Veterans Continue to Serve

Frank graduated from high school when he was 18 and didn’t know what to do, so he had made the decision to join the Army and become a paratrooper.  During his time he discovered the importance of leadership and taking care of the troops, something that would follow him throughout his life. After attaining the grade of Staff Sergeant (E-6) Frank made the decision to leave the Army. He had bigger plans for his life. He enrolled in college and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. But like few veterans who separate, he went back in the Army as an infantry officer. He later continued his education receiving his MBA to help him advance in his military career. As he rose in the ranks he was finally in the position to make a big difference. By having the experience of being an enlisted soldier he understood the need and importance for training, this is where he excelled.

Once Frank became the commander of a brigade he focused on training soldiers for the changing battlefield. Frank had the task of getting our troops ready to successfully run convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was in charge of developing training for the post 9-11 era Army, a huge task to say the least. As he developed this training his goal was to save lives and do his part at getting the soldiers safely home. During the war Frank spent time in theatre helping train the Iraqi Army. The tactics he helped develop had now become an important part of the training in the Army and other Army’s in the world. True to Army form Frank was moved into a position where he   deployed to Afghanistan where he served as the leader of the US Army’s intelligence for that country. Frank retired from the Army in 2013 after 38 years of military service and began his civilian life.

Like most veterans Frank has a heart for helping veterans. He now runs the San Bernardino County Department of Veteran’s affairs. He took the reins from one of the most respected members of the county. In this position Frank has 9 veteran representatives and several office staff who help San Bernardino county veterans apply for their benefits among other duties in the largest county in the nation, another huge undertaking.

In fiscal year 2014 the San Bernardino County Department of Veteran’s affairs Franks office has helped Veterans and their families navigate the system and secure 4.8 million dollars in tuition waivers for San Bernardino county residents for college. The county Veterans Department also helps with securing earned benefits for veterans, helping them work through the red tape of the Veterans Administration’s system. The department has helped find housing for 166 homelessness veterans this year working with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement program HOPE team. The deputies in this program seek out homeless veterans and send them to the county veterans department for help. The help does not stop there, the office helps those of the past who have fallen. They have helped get headstones for 3 veterans buried without one, and acts on behalf of veterans who have passed without families among other issues. While talking to Frank we discussed benefits that I was unaware of, one included low income pensions from the VA for eligible veterans. The biggest program Franks department offers is the veteran ID program. This ID allows veterans to receive a 10% discount at any business that displays the County of San Bernardino Veteran – Friendly Business sticker in their window.

Frank is not alone, he is like many veterans and continue to serve the community in many ways. A majority of non-profits that cater to veterans are controlled by veterans themselves. Veterans are trained and taught to leave “no one behind”. We are there for each other, and many veterans and their families continue to serve our veteran brothers, sisters, and community once they get out. At times it is just one veteran neighbor helping their veteran neighbor navigate the VA system. We help each other. To those veterans who are out there hidden in the background, please come forward and grace us with your wisdom and knowledge. With so many veterans in the United States struggling to survive we need all hands on deck. Check your local community to see if there are veteran programs available and get the word out about their existence.  

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

The Trauma of Following Orders

A colleague and I were discussing one of his veteran clients.  My colleague is a Vietnam Era veteran and I am a Desert Storm veteran and we often consult with each other about our cases. His client William, is a Vietnam Veteran in failing health. I had met William through another veterans program and referred him to my colleague because I felt he would be a better fit. Due to his failing health William is starting to look back at his life and psychologically preparing for his passing. Like many Vietnam veterans William is struggling with what he had to do in Vietnam to survive. The Vietnam battlefield used civilians, women and children to carry out some of their attacks. As a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine you had no idea who your enemy was. All you could do is make instant life or death decisions, follow orders, and hope you are doing the right thing.  

