'This Week' Transcript: Gen Peter Chiarelli

WASHINGTON, Dec 26, 2010 — -- AMANPOUR: IN THIS SEASON OF GIVING, SOME OF THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THE MOST, FIGHTING FOR THEIR COUNTRY HAVE COME UPON HARD TIMES.

RETURNING TO THE HOME OF THE BRAVE, FOR THOUSANDS OF MILITARY VETERANS, HAS MEANT NO HOME AT ALL.

MANY VETERANS OF AMERICA'S WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ARE FINDING THEIR TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN LIFE OVERWHELMING.

SOMETIMES COMPLICATED BY POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, UNEMPLOYMENT AND DIFFICULTY ADJUSTING TO ORDINARY LIFE AFTER THE EXTREME ENVIRONMENT OF COMBAT, THOUSANDS OF VETERANS HAVE BEEN LEFT HOMELESS.

ABC'S BOB WOODRUFF TAKES A SPECIAL LOOK AT THE PLIGHT OF THESE WARRIORS WITHOUT A HOME.WOODRUFF: IT HAS BEEN OVER 9 YEARS SINCE THE US HAS BEEN AT WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ - OVER TWO MILLION US SERVICEMEMBERS HAVE DEPLOYED - MANY RETURNING TO THE FRONTLINES MORE THAN ONCE - AND SINCE THAT INITIAL SHOCK AND AWE CAMPAIGN THE VA ESTIMATES THAT OVER 9,000 OF THESE MEN AND WOMEN HAVE BEEN HOMELESS.

BOB WOODRUFF: Do you think people would be shocked to know there have been 9000 homeless Iraq and Afghanistan vets?SOT PAUL RIECKHOFF, Director IAVA: I think they should be. We know that's a conservative number - there are thousands. And I think even if there's one, it should be a national outrage. I mean a day when it's 20 degrees outside and the idea that some man or woman who got home from Iraq or Afghanistan maybe just a couple of months ago is homeless that should outrage everybody in America.

BUT THERE ARE…

BOB WOODRUFF: Was-- was it ever this cold when you were sleeping here on the bench?JOSE: Last winter wasn't that cold.

JOSE PAGAN IS A DECORATED VETERAN WHO SURVIVED TWO TOURS OF DUTY IN IRAQ AS A ROAD CLEARANCE SPECIALIST…JUST THREE DAYS AFTER LEAVING THE MILITARY HE WAS HOMELESS, LIVING ON THE STREETS OF THE BRONX…

BOB WOODRUFF: how long was this your home?JOSE: For around a month and a half to two months.BOB WOODRUFF: A month and a half on the benches?JOSE: Yes, yes, yes, yes. But it was safe.BOB WOODRUFF: It was safe here?JOSE: It was safer than any other place.BOB WOODRUFF: Well, how'd you lay down? JOSE: Well, I had duffel bags. So-- you know, I normally put the duffel bags here. And-- a duffel bag here. Pretty much lay on it. But-- I was lucky to have one of our sleeping bags with me. BOB WOODRUFF: And that was your only warmth?JOSE: Yeah. It was embarrassing. Pretty embarrassing. Especially as a veteran. Yeah. Honor, pride, duty, loyalty, all these things that we-- that kick in as a soldier, you know. And then, to find yourself here, it's-- .BOB WOODRUFF: It's something you'd never imagine.JOSE: Never.

SPECIALIST PAGAN WASN'T ALWAYS ON THE STREETS - HE HAD A WIFE AND DAUGHTER, A HOME…

JOSE: We had two vehicles. Beautiful apartment, with a real nice fireplace. We was planning to go to Brazil this year, this Christmas. And then, you know, none of that-- none of those plans could exist anymore. So, it was kind of-- it'll-- it'll kind of mess with you a little bit, you know.

