Andrew Jones: US Military Veterans Fight the War Against the Economy

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were, and still remain major challenges for United States military troops, but the war back home against a staggering economy is still a formidable opponent in itself. Veterans of those wars continued to acknowledge that battle at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America's (IAVA) annual gala in New York City this past week, as unemployment for US veterans remained above 10 percent. "Victory in Iraq and Afghanistan is going to be debated for decades, but 'victory' is ultimately going to be measured in how we treat this generation," said Tom Tarantino, a policy and research coordinator with IAVA, who served as an Army captain for a decade, and spent one year in Iraq. "Do we set them up for success, so that they will transition home out of the military, get jobs, go to school, and become that next generation?" Tarantino highlighted the Senate's passage of the Veterans Hiring Bill Thursday, for returning troops being one of the few bipartisan agreements Democrats and Republicans still have nowadays. The passage of the 2009 post 9-11 G.I. Bill also was an important display of Capital Hill's unwavering, undisputed support for veterans in his mind. But even Tarantino's optimism wouldn't guarantee that will always be the case.