ABSTRACT
This entry takes a broad view of the general state of social conditions that the veterans of the U.S. military face in connection with receiving social benefits upon achieving veteran's status. It argues that actual social policy toward veterans is very distinct from the patriotic status that is ceremoniously accorded to veterans on specific holidays in America. The discussion begins with the briefest overview of the Department of Veterans Affairs and its relationship to the WWII generation. This is then contrasted to the changes in the relationship that were accorded to the Vietnam veterans resulting from the domestic turmoil surrounding that conflict and the homecoming experience they received. The discussion then shifts to the new veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and argues that despite symbolic gains, these new veterans suffer a measure of bureaucratic neglect.