When William’s unit entered a village in Vietnam, they were ordered to destroy the village and kill or capture anyone who was there, including women and children. Military intelligence had informed his commanding officer (CO) that the village was a haven for Viet-Cong and needed to be destroyed. Williams platoon completed their mission and proceeded to kill those who refused to surrender, and burned the village to the ground. What was ordered and accepted by his superior’s is something William would live with the rest of his life. Since the age of 19 he has spent most of his life self-medicating with drugs and alcohol trying to forget the action he had to take in that village. He wonders how he could go to heaven after killing so many people.

William is suffering from what is called moral injury. Moral injury is a relatively new term, but its pain is as old as war. It is a negative self-judgment based on having transgressed core moral beliefs, values or on feeling they possess. The term is described as “the psychological burden of killing and the betrayal of leaders”. Moral Injury appears to be a slow burn that takes time to sink in. The victim of moral injury needs to accept moral reasoning, evaluate behavior, experience empathy, and create a coherent memory narrative. Many times, soldiers are placed in no win situations by their leadership and told they must betray there since of “what’s right”. These actions cause confusion concerning one’s morality because they knew it was wrong, but were told by your superiors its ok. For some it takes minutes, for others it takes years to feel the sadness or sorrow of not following your moral beliefs. Veterans try to suppress their moral injury and some succeed through the use of drugs and alcohol. Others work hard to support their families and place their moral injury on the back burner, they are doing what is moral, providing for their family and working.  

A common theme is veterans feel nothing can prepare you for what war is really like. To some when they return home it feels like they have lost their soul. It is tough when society states, thou shall not kill, and military states thou better kill, be killed, or suffer the shame of not trying. Many have endured the moral pain of driving past wounded women and children and not stopping for help because of orders, having to shoot civilians because you don’t know who your enemies are, killing families because of one enemy sympathizer, or killing someone over anger because they killed or shot your comrade. There appears to be no end, the symptoms include shame, survivor guilt, depression, despair, addiction, distrust, anger, a need to make amends and the loss of a desire to live. In war military members have to follow orders without question, and at times those orders shake our moral beliefs.

Moral injury is not something that can be cured by medication. The restructuring of their moral identity and meaning is the key. Seeking help from clinicians and chaplains is the first step. What it takes is the support of a caring non-judgmental community who can find a way for veterans to forgive themselves. Our communities need to understand the war doesn’t end when our troops return home, it is just the beginning of their battles. Some Vietnam veterans are still dealing with this issue 40 plus years later. We now have a new generation of troops who will be facing the same issues. In the future moral injury is going to explain why some veterans suffer. Some feel moral injury is one of the primary factors in military suicide rates. The key is for friends and families to be on the lookout and get them the help they deserve. There is hope, the VA is funding a 4 year study on moral injury in Marines and there are numerous counseling options for veterans and their families.  

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

The VA Sends Veterans but Not Funding to Local Nonprofits

I was working with Angie Sheer, founder of Equus Medendi (Latin for Horse Healing) Equine Therapy and Martin, an Iraqi war veteran. Martin, was the squad leader of patrol in Iraq with his unit when they hit an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and simultaneously attacked with small arms fire. Martin had lost 3 of his troops and was injured himself during the attack. He was in the Nevada Army National Guard and had a good job before his tour to Iraq. He has 5 children and is 100% disabled due to his back, & leg injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). He has lost his civilian job due to his injuries and struggles allot with his family. His temper has become a problem for everyone in his family because of his PTSD and TBI. His circle of friends has gotten smaller and he feels his world is closing in on him. Every time Martin and his family needed to go somewhere he struggled with the traffic and overpasses because of his triggers. When he hears loud noises he panics and struggles to come back to the present. While driving down the interstate he heard a loud noise in a construction zone and almost wrecked his car with his family in it, his story is not uncommon. There are thousands of veterans that suffer just like Martin.

There are allot of different treatments that help our veterans and their families, equine therapy is one of them. Anxiety is a huge issue among veterans who have seen combat. Because a horse is a flight animal and humans are carnivore’s horses have the ability to sense any anxiety in a person. The horse by nature picks up on the anxiety or nerviness in the clients and senses it as danger. The horse will not allow the clients to hide their anxiety, causing the veteran to learn how to control their anxiety. The horse is a 1200 pound lie detector, when someone says their anxiety is under control the horse will know if your lying and act accordingly. Once the clients have control of their anxiety the horses can begin to trust the veteran. One of the main goals is to build trust in the relationship between the horse and the clients to work together to reach more extensive goals. This is impossible if the anxiety is not under control.  

