Khao Kho veteran found homeless after online post draws attention
A Facebook user revealed, on February 21, that a former paramilitary ranger who fought at Khao Kho is now living on the streets in Nakhon Ratchasima, after returning from years of combat without a pension or a veterans’ card.
In his post, Korakot Ketkaew wrote that the man previously served as an assault trooper with Ranger Company 920 and spent several years fighting at Khao Kho.
He said the veteran survived the conflict but later came back with no retirement benefits, no pension and no official veterans’ identification.
Korakot had shared the man’s story on YouTube, prompting the Army’s Second Region in Nakhon Ratchasima to search for him. They later found him near Wat Sala Loi in the province.
According to the post, the Nakhon Ratchasima veterans office later learned of the case and checked the man’s service record which confirmed he fought at Khao Kho. Officials then issued him a veterans’ card.
However, the man’s circumstances reportedly did not change. He remains homeless and continues sleeping on the roadside because he still has no pension, no benefits and no home.
Korakot said the man’s parents have died and that he has no wife or children. He added that the veteran is not mentally unwell, but tends to keep to himself and speaks only with fellow soldiers.
The man is described as a class 3 card-holding war veteran who has little beyond pride in having fought for the nation and defended the country for future generations.
Many veterans face similar hardship after spending their younger years in service, only to find they are older and physically worn down when their fighting days end, Korakot added.
He plans to visit the veteran one day, adding that he believes the man is still living rough and sleeping on the street.
In a separate development, earlier this month, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that disabled soldiers should receive proper employment opportunities and stronger welfare support, as he led a ceremony to honour fallen service members at Bangkok’s Victory Monument.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
