Iraq War Vets Return; Some Have No Home

NPR | By Libby Lewis

Published October 27, 2006 at 4:00 PM EDT

Joe Raicaldo leans against the '98 Plymouth he has been living in since his honorable discharge from the Army after he was injured in Iraq.

National Guard Cpl. Joe Raicaldo is home from Iraq with things he didn't have when he left: an honorable discharge, metal rods and screws up and down his spine, and an arm that moves like a robot's. He's also homeless, living in his car. There are at least 600 recent vets who are homeless.

Raicaldo's story is one that tells how hard it is going to be to weave some of America's warriors back into the fabric of home.

Libby Lewis

Libby Lewis is an award-winning reporter on the National Desk whose pieces on issues of law, society, criminal justice, the military and social policy can be heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Day to Day, Weekend Edition Saturday, and other NPR shows.

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