Because PTSD is an anxiety disorder horses are instrumental in the recovery of some clients. Many veterans lose their social and communication skills due to their PTSD and the horse helps the veteran re-build those lost skills. If the horse senses any anxiety or stress they will not come near the client, they must control their stress level and anxiety for the horse to “partner up” with them, or follow your lead to complete other tasks.   

It is imperative that each horse be a good match for the client’s. Like people every horse has their own personality. During the orientation process the clinician and the equine specialist discuss the client’s story with them and what they are looking for in the equine therapeutic process. After the initial meeting, the equine specialist and the clinician choose which horse is the best for that client.   

Equus Medendi has multiple horse owners that allow Angie to use their horses to work with veterans. Angie has eight horses to choose from. Two of the horses were abused retired race horses and have built in trust issues. Two are stubborn and the client must work to convince the horse to do what the client wants them to do. One horse struggles with boundaries and likes to be with the client and in their face, one is just a brat, one is a mustang born wild and broken as a colt, and one is an alpha female with attitude. Angie was trained by Monty Roberts AKA “the Horse whisperer” She was also trained in Eagala therapy making her good at what she does.

Since the founding of Equus Medendi they have seen several hundred veterans and family members. Of those 75 to 100 veterans have been sent by the VA. In many instances they are some of the toughest cases. Martin was one of those cases. He had been through several different programs the VA has offered.  At times, many clinicians have tough cases that show little if no improvement. When Martin was sent to the equine program he was struggling. When he had finished the equine program he had improved enough to give clinicians a starting point to complete his traditional therapy sessions. The problem is the VA sends Veterans to the equine program, but sends no resources or funds to support the program.

The funding for the services come from many sources, people donate to the program and apply for grants. Equus Medendi pride themselves in never having to charge a veteran for their services. The VA has been reluctant to fund the program even though research has proven equine therapy has proven effective. There are some VA’s that fund programs like equine, but each VA is different and some place their funds elsewhere. Many non-profits struggle to financially make ends meet with little to no monetary funds from the Government. Often the VA wants to utilize non-profits and not fund them, which is the case with Equus Medendi. Since the VA can’t see everyone it would make sense to fund outside sources who treat veterans, but why should they, folks like Angie do it for free. Please support your local veteran non-profits to help fill the cracks in the VA mental health system.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro. 

Veterans Need to Give Civilian Clinicians a Chance

One of the most important things I do as a clinician is to help veteran students in crisis at San Bernardino Valley College on average once a week. Billy is a 27 year old, 80% disabled Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran who came into the office and asked if he could talk to me. I have known him for quite a while and knew a little about his background but never saw him as a client or in distress. Once he sat down and the door was shut it was evident there was an issue. He was tearful and visibly shaken because he was struggling with issues at home. He feared his PTSD was setting a bad example for his children and pushing his wife away.

Billy was a proud, angry, scared, and venerable young man. It took allot for him to visit me in the center where everyone could see him come in and sit down. Since I am well known to the veteran’s at the college he felt safe to discuss his issues with me. He appeared to be at the end of the rope and needed someone to talk to. Billy is not willing to use the services at the Veterans Administration or the Veterans Center because he don’t trust them. He is paying for a private clinician so ethically I could not continue to see him, my job at that moment was to stabilize the crisis and send him to his private clinician.

