Vietnam Veterans and the truth reporters ignore

Vietnam Veterans and the truth reporters ignore
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
June 4, 2013

Wounded Times

Kathie Costos

The truth on suicides tied to military service and Vietnam are shocking. Suicide Rate Spikes in Vietnam Vets Who Won't Seek Help because they are among the largest percentage and few are aware. "The greatest increases in suicide rates were among people aged 50 to 54 years (48 percent) and 55 to 59 years (49 percent)." While Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seem to be the focus of most of the news reports, what reporters fail to see is that what is happening to these new veterans is only the beginning.

Reporters focus on the backlog of claims but miss the simple fact the majority of the claims waiting to be approved belong to Vietnam veterans.
60% of pending claims are supplemental, 40% are original.
77% of Veterans filing supplemental claims are receiving some level of monetary benefit from VA.
11% of Veterans filing supplemental claims already have a 100% disability rating (receive $2800 or more per month) or qualify for Individual Unemployability (compensated at the 100% disabled rate).
40% of Veterans filing supplemental claims are already rated at 50% disability or higher.
43% of supplemental claims are from Vietnam-era Veterans; 19% are from Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

While OEF and OIF veterans have been granted help instead of jail with the creation of Veterans Courts, Vietnam veterans didn't receive the same justice.
"Vietnam taught us how often soldiers traumatized by conflict overseas can wind up in trouble with the law back home. As of 1988, almost half of all male Vietnam War combat veterans with PTSD had been arrested or jailed at least once, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs."


Reporters focus on veterans committing suicide, horrified that the study placed these deaths at 22 a day but failed to notice the majority of them are Vietnam veterans. That is nothing new considering Vietnam Veterans took their own lives 28 times a day in the 70's.

It is time for them to step away from the grave. There is still much more work for them to do here. Had it not been for Vietnam veterans pushing for the research in PTSD, there would be nothing available for the new generations of war fighters. They would have returned the same way Vietnam veterans did. Back to ambivalence, mistreatment and ignorance. All other generations came back from war with PTSD under different terms but with the same heartbreaking suffering.

Vietnam veterans didn't give up on the rest of us no matter how badly we treated them and because they had a lot more faith in us than we had in them, society has benefited from their efforts. Psychiatrists and psychologists have taken a new look at what happens after trauma. No longer dismissing the symptoms, they treat people. Vietnam veterans were behind every research project done and have contributed more to understanding the workings of the mind than any other group.

Yet still they take their own lives.

Most came home, got jobs and raised families. Now at the age when they should be enjoying retirement, they are discovering that while they left combat, combat never really left them. There is a shock no one prepared them for. When they wake up with no job demanding their time and attention, their warfighter job awakens within them.

Nightmares come back and take over their sleep. Flashbacks no longer last a split second once in a while. They last longer and come back more frequently. Mood swings fueled by anger over what is happening to them feeds the PTSD that had been pushed into the back of their minds and they don't understand it. They didn't see it coming.

Families are shocked by the sudden changes and the veterans get blamed for something that is not their fault.

The other truth is that PTSD hit one out of three Vietnam veterans exposed to traumatic events. When researchers bother to take a look at how many combat Vietnam veterans went to work in law enforcement and as firefighters, they will see an increase in the number of veterans as well as the level of PTSD they are suffering from. As of today, no one seems to be bothering with that research.
Military Veteran?
You’ve served your country, now serve your community!
Military service can be a perfect entrance into a law enforcement career. While military police and security forces may have the most directly applicable skill set, service members from a variety of occupational specialties are also well suited to police service.
Military veterans make good police officers because of the following traits:
Sense of service and commitment
Discipline
Integrity
Firearm skills
Responsibility
Ability to work effectively in teams or individually
Experience dealing with difficult situations
Ability to problem solve
Attention to detail

After law enforcement, Vietnam veterans sought positions in fire departments, emergency services, medical and teaching.

They have given so much to the condition of this country that it is time for the rest of the population rediscover what Vietnam veterans have done and made possible for all of us.


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Posted By Blogger to Wounded Times at 6/04/2013 10:02:00 AM