PORTLAND -- Coming home can be half the battle for veterans of the Iraq war.

Crowds gathered in Northeast Portland’s Hollywood district to honor veterans Tuesday morning. Young people who have recently served were among them.

Many said the return home was the hardest adjustment they made.

The rules of war don’t translate to civilized society. Many Iraq war veterans found the swift transition back into society abrupt.

Post traumatic stress and divorce are huge problems. Staff Sgt. Joseph Gassner completed two tours in Iraq and had a couple of “close calls” with improvised explosives.

However, the challenges of war didn’t prepare him for what lay ahead when he returned home. He found himself unemployed and his three-year marriage over.

"I had a family when I left, a wife and a step son, and now I don't,” Gassner said. “Everything that was important a year ago isn't. It's kind of like the world moves on without you.”

Many veterans are hoping President-elect Barack Obama will keep his campaign promises of improved health care for those who have served in the U.S. armed forces and a zero-tolerance policy for homelessness among the veteran population.