Last weekend, I included a link to an article from STLtoday.com, a St. Louis Web site that posts materials from various St. Louis newspapers and journals.
The article is Veterans are denied mental health help, and if you haven’t read it yet, read it. Now. Really, go ahead. I’ll wait.
Done?
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT CRAP?!
Can you believe these men and women who volunteered to represent and defend our country are being treated this way?! I used to be married to a Marine, so I know how crappy the military medical system can be at times. And, I’m well aware of the battles going on right now to help soldiers – especially those returning home from overseas – get adequate mental health care.
But, I have to admit, I was pretty much oblivious to the fact that soldiers are being discharged due to mental disorders, told they had the conditions when they joined the military, and being both denied benefits and charged to pay back their sign-on enlistment bonuses.
This is an outrage! Just who the hell do these people think they are?!
Fortunately, there are a few folks with some authority who feel the same way. According to the article:
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, calls the treatment of these troops “disgraceful.” [...] “These young people are being lied to and manipulated,” he said. “We deny them proper classification so they can’t get benefits, then they get this bill for a prorated signing bonus.”
and,
In the Senate, Missouri Republican Christopher “Kit” Bond, along with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is leading an effort to force the Pentagon to change its practice.
and,
Dr. Karen Pentella, assistant clinical professor of neurology at Washington University’s medical school, doubts that thousands of young men and women entered the military with personality disorders and now have problems unrelated to their military experiences. “It’s too late when they get back from Iraq to say, ‘Whoops, we missed it. Thanks for fighting, but you have a pre-existing condition.’”
and finally,
Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill., of the veterans panel, says the Pentagon has yet to come to grips with the problem.
“They’re in denial,” Hare says. “There was a huge mistake here. We need to stop it, and then see how it happened… I can’t think of a crueler thing to do to people who defend the nation.”
You’re exactly right, Hare.
Again, can you believe this crap?!
Alicia,
Thank you for your support. It seems every week I hear of other soldiers who are in much worse shape than my son. I only hope and pray that the politicians will get on this and fix it. Have you heard how many homeless vets there are these days? Hasn’t America learned anything since Viet Nam? Those poor guys got screwed too. I know that if my son didn’t have family he would be homeless too. I also hope that the soldiers coming back won’t be ashamed to seek help. They deserve nothing but the best, and they not getting a fraction of what they deserve. Thanks again for your support. God Bless our soldiers.
[...] We should focus on the effort to make sure our veterans – and our active military service men and women – receive the mental health care they deserve. [...]
Thank you so much for responding Patrice.
Add “outrage” and “slap in the face” to that disgrace. I am so sorry for what our military is putting your son through; it truly breaks my heart to know how our service men and women are being treated.
The article reads that “the stage is being set for a confrontation between Congress and the Pentagon” – have there been any status changes? I would be honored to update the situation here at Mental Health Notes, so feel free to share anything you feel comfortable sharing (news, changes – heck, even if you just want to vent!).
I am truly grateful for your son’s bravery, and I wish your entire family the best of luck during this time.
I am the mother of Donald Schmidt. I would never have believed this could happen to anyone’s son, let alone mine. I just hope that the American People will stand up and say this has to stop. Our sons and daughters go thru a living hell and now they have to pay their re enlistment bonus back plus interest. It is a disgrace.
[...] Backs Plan to Reduce Vet Suicides. Now, if we could only get the military to stop sending bills for enlistment sign-on bonuses to those vets who’ve been discharged with mental health conditions and told they had them [...]
Kiri –
Encourage him to stay on their a**es. Encourage your best friend to take action, too, if she’s willing to get involved. When my ex-husband was in the military, I don’t recall him ever having to get approval from his command before seeing a doctor about ANYTHING. Has he scheduled an appointment without talking to his command? Things may have changed in the 6-7 years since my ex was in the military, but when he needed to see a doctor, he simply made an appointment and went. It’s his mental health at stake, so again, encourage him to stay on their a**es.
This kind of hits home for me. My best friend’s boyfriend recently returned from Iraq and has PTSD, but his command won’t approve him getting any counseling for it. They say nothing is wrong with him and he doesnt need any help. That infuriates me because it is causing problems in his personal life outside the military and will continue to do so unless he gets help.