While we’re all jumping up and making ourselves feel great by wishing a Happy Veterans’ Day to military personnel past and present, may I just say that to the homeless vet whose regular post is the corner of Cold Spring Lane and Roland Avenue in Baltimore, those prayers and “thank yous” are cold comfort indeed. People, please look into what you can actually do for vets in need, because our vaunted system leaves many in the lurch. Iraq and Afghanistan vets with severe PTSD are being told they really had a “pre-existing condition” before they joined the service so the VA doesn’t have to cover their care. The “nothing’s too good for our men and women in uniform” line is often just that - a nice sentiment with little to back it up.

That the murderous Maj. Hasan, a fourth-rate doctor, could qualify as a military psychiatrist gives you some idea of how bad things are.