THE BREAK UP OF HIS FAMILY AND HIS DEPARTURE FROM THE MILITARY PROVED TO BE HARDER THAN HE THOUGHT…

JOSE: I was a trained soldier. Readily available at any time. You know, mentally. Tough, physically tough to go ahead and handle business. In basic training, we say you eat now, and taste later. So, in Iraq we say you fight now, and you cry later. BOB WOODRUFF: What about here?JOSE: Here, it's-- everything's backwards. You're just always constantly crying. And-- and, you know, thinking about what could've happened, what just happened, you know. So, it was worse here.

HE'S NOT ALONE. THE VA BELIEVES THERE COULD BE THOUSANDS MORE HOMELESS IN PART BECAUSE OF COMBAT STRESS, BRAIN INJURIES FROM IED'S AND THE RISING USE OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. ALREADY, OVER A QUARTER OF A MILLION TROOPS HAVE ASKED FOR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT. BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE THAT GO UNDIAGNOSED…

SETH DIAMOND, Commissioner Department of Homeless Services - NYC People are very proud when they come back. They may not want to-- admit that they need some help.

IN NEW YORK CITY, THE VA HAS PARTNERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES…TO HELP IDENTIFY AND HOUSE VETERANS IN NEED, TO AVOID MAKING THE SAME MISTAKES MADE AFTER THE VIETNAM WAR.

SOT SETH DIAMOND DHS COMMISSIONER Vietnam-era veterans, we still are serving a number of them because they were never properly reestablished in their communities when they returned. The country has learned a lot. The city has learned a lot. you gotta get it right at the beginning. And if you do that, it'll have lasting effect.

BUT SOME SAY CHANGES ARE NOT BEING MADE FAST ENOUGH… WITH THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN STILL AT FULL FORCE - TROOPS ARE BEING CALLED UPON TO SERVE OVER AND OVER. APPROXIMATELY 900,000 SERVICEMEMBERS HAVE BEEN SENT INTO HARMS WAY MORE THAN ONCE - WOMEN INCLUDED - IN FACT, WOMEN ARE BECOMING HOMELESS FASTER THAN MEN…

SOT PAUL RIECKHOFF, Director IAVA Women are becoming homeless at twice the rate of men. Women are at a much greater risk across the board on homelessness, on unemployment, on suicide. They make up about 15% of the returning fighting force. And that's something the VA wasn't prepared for. Nonprofits weren't prepared for. Shelters weren't prepared for. And that's why we're seeing them end up homeless at such a higher rate.

SGT. Q-TARA HENRY IS ONE OF THOSE WOMEN…A CHEMICAL WEAPONS SPECIALIST WITH THE 101ST AIRBORN SHE SERVED 2 DEPLOYMENTS TO IRAQ, HER SECOND TOUR OF DUTY CAME ONLY 4 MONTHS AFTER HER SON WAS BORN…WHILE IN IRAQ HER HUSBAND FILED FOR DIVORCE AND WAS GRANTED CUSTODY OF THEIR TWO KIDS.

Q-TARA: When I found out about court and everything else. I said, "You know what? I gotta get a lawyer." So, I was trying to deal with those things while I was in Iraq. So, that's where all my money was going.

WHEN SHE CAME BACK TO THE US SHE SLEPT ON FRIENDS COUCHES, AND EVEN IN A CAR ON THE STREET. TODAY SHE'S AT THE BORDEN AVENUE VETERANS SHELTER IN QUEENS WITH 26 OTHER VETERANS FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

BOB AND Q-TARA WALKING TO HER CUBBY: This is my living room. You know, cubicle. This is where my clothes are. And these are the love of my life. These are my children. These are my inspiration. So, that keeps me going in the morning. BOB WOODRUFF: what do you kids think about you being homeless?Q-TARA I don't tell my children that I'm homeless because I don't really think they would understand that. When I have them, I take 'em to beautiful hotels. I let them go to swimming pools and everything else. Because I don't want them to know. The hardest thing for me was my son asked me, "Mommy, why do we keep moving?" He doesn't understand that I'm in hotels. So, he thinks that every time I take him to a hotel that we're moving to another place. And that hurt me to my soul.BOB WOODRUFF: You've never shown them this place at all?Q-TARA: They cannot come here.

SHE MAY NOT HAVE TOLD THEM BUT HER DAUGHTER KNOWS SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT.

