U.S. veterans

An Iraq war veteran reflects on the Sept. 15 march

‘The first time I put on that uniform I hoped I would wear it with honor. On Sept. 15, I finally did.’

By Michael Prysner

The writer is an Iraq war veteran.

The writer was arrested at the Capitol on Sept. 15 along with 195 others.

The writer was arrested at the Capitol on Sept. 15 along with 195 others.
Photo: Stanley Rogouski

On the morning of Sept. 15, I held in my hands a uniform that was issued to me nearly five years ago.

HEALTH-US: Surviving War, Slowly Dying at Home
recruitmenteducation.org

Aaron Glantz
IPS

LOS ANGELES, Jun 12 (IPS) - The U.S. Vets Westside Residence Hall is a hulking eight-story structure a few blocks from Los Angeles International Airport. It's the largest transitional housing and employment centre for homeless veterans in the country, hosting 700 veterans annually.

Michael Hall is one of its residents. The 31-year-old Army staff sergeant enlisted shortly after high school and served as a heavy equipment mechanic and technical weapons specialist in Bosnia, Cuba, Kuwait and Afghanistan before being severely injured in Iraq in 2003.