Rachel M. Idaho

Those Who Defend Us

We as a country need to focus less our illegal immigrants and more on finding homes for the hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans living among us.

In the city of Boise, where I live, there are more than 2000 homeless veterans.  These men, who risked their very lives to protect their country, deserve far more than this.  They deserve respect.  They deserve benefits.  They deserve so much more than we as Americans are giving them, and I believe that has left an indelible mark on our nation.

We as a nation need to focus less on the issue of illegal immigrants and new immigrants entering the country.  We need to focus on making homes for them, and giving greater benefits.  Our retired soldiers were ready and willing to risk their lives and die for our country, and suffer permanent mental conditions, and they deserve greater credit for that than we are giving them. They deserve to receive mental help and healthcare benefits.

There are hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans living throughout the United States in desperate need of our help. We need to step up and actually try to help them. If we don't, it will leave an permanent mark on the face of our nation and its leaders. We need to honor those who protect and defend us.