Billy was unsure what set off the most recent event. He felt he was a failure because he had no job and his PTSD appeared to be controlling his life. He had been unemployed since he got out and was scared to apply for jobs fearing rejection. As we discussed his situation we got into a deep conversation about what was going on with him. At this point I was just another veteran trying to help him through the crisis not his clinician. I completed a quick suicide assessment on him and found him to not be suicidal. He started telling me some of his stories from deployments and some of the things he had seen and done. I was aware that he was seeing a private psychologist so I had to tread lightly and be sure not to undermine anything his private clinician was doing. I discussed with him the ethical situation of seeing two clinicians and why I could not see him on a continual basis. I asked if he had discussed the issues he disclosed with me to his private clinician. He hadn’t; he didn’t feel the civilian clinician would understand. I advised him that the civilian clinician was perfectly capable of helping him, but he could not put him back together without all of the pieces. I encouraged him to talk to his clinician the same way he talked to me. He agreed to try.

The following week Billy told me that he had taken my advice and was doing allot better. He opened up to his clinician and it appeared to help. Billy told his clinician about our conversation; his clinician told him that he needed to thank me for the advice to open up. Billy is not alone. Many veterans feel they cannot tell civilian clinician things they can tell a veteran. The reality is they can, not all clinicians are a good fit for an individual, finding the right therapist is the key. Civilian clinicians are capable of working with veterans, they just need to know the whole story.  Civilian clinician see PTSD frequently, 7.7 million Americans have non-combat PTSD, and the odds of a clinician already treating someone with PTSD is high. The bottom line, it is important for veterans to open up to your civilian clinician and not leave out parts of your puzzle. They can help you more than you know. Billy is doing great now, he is still going to counseling and now has a job. He is still married and helping raise their children, this is a success story that we all like to hear. Sometimes all it takes is someone who is willing to sit with them, listen to their thoughts, and talk to them with empathy.  

Recognizing Suicide

Talking to a veteran, family member, or friend about their suicidal thoughts is extremely difficult but necessary. Many times all it takes to prevent a suicide attempt is to ask! You can't make a person suicidal by asking the question and showing that you care. In fact, giving a suicidal person the opportunity to discuss their feelings can provide relief they need and may prevent a suicide attempt.

Common suicide risk factors include:

• History of trauma or abuse

• Recent loss or stressful life event

• Terminal illness or chronic pain

• Social isolation and loneliness

• Alcoholism or drug abuse

• Mental illness

• Previous suicide attempts

• Family history of suicide

Ways to start a conversation about suicide:

• I have been feeling concerned about you lately.

• Recently, I have noticed some differences in you and wondered how you are doing.

• I wanted to check in with you because you haven’t seemed yourself lately.

Questions you can ask:

• When did you begin feeling like this?

• Did something happen that made you start feeling this way?

• How can I best support you right now?

• Have you thought about getting help?

What you can say that helps:

• You are not alone in this. I’m here for you.

• You may not believe it now, but the way you’re feeling will change.

• I may not be able to understand exactly how you feel, but I care about you and want to help.

• When you want to give up, tell yourself you will hold off for just one more day, hour, minute—whatever you can manage.

 For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

The Cost of Doing the Right Thing

Francisco is a Marine veteran client that I work with. He had two tours in Iraq and struggles to deal with what happened. Francisco was in-voluntary extended after his 4 years in the corps because he was supposed to be a part of the “surge”. His last tour he had a fellow marine from his unit die in his arms on his first tour and now he had to go on another one. Francisco lives with the feeling that his fellow Marine took his last breath while he was holding him. Francisco continues to feel that last breath leaves the Marine before he died. That incident effects his decisions to this day. One of the reasons he made the decision to do what he thought was right the rest of his time in the Marines, and that decision cost him.

What he was concerned about the most is his inability to not make lance corporal. He separated from the Marines as a corporal. This is very demeaning to him, especially the reason why he did not make rank. You see, Francisco made the mistake of standing up for an inferior marine why he was beaten by his Sargent. His Sargent was beating a fellow Marine in the next rack while he was trying to sleep. Francisco continually tried to stop the Sargent from beating the Marine. He was told to stay out of it. After the sergeant was done beating the Marine he proceeded to treat the marine by doing CPR. The Marine was beaten so bad he had stopped breathing. He then filed a complaint and the sergeant was reprimanded. After that incident Francisco was always having to look over his back. He was ostracized as being a trouble maker and a rat. He was treated with little respect by his peers in the corps. After he had decided to leave the Marine Corps he was offered a promotion, which he refused. After being treated the way he was for saving his fellow Marine he decided he would get out. He feels he is being looked down upon by fellow veteran Marines for doing the right thing.

