Governor Schwarzenegger is heading to Iraq next week to visit American soldiers. The announcement comes on the heels of the governor’s appearance at a Veterans' Day ceremony in Los Angeles.
That’s where the governor thanked veterans and outlined what he’s accomplished to improve state services for military personnel. But he says more work needs to be done.
“We have to work tirelessly on the tremendous suicide rate that is amongst veterans," said Schwarzenegger. "The homelessness that exists or the stress disorder that exists. More than twenty-percent of our veterans come home from Iraq and Afghanistan and suffer from distress disorder. We have to do something about it we can’t just shove this whole thing under the rug.”
Schwarzenegger also announced that the state has received $5 million from the federal government for veterans programs. He says the money will be used for job training for more than 1,400 former soldiers statewide.