Many U.S. Iraq vets homeless

Many U.S. Iraq vets homeless Some are poor, traumatized by war experiencesJun. 24, 2006. 04:48 PMASSOCIATED PRESSNEW YORK — As a member of the U.S. army National Guard, NadineBeckford patrolled New York City train stations after Sept. 11, 2001with a 9 mm pistol, then served a treacherous year in Iraq.Now, six months after returning, Beckford lives in a homeless shelter."I'm just an ordinary person who served. I'm not embarrassed about myhomelessness because the circumstances that created it were not myfault," said Beckford, 30, who was a military-supply specialist at abase in Iraq that was a sitting duck for around-the-clock attacks.Thousands of U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan arefacing a new nightmare — the risk of homelessness. The U.S. governmentestimates several hundred vets who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan arehomeless on any given night across the country, although the exactnumber is unknown.---Read the rest of the article here (highlight the link if it gets broken)- http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename+thestar/Layout/Article_Type&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=11511480119468co