Francisco continues to struggle by questioning his choice to do what he felt was right. He has seen many that have done questionable things and have gotten away with them, and even becoming better off than they were. He feels doing what was right has cost him many times in his life and he consistently asks me why he should keep doing what was right because it has not helped him, it has only hurt him. It is a difficult task to convince someone that doing the right thing is what is best even if it cost them. He tried to do what the Marines told him to do, he followed the written code to the letter, and the problem was he did not follow the unwritten code of not telling on others when he sees hazing of another Marine.

Another issue that Francisco deals with is what other Marines say about him behind his back. He has told several people this story since he got out and they have looked down upon him as if he was still in. What Francisco needs to learn is he owns his story that he does not have to tell everyone about his situation. Francisco is an honest person who feels bad about holding back anything from his time in the Marines. He has lived his life being the honest person, he feels like it has backfired. Unfortunately, his case is not the only one I've heard. It is difficult to make these decisions and he made it. Francisco did the right thing but paid the price of doing it.

From a clinical standpoint it is difficult for young man to deal with this type of burden. In his mind the choice he made will affect him for the rest of his life. Many men and women in the military are brave enough to stand up for what they feel is right. There are those that stand up for what they believe is right knowing there will be consequences to their actions. Some accept that responsibility and move forward. Others struggle with their decision and consistently wonder if they made the right one. Many things the Marine struggles with when he gets out in society often does not do the right thing. Even though all military branches are taught integrity loyalty commitment not all people follow that code. Doing what's right can often lead to struggles. Many civilians do not make ethical decisions and that bothers those who do. Those who do the right thing start to question whether they're doing the right thing by sticking to their morals. This type of stuff happens and some pay the consequences. My opinion is we should all stand up for what is right even though it costs us. If everyone used this code the military, civilians, and society would all be a better place.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Home Front Pilots were Trailblazers

Micky was among a large contingent of WWII test pilot for the Army Air Corps needed for various duties at home. They flew freshly completed and repaired aircraft from the factory giving them “shakedown flights” to ensure they were safe for pilots overseas fighting the war. They trained Air Corps cadets to fly, they also developed advanced attack tactics to be used in war because little was known about air power and how it could be effective on the battlefield. Each type and model of aircraft were different, their strengths and weaknesses needed to be exposed and these elite pilots completed that task. They also had one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army Air Corps, they flew aircraft towing targets for cadets and trainees to shoot live rounds at. The cadet pilots and trainee gunners had little to no experience flying their aircraft let alone shooting at a moving target. Less dangerous jobs included flying aircraft to locations throughout the United States for the lend/lease program for our allies to pick up during the war. These pilots were not militarized, they were not allowed to be a part of the militarized Air Corps. They were looked down upon by many higher ups and war pilots because they were civil service employees and not soldiers.

These pilots did not have a glamorous job, but were as important as those fighting the war. They were required to pay their own way to the bases they worked from, including their training sites. When they were killed they were not given the military burial. Their families were responsible for the cost of the burial if they died during their service and fellow pilots were known to take up a collection to have their bodies delivered to their families. Their coffins were not allowed to be draped with the American Flag, although some unofficially were done by family and friends. These pilots were an elite group of flyers that served their country with distinction. They did this duty because they wanted to fly and be a part of the success of the war effort.

Each of these pilots had a license. They were trained to be “Army Pilots”. Their training paralled the training of aviation cadets even though they were not trained for combat roles or to fly in formation. Even though they developed and tested attack angles and tactics, they did receive extensive instructions to maneuver the aircrafts and recover from just about any scenario. These pilots flew every aircraft imaginable even testing rocket propelled aircraft. The only difference between these pilots and other pilots was they were female. Micky was Mildred D. Tuttle-Axton, a female Civil Service pilot during WWII. During WWII over 25,000 women applied to be US pilots and only 1,830 were accepted with 1,074 continued on to be trained as Women’s Air force Service Pilots (WASP). Thirty eight female pilots lost their lives while doing their part for the war effort.

