Veterans Targeted Again?

[Fishing_Cabin]

So do i. It is very important that the combat veteran have veteran friends he can relate to and who understand what he/she is going through.

When WWII ended in 1945 there were 12 million troops on active duty. By 1950 that number had dropped to 1.5 million. Those veterans took care of each other and i remember them very well. If a guy was having problems his fellow veterans rounded him up and saw that he was taken care of. There was a catchall term for what was wrong with some of those guys-"shell shock". The vast majority of those veterans got over their "shell shock" and did very well in life.

Most veterans filing disability claims today are not vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, they are Vietnam and Gulf War vets.

I would say that local to me, what you describe is more the norm thallub. Generally most of the vets that have an issue can get more help or even an ear to listen, because fortunately some have taken it upon their self to step up and help at times. In my area there are a few guys in VFW/American Legion who know, and are willing to help those in need of treatment from the VA work within the system for the best treatment. That is a good thing.

As to tossing people in to groups as some have suggested...IMO, Trying to classify this or that group in its entirety as being unfit to own firearms without an individual adjudication is completely wrong to me. It's about the individual, and whether or not he/she is unfit or not. Putting people in groups, which carry a penalty or a negative view will only cause people not to seek out help.

 

[thallub]

thallub, you may find this interesting as to who filling more claims

37 percent of new VA claims are being filed by Vietnam vets. 20 percent of new VA claims are being filed by post 911 vets.

Otte is among hundreds of thousands of veterans from the Vietnam era filing for claims four decades after the war. They account for the largest share of the 865,000 veterans stuck in a growing and widely denounced backlog of compensation claims — about 37%.

The post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq account for 20%. The remainder are from the 1991 Gulf War, Korea, World War II and times of peace.

http://www.freep.com/article/201305...r-Vietnam-veterans-flood-VA-disability-claims

More from the above article:

By comparison, payments to veterans of World War I, which ended in 1918, were highest in 1969. Bilmes said the peak for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is likely to occur around 2050.

BTW: Actuaries have put the real cost of the Iraq war at 3.5 to 4 trillion dollars. No one will know the true cost until the last dependent of a disabled veteran dies.

Deleted by thallub-rant.

 

[ClydeFrog]

Politics, stats....

The US Dept of Veterans Affairs(VA) is the 2nd largest agency/dept in the federal government.
I'd add that I saw a C-Span/public access type broadcast where a Florida state representative testified that approx 64% of qualified US military veterans do not apply for or receive the state/VA benefits they can get.

There are lobbyists & supporters for disabled veterans/combat veterans/family members/etc. Fisherhouse.org , DAV, VFW, Wounded Warrior Project, Vet Dogs, etc.
There are resources & support programs for veterans and for those who seek mental health treatment.

 

[Uncle Buck]

If a combat troop claims a mental disability they have no business with a gun.

I am not arguing against that. It take a real strong person to claim they have a mental disability.

But myself and a few others I know who sought help were presented the PTSD diagnoses after just a 15 minute visit. Either the doc was exceptionally good or he was over worked and had to decide something very quickly. I refused to sign any papers and told him I did not have PTSD, I had trouble sleeping and if I had known they wanted to throw labels on me, I would have just suffered through the insomnia. I do not have a very good track record of playing nice with doctors, although I have met some very good ones and respect them immensely.

I have not had the opportunity to actually talk to anyone who has been mislabeled as being a danger to themselves or others and had the rights removed/curtailed.

Speaking from the vantage point of a long retired (since) 1998 LTC, USAR and a Vietnam veteran, it seems to me that "Psych Eval" has become the all purpose substitute for leadership and talking things over with the troops

I agree with you Col. Some of the younger troops actually need to be told why something is happening and need to be told why they may not get an explanation. I was a senior NCO and had at one time 178 people under me. (Yeah, seems like I spent 90% of my time writing performance reports, reviewing performance reports or telling someone else an performance report was due. )

I always felt the best way to head off trouble was to catch it before it happened. A butt chewing or a thank you goes a long way, Just listening and letting someone vent helps also.

 

[thallub]

I have not had the opportunity to actually talk to anyone who has been mislabeled as being a danger to themselves or others and had the rights removed/curtailed.

Same here.

i know some few vets who were incarcerated for various offenses, including the guy who murdered his wife while working on my jobsite. He was not a combat vet.

i retired October 31, 1979 as an EOD M/Sgt. Been doing the same stuff ever since, including many years in the middle east and Africa. Worked with the militaries of several countries, none of them care much about the mental health of their troops.

i don't think that US veterans, diagnosed with PTSD or otherwise, murder folks with greater frequency than other groups in society.

Bear in mind that military members come from the great unwashed pool of humanity that gives us molesting priests, crooked cops and rapist school teachers. We don't know what personality and mental defects, if any, troops had when they were recruited.

 

[ClydeFrog]

CSM Eric Haney(US Army E-9, retired).....

In CSM Eric Haney's non fiction book about his US Army service career(which included SFOD-1/Delta Force) he detailed how the US Army medical corps psychologist was highly unstable & distorted his selection(fitness) reports. This action would have prevented CSM Haney from serving in Delta. COL Charles Beckwith, the Delta Force CO at the time later separated the doctor due to a large # of complaints & incidents.
I don't agree with the "aww shucks" attitude when a veteran goes on a shooting spree or kills him/her self.
As noted criminal acts occur in all walks of society & life but veterans can get help or treatment before they lash out.
Clyde

 

[thallub]

As noted criminal acts occur in all walks of society & life but veterans can get help or treatment before they lash out.

This is true. Before person can be treated he/she must admit there is a problem. Lots of folks with PTSD and other stuff refuse to believe they have a problem. Sometimes there's also a booze or/and dope problem. Boozers and dopers can't be treated until they are clean.

PTSD in not peculiar to the US military. Lots of non-veterans have PTSD. PTSD does not care what the stressor is. The stressor could be a violent rape, kidnapping, a history of abuse as a child, etc.

i have several bi-polar friends and relatives, all females. All are doing very well except one. One is a very successful criminal lawyer. Another is a pharmacist. My bi-polar first cousin abused her elderly parents for 10 years. The woman refuses her meds because she thinks she's normal. That witch makes everyone around her miserable.

 

[ClydeFrog]

Veteran care....

I agree that mental health issues are a part of all sections of society not just US military veterans but vets can get treatment & support directly from the federal government/health programs. Are they perfect? No. But there are volunteers, family members & federal employees who are also veterans that want to help.

As for the drugs-alcohol issues, abuse of those items can DQ a applicant for a CCW license or gun permit. Hunting & trapping licenses may be different depending on the state/game-wildlife-natural resources agency.

If I were in charge(at the state level), if you lost your DL due to DWIs or drug-alcohol crimes, you couldn't hold or obtain any recreational licenses either; boats, motor-cycles, PWCs(personal water-crafts/jet-skis), snowmobiles, etc.