When I came home from my tour in Vietnam I was told to wear civilian clothes and to not expect a lot of sympathy for the war or its veterans. I was lucky to live in a fairly laid back area and didn't hear any of the insults directed at me personally. I did note that people often looked a little critically at me when they found out I was a combat veteran but I'm fairly thick skinned and paid them no mind. A lot has changed over the years, but the politicians who send young people off to war seldom realize the sacrifices and cost.
I worked for the VA after I finished my last year of college and and we worked on a shoestring budget for more years than I can say. There were always more claims than people to process them and even today, a 100% disabled veteran from service connected conditions only gets $3106 per month. That's equivalent to $17.85 an hour and who can live on that?