As far as I am concerned, any veteran has EARNED whatever benefits and retirement income he or she gets. And that extends to their dependents and survivors as well. So they have every right to collect on these benefits and nobody has any right to begrudge or criticize them for doing so. Again, these benefits have been earned, and are therefore OWED to the recipient, regardless of what their personal beliefs are now.
What makes my blood boil is when people maneuver things in order to collect welfare or disability payments they are not truly entitled to in order to pioneer or the like or even just to have an easier (read: lazier) life. Welfare is meant to be a short-term social safety net, NOT a lifestyle choice. I think society as a whole would greatly benefit if there was more emphasis on personal responsibility and less reliance on government handouts. A measure of stigma attached to receiving welfare unnecessarily might serve a good purpose too. Oh well, one can dream, right?