask for help unless they truly needed it. In certain cases these veterans even just need moral and emotional support. They need people to listen to what they have to say. 

These veterans are people who have suffered through blood, sweat, and tears to defend our country. Many have sacrificed their lives to keep us safe. The least we can do is let them know that we, as a society, do care about them.