During WWII every American felt the pinch of the war. Everyone knew someone in the war. Every family felt the loss of a family member, friend or acquaintance. During WWII over 16.1 million men served in the armed forces. An estimated 276,000 females preformed non-combat roles with another 74,000 nurses. During the war there were food rations, gas rations, copper drives, steel drives and anything to help the war effort. During this time the industrial complex of the United States was at full capacity, everyone had a part to play including pilots at home. Where there were male test pilots, the women pilots freed men up to fly into battle.   

These women were not accepted during WWII. Women did not belong in the military unless they were nurses. Many men scoffed at women joining the Army or doing “men’s jobs”. It appeared our society was not ready for women to serve, but necessity prevailed and women finally became a part of the American WWII military war machine. Women have always joined the fight, many dressed as men during the US Civil war to serve their country, but to many men the military was no place for a woman. With the history of women being successful in the military it is hard to see why women in “battle” is such a controversial topic, they have always been there. Even with the backing of men such as General Eisenhower, Fleet Admiral Nimitz, and Air Corps General “Hap” Arnold backing the female WWII pilots our society still struggles with this to this day. Things are changing, a study in 2011 showed females represent 14% of the active duty force and 20% of new recruits. They also represent 5.5% of the veteran population.

It was not until November of 1977 that these female pilots were given veterans status. In May of 1979 the US Air Force issued its first honorable discharges for WASP pilots serving during WWII. The female Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guard, and Marines that serve today owe a great deal of admiration and respect of their foremothers. They were the original SHEROS that served our country with honor. As one WWII WASP stated, the aircraft does not notice the sex of the pilot, it notices good and bad pilots. I bet a rifle feels the same way, it knows a good shot from a bad one!

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

It’s Time for an Emotional Reset for Vietnam Veterans

While in the store yesterday wearing my Veteran’s hat I was approached by a gentleman and told “thanks for your service and fighting for our freedoms”. It’s always great to hear from those that thank me and it happens quite frequently. What happened about five minutes later caught me off guard. A gentleman named Larry walked up and said, I saw the guy thank you, man have times changed. Larry was right, times have changed. Larry went in the Army in 1974 and retired after 22 years. He had seen the ups and downs of the military. He told me stories about his time in and how they were treated when he first went in the military, it was not good. He did not serve in Vietnam but served with many who did and like me was upset by the way they were treated when they returned home.

The Vietnam veterans were spit on, called baby killers, murders, rapist, and other things that can’t be published upon their returned home. Larry had never seen Vietnam but was treated the same because he wore the uniform. The Vietnam era veterans have been treated with little respect over the years. It feels to me that times have changed and a thank you is long overdue.

The Vietnam Veterans are a great bunch of people who continue to be treated questionably by the system.  Most of the Vietnam veterans have spent their lives working and providing for their families with little or no fanfare. Some delved into their work to mask their problems and emotions. Others fought the system working with organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion, and American Veterans (AMVETS) and other veteran organizations. Vietnam veterans are at or getting to retirement age, as they retire they are starting to struggle. From what I have seen as they retire they have more time to look back and question what they had to do during war. It appears that Vietnam veterans are finally finding it acceptable to get mental health help and are seeking that help. It also appears they are coming out of the woodwork to get help because the post 9-11 veterans have made it ok for them to seek mental health treatment.

Vietnam Veterans are a major part of why today’s veterans are treated with respect like they are. After Desert Storm Vietnam veterans are the ones who made sure we were welcomed home. One Vietnam veteran told me when I returned from Desert Storm “there was no way you were going to be treated like us”. We were not going to let it happen! They are the ones that go to the airports and welcome home todays soldiers returning from deployment. They are the reason there is a diagnosis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and made sure Gulf war syndrome was recognized by the Veterans Administration (VA) after they spent over 20 years fighting over Agent Orange. They are responsible for many of veteran’s benefits today. The Vietnam veterans fought for the recent veterans and the future of all veterans, as recent veterans it is our time to take care of and support them.

