A blog comment that will break your heart about National Guard Family

Post a Comment On: Wounded Times"Veterans in rural areas of nation suffer needlessly"3 Comments - Show Original Post


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Thank you for your blog; it was eloquently put. I thought I was alone dealing with getting help for my husband, medically retired National Guardsman, who is not only suffering with depression but severe pain and unimaginable disability. He has undergone five (5) spinal surgeries over a few years, one of which resulted in his spinal cord being damaged. He was on Active Duty-Title 10.

I wrote to the Governor about fixing the problem. I got a call back from someone at Magigan Army Hospital at Ft. Lewis, WA who gave me a number to call. Well, needless to say this led to about a dozen long distance calls which all led to a string of dead-ends and no mental health care for my husband. Glad that fella at Madigan feels he 'fixed' our problem.

Oh, just in case you were wondering what you get at the end of waiting years for the VA to process your claim (even with LOD form).... it's a 0% rating; collections for thousands of dollars; car repossession; $80,000 owed in back child support; living with your mother-in-law because you can't afford a place; suspended driver's license; AND an ex-wife that doesn't let you talk to your children because you 'have to be lying about being disabled or you would be getting a check... Get a job!'

Oh and so many other perks to being an unrecognized (0% rating) disabled veteran of this war.

Yep... it's an 'Army of One'.

January 26, 2008 7:11 PM


Kathie Costos said...
My profound apologies for what you and your family is going through, especially your husband. I wish I could say you were alone but you have way too much company. This is happening all over the country, and the rest of the world. You'd think we would just be better at dealing with all of it but we are as lousy as the rest of the nations when it comes to taking care of those who defend their nations.

The fact is, we were never very good at it. My husband came back in 1971 from Vietnam with mild PTSD he thought he'd get over. Back then they didn't even really know what it was. It took until 1990 to have him diagnosed, and that was when I already fully understood what was wrong with him, another three years to get him to go to a veterans center, followed by the VA. They tied up his claim for 6 years, taking our tax refund every year to pay for his treatment because our health insurance wouldn't cover it once the VA diagnosed it as combat related PTSD. We almost lost everything as well, but you already did. Things have only gotten worse because now there are a lot more needing care and no one was ready for it. That's the part that pisses me off the most. They knew this was coming but took no action to prepare for any of it. There are now less doctors and nurses than there were after the Gulf War. The VA cut staff and their budget in 2005. The list goes on and so does the suffering. Families like your's are known to people who have been staying on top of it, but to the rest of the country, they haven't a single clue.

I have a suggestion. A few weeks ago, Ed Schultz on Air America was ranting about Bill O'Reilly claiming there were no homeless veterans. A Marine called in saying he was a homeless veteran. This caused a woman in Florida to make some calls within minutes to a chain of her friends, all Marine Moms and they ended up getting help for him all the way in Colorado. This was only the first good part of this story.

It brought to light the suffering the men and women who were willing to serve are going through. I don't know if you're a Democrat or Republican or vote at all, but you are a military wife with a wounded husband and suffering family. Call in his show on Monday and tell him your story as well. The point is, you and your family are homeless. Not as bad off as some families who are in fact sleeping in shelters but without your family standing behind you, you would be one of them sleeping under overpasses. You need to get your story out so that people will be just as outraged as I have been all these years. People care but they only do when they know what's happening. The entire country is united behind those who serve no matter how they feel about Iraq and they will stand behind you. Just tell them you need help and you'll get it. They will put the pressure on your congressman to get you some help or they will step up all by themselves if not. Trust the heart of this nation for you and your family and put this into their hands.

If you need to vent in private email me anytime.

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com

January 26, 2008 7:28 PM