Q-TARA: My daughter's eight years old. She took all the money that she had and said, "Hey, Mommy, this'll help you buy a house." And I was overwhelmed.BOB WOODRUFF: She offered you money.Q-TARA: Yes. So, I guess she knows that it costs.

WHILE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ARE TRYING TO FILL THE GAPS. HERE IN NEW YORK, FOR EXAMPLE, THE JERICHO PROJECT IS WORKING ON THE HOUSING SHORTAGE…HELPING VETS GET THE BENEFITS THEY'RE ENTITLED TO AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - HELPING THEM FIND A PLACE TO CALL HOME.

SOT TORI LYONS, Director Jericho Project and Bob Woodruff tour of new veterans housing site:Tori Lyons This was a vacant lot before we started. And it's gonna be all state of the art-- new construction. BOB WOODRUFF: And this'll be done by Spring?TORI LYONS: Yeah, we're looking February/March just to move in our first veterans.

JERICHO IS CURRENTLY CONSTRUCTING 2 VETERANS RESIDENCES THAT WILL OFFER PERMANENT HOUSING TO VETS FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN - THIS ONE IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN MARCH…

SOT TORI LYONS: We've seen people-- with less than a year of being discharged from the military-- were showing up in the homeless shelter. And that's really alarming, because there was-- it was kind of commonly thought after Vietnam that it was maybe eight to ten years after the conflict ended that-- that the veterans showed up in large numbers. 00:19:38:00 that's why Jericho is building these now. Because people-- are already coming back. So, we don't have the luxury of waiting eight years for them to hit the street, so to speak.

THE CURRENT ECONOMY HAS ONLY MADE THINGS WORSE - ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG VETERANS - THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS 20%, THAT'S ABOUT DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE... MICHAEL MONROE IS ONE OF THOSE VETS, HE WAS A COMBAT MEDIC IN IRAQ AND NOW HE CAN'T FIND A JOB. HE'S BEEN LIVING AT THIS SHELTER FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS…

BOB WOODRUFF If you had a message for Americans watching this, what would be your-- your message to them?MIKE Don't-- just, you know, once we get home, don't forget us. I mean, there's a bunch of us still here. And-- you know, some of us do need a little bit more help than others. And just be there.

BUT FOR SGT. HENRY THINGS ARE LOOKING UP…WITH THE HELP OF JERICHO SHE HOPES TO HAVE HER OWN APARTMENT BY CHRISTMAS…

SOT DEBBIE MODESTE - JERICHO: We are working very hard so she can have her kids over.Sot Q-Tara: it's been two years since I've had them for Christmas.

SPECIALIST PAGAN IS ALSO ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES…JERICHO HELPED HIM TOO…

SOT JOSE PAGAN: Everything changed. I have an apartment. And it was the first time. First time, especially as a grown man that-- I've gotten a gift like this. So, it was an amazing feeling. I have a place. this is what I call-- it's my little-- it's home.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: Bob, thank you so much. That's very, very powerful. So good news at the end, but so many thousands of veterans homeless. Why is it that Iraq and Afghanistan returning vets are becoming homeless faster than they did when they came back from Vietnam?

BOB WOODRUFF, CORRESPONDENT: You can say in Vietnam it was they're going back to a civilian world that existed. So many came back. And you look at the numbers, about 11 percent of Americans served in Vietnam. Now it's only about 1 percent. So when they come back, they're largely alone.

They don't have any information about how they can get so much help. So they end up really temporarily as homeless, as opposed to Vietnam, which was after five to 10 years it became permanent, because of the way they were treated when they came back. They were spat upon, and they didn't have any help at all.

AMANPOUR: But they're not finding that now, right? They're not finding that they're ostracized?

WOODRUFF: They're not ostracized. It's exactly that. Once they find out what they can do, they begin it. That's the one that they say (ph). It's not that there's not help available to them. They just don't know anything about it. And the ones that are coming out of all the wars, the numbers every day, homelessness, the V.A. says about 107,000 veterans are homeless every day from all the wars, not Iraq and Afghanistan.