My challenge to all veterans is to purchase a veterans hat or shirt and wear it with pride so people can let you know that they appreciate your service to our country. You have earned it! All of those who took the oath are veterans and deserve the accolades, so this Veterans Day wear your veteran items with pride, and continue to wear it, you have earned the thank you. From a Desert Storm veteran to all veterans, thank you for your service. I challenge everyone to take time to thank those who have worn the uniform and fought for your freedoms when you see them.  It is time for an emotional reset for our Vietnam veterans. Show them times have changed and they are appreciated.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Today’s Veterans Owe Allot to our Predecessors

Kevin walked up to me one day and started talking about his time during the Vietnam War. As he continued to talk his demeanor changed when he started discussing his health and the Veterans Administration (VA).  He had been drafted into the military and started having problems as he got older. Like many Vietnam veterans he suffers from diabetes, a presumptive illness for Vietnam Veterans caused by Agent Orange. A presumptive disease is where the VA assumes there are certain diseases that can be directly related to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam and Chemical weapons, oil smoke, and vaccines in Gulf War veterans.  He believes his exposure to Agent Orange is the cause of his diabetes, but after numerous attempts the VA has failed to give him his benefits. According to the VA, veterans who develop type 2 diabetes mellitus and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their diabetes and military service to be eligible to receive disability compensation. You would think Kevin would qualify for this disability according to the VA’s own words. The only problem is Kevin was never sent to Vietnam. He was in the Air Force stationed at one of the six air bases in Thailand where he handled Agent Orange while loading it onto aircraft to be dispersed, but the VA denies his claims. According to the VA those that served in Thailand on or near the perimeters of military bases between 2/28/61 to 5/7/75 may qualify for VA benefits, may being the key word. Kevin falls into the category, but the VA is attributing his diabetes to age, not the presumptive of Agent Orange exposure.

This is not the first I have heard of this type of situation. It seems to be the person with the best advocate, not the claim that helps get benefits. Multiple veteran groups like the American Legion, VFW, and the DAV have advocates on staff.  It appears to be the luck of the draw if you go it alone. As I was researching this situation I read a story about two Navy buddies that were on the same ship at the same time off the coast of Vietnam. Both filed a claim for diabetes, one received the benefits and one was denied. The problem seems to not be with the people of the VA but the inconsistency of the VA system and training. As long as humans are handling these claims, there will be inconsistency.

Another case that seems to not make since is the VA is not accepting some claims from Vietnam veterans with PTSD because it did not exist. According to some in the VA it is not possible for a Vietnam veteran to have PTSD because it was not in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) at the time. Instead of PTSD they used either combat neurosis or Post-Vietnam Syndrome which was not compensable. What is disturbing is Vietnam veterans were used to provide information for the establishment of the PTSD criteria in the DSM. If not for the Vietnam veterans it is possible the advancements we have today on PTSD would not exist. Even though the VA used them to establish PTSD guidelines some claims are still being denied because the diagnosis was not established until 1980.

This era of veterans owe allot to our predecessors. As a Desert Storm veteran I am well aware of who made sure we were treated with respect when we returned home. They are the main force behind the respect veteran’s receive today. They have laid the groundwork for us to follow and the ones used to prove PTSD existed.  They continue to fight for veteran’s rights every day. They made sure there are presumptive diseases with the VA. Our era of veterans has presumptive diseases because the Vietnam era veterans fought and continue to fight for our rights.

We must remember the Korean War veterans were generally ignored, and the Vietnam veterans were treated poorly and are still fighting for what is right. Peacetime veterans are totally overlooked by the VA and many in the community. Most did not get free school, some are getting denied for Agent Orange and PTSD claims. It is because of their fights and sacrifices that veterans have what we have today. As a recent veteran I remind myself every day of what our veterans have had to endure for us to have what we have. When you see a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Peace time, or Granada veteran be sure and thank them for the benefits you have, and will continue to have. They are still fighting for veteran’s rights! It’s our turn to pick up the flag and move forward!  

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.