Just Another Story From A Military Family Diagnosed But Never Treated

Posted by Hardy Stone for Jerry Herron

JUST WANTED TO TAKE TIME TO TELL A STORY ABOUT A VIETNAM VETERAN. I WAS VERY ACTIVE WITH SPORTS ALL OF MY YOUNG LIFE UNTIL MY LOTTERY NUMBER. MY NUMBER WAS 16 IN THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE DRAFT. KNOWING I WOULD BE DRAFTED MYSELF AND A FRIEND DECIDED TO JOIN SO WE COULD CHOOSE THE TRAINING AND FIRST YEAR OF DUTY STATION. WE SPENT EIGHT WEEKS IN BASIC AT FT.KNOX,KY AND THEN THREE WEEKS AT FT.BENNING,GA. THIS IS WHERE MY PROBLEMS BEGAN. AT AIRBORNE SCHOOL THERE ARE THREE PHASES GROUND WEEK , TOWER WEEK , AND THEN JUMP WEEK. DURING JUMP WEEK ON MY THIRD JUMP I HAD WHAT THE MILITARY CALLS A MAE-WEST (THATS WHERE YOUR PARACHUTE DOES NOT OPEN CORRECTLY CAUSING YOUR DECENT TO BE WAY TO FAST). WHEN I PULLED MY RESERVE IT WAS A STREAMER (WHICH MEANS IT DIDN’T OPEN AT ALL). I WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM FALLING FROM 1200 FEET NOT KNOWING IF I WOULD LIVE OR DIE IS DEVASTATING.

I REMEMBER TWO THINGS ABOUT THIS, ONE IS THE JUMP MASTER ON A MEGA PHONE TELLING ME TO PUT MY FEET TOGETHER AND PREPAR TO LAND. THE OTHER THING WAS WAKING UP FOR JUST A FEW SECONDS REALIZING I WAS STRAPPED ON A GURNEY ON THE SIDE OF A HELICOPTOR BEING MEDIVAC THEN UNCONCIOUS AGAIN. I DO NOT KNOW WHEN I GOT TO HOSPITAL, WHAT TREATMENT I RECEIVED OR WHEN I WAS RELEASED. THE NEXT FEW WEEKS ARE VERY FUZZY. I CAN RECALL BEING IN A BARRACKS BY MYSELF NOT BEING ALLOWED TO BE WITH OTHER TROOPS, NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT UNTIL ALL THE TROOPS HAD LEFT. I GUESS THE JUMP MASTER DIDN’T WANT THE NEW TROOPS TO SEE ME HURT BECAUSE OF MORAL. THE OTHER THING I REMEMBER IS BEING TOLD BY JUMPMASTER WHEN I COULD START IN FRONT OF THE MILE RUN AND FINISH IN THE BACK HE WOULD ALLOW ME TO JUMP TWICE MORE.

WHICH I DID WITH A FULL BRACE ON MY LEG. AT THIS TIME I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH MY LIFE WOULD BE CHANGED. FOR ABOUT FOURTEEN MONTHS I WAS CHECKED BY POST DOCTORS WITH A TOTAL OF THREE STAYS IN MILITARY HOSPITAL. WAS DIAGNOISED WITH POSSIBLE POST TRAMATIC HEAD INJURY, ALL KINDS OF MOOD DISORDERS , BLACKOUTS AND POST TRAMATIC HEADACHES WHICH TO MY KNOWLEDGE I WAS NEVER TOLD. I WAS FINALLY DISCHARGED UNDER HONORABLE CONDITIONS. THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS LATER,FIVE MARRIAGES,SEVERAL JOBS, SEVERAL DIFFERENT HOMES, ANGER OUTBURST, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY DISORDER, FEELING AS I AM A DISAPPOINTMENT TO MY WIFE AND KIDS, FEELING EVERTHING IS HOPELESS, WITH THE THOUGHT OF EVERTHING WOULD BE A LOT EASIER IF I WAS NOT IN IT, NOT HAVING FRIENDS, NOT GOING TO PLACES WHERE THEIR COULD BE A CONFRONTATION, ALWAYS LOOKING AROUND MAKING SURE NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME OR MY FAMILY, ALWAYS ON GUARD AND TROUBLE SLEEPING. BESIDES DEALING WITH THIS EVERYDAY FOR THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS I HAVE TO DEAL WITH A BAD ANKLE, TWO BAD KNEES, BAD BACK , NECK, SEVERE HEADACHES, HEARING LOSS AND RINGING IN EARS. NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK I REACHED OUT TO VETERNS ADMINISTRATION IN SEPTEMBER 2011.

BY DOING THIS I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT MY INPATIENT RECORDS FROM FT.BENNING,GA, MALFUNCTION AND INCIDENT REPORT, MEDIVAC RECORDS, REPORT TO PARACHUTE RIGGERS FT.LEE,VA, SAFETY AT FT.RUCKER, AL AND THE AREA REPORT AT DROP ZONE FT BENNING, GA CAN NOT BE FOUND. AT THE VA HOSPITAL THAT I AM ATTENDING I GOT A FABRICATED REPORT FROM A VA RATINGS DOCTOR. ANOTHER RATINGS DOCTOR REPORTED THAT I CAN NOT STAND, SIT, WALK OR LIFT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIMES. WHAT IS LEFT FOR ME TO DO? NOT TO MENTION TBI AND PTSD. WITH THE MILITARY NOT DOING ITS PART THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO ITS LEFT ME OUT OF WORK, STRUGGLING TO FEED, CLOTH AND HOUSE MY FAMILY. BY WRITING THIS WHY SHOULD MY FAMILY HAVE TO CONTINUE TO SUFFER BECAUSE THE MILITARY DROPPED THE BALL? YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THE VETS ARE SO DEPRESSED HERE IS JUST A FEW REASONS.

Y WRITTING THIS MY QUESTION I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS AMERICAN PEOPLE ENJOY THEIR FREEDOM , WE WILL PUT OUR TROOPS IN HARMS WAY TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES AND THEN WE ARE SO SLOW TO PROVIDE FOR THEM WHEN THEY COME HOME. OUR LIVES STAY THE SAME. THEIRS HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR A LIFETIME. IT’S A HIGH PRICE FOR FREEDOM WHEN YOU FORGET THE ONES THAT FOUGHT FOR IT. THESE YOUNG VETS WILL BE FIGHTING PTSD AND TBI FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. QUALITY OF LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME FOR THEM OR THEIR FAMILIES. IN CLOSING THE ADVICE I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO OUR VETERNS IS DON’T BE TO PROUD OR ASHAMED OF YOUR INJURIES SEEK HELP WE OWE IT TO YOU. OUR PRAYERS AND BEST WISHES GO OUT TO YOU ALL FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS.

37 YEARS STILL TRYING TO HOLD ON.

Hardy Stone

Hardy Stone is the editor/publisher of VetLikeMe, the nation’s only publication devoted to service disabled veteran owned business.