The Mission Back Home

Recently the 25 percent unemployment rate for recently deployed veteran has dropped below 15 percent, although it is still nearly double the general unemployment rate.

But that leaves thousands of young veterans at the mercy of an economy recovering as slowly as their visible and not-so-visible wounds.

Chris Kenning at The Courier:

Since the United States launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 11 years ago, Kentucky-based USA Cares has been providing help to financially struggling soldiers and families.

But as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, the USA Cares is fielding an increasing number of calls for help from returning veterans who need housing and other temporary assistance because of high unemployment rates and backlog of Veterans Administration claims.



Requests to the Radcliff-based group have grown from an average of 150 a week to about 250 recently, officials from the non-profit said. USA Cares has provided short-term grants totaling more than $9 million since 2003 to more than 9,000 post-9/11 service members and vets.


By year’s end, group officials estimate that they will get nearly 10,000 requests this year for help with rent or mortgage, food and fuel or car repairs, compared to an average of about 7,000.

 Donate to USACares here.