There are hundreds of veterans on the streets of Long Island Christmas night with two things in common; a past when they fought for their country and a present where they have no place to go.Calling an area near the Meadowbrook Parkway "rock bottom," Pat Yngstrom of Nassau Veterans Services says the crisp American flag flying is the first sign that a veteran is staying there and needs his help. Yngstrom also notices camouflage clothing and an alarm system to let whoever is staying there know someone is coming. He says no one who fought for the flag should be living in those conditions.The federal government estimates about 500 homeless veterans roam Long Island on a given night. Yngstrom says the number is more like 4,000. His hope is to get those roaming the streets to the Veterans Affairs office in Northport. The facility has services ranging from medical care to job training and every veteran is entitled to them. There are also services for homeless veterans, but officials freely admit it can be difficult to get a homeless veteran to ask for help. John Sperandeo, a social worker at the VA, says some may be fearful or anxious because of mental health problems. Others, he says, just aren?t ready for assistance.The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it has made homelessness a priority recently. It's goal is to develop a network to minimize the number of homeless veterans falling between the cracks.