Vietnam veteran earned Bronze Star V, but wrongly discharged

Why is it so hard to believe that everything we're seeing with PTSD today was happening to Vietnam veterans first? It happened even before Vietnam but no one knew about it. Is it so hard to believe this country had this long to get this all right and still hasn't?

If Vietnam Vets Had PTSD, They Deserve Benefits
Veterans lawsuit seeks redress on discharges
Hartford Courant
December 11, 2012


John Shepherd Jr. enlisted in the Army and earned a Bronze Star for valor fighting with the Ninth Infantry Division in the Mekong Delta in 1969. But after his platoon leader was killed while trying to help him out of a canal, Mr. Shepherd appeared to come undone, eventually refusing to go out on patrol.

He was court-martialed and given an other-than-honorable discharge, making him ineligible for most veterans' benefits. He believes his behavior was the result of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. His immediate problem: PTSD wasn't recognized as a medical condition until 1980.
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Vietnam veterans still have to fight for justice on PTSD