American Pride

The 4th of July celebrations got me thinking about our soldiers and veterans.  It recently has been widely publicized that the Department of Veterans Affairs is extremely incompetent.  Something that happened in my area was a veteran dying while waiting for an ambulance in a VA clinic.  Follow the link to read more about this.

My husband is a veteran.  He was a medic in the National Guard Reserve for about six years.  During that time he was sent to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina hit.  He has very little memories of Louisiana, which is one of the effects of his post traumatic stress disorder.  Due to his PTSD he has lost jobs, been unable to find work for months at a time, experienced severe depression and anxiety, tried multiple medications that either didn’t work or put him in a virtual coma, and spent quite a bit of time in counseling.  The worst part was the multiple times that he became suicidal.  Once he spent 48 hours in the psych ward at our local hospital for observation due to his suicidality.

Has the VA done anything to help my husband?  No.  He applied for partial disability since his PTSD has caused him to lose significant amounts of income.  The VA’s response was that he didn’t qualify for help since it was the state governor that signed the order that sent him to Louisiana rather than the president.  This was after waiting for almost a year for any response.

I see the bureaucracy of the VA as extremely uncaring.  I’m not saying that there aren’t plenty of people who work for the VA (especially veterans) who care.  Unfortunately, they aren’t the people with any power; they are the ones that work the system to get veterans whatever help they can.

Unfortunately, the VA isn’t the only one not appreciating veterans.  In my experience, the problems of veterans are invisible to just about everyone.  My husband has been fired twice from jobs due to his extreme bouts of anxiety and depression.  Neither time was he able to receive unemployment.  Even our extended family members don’t get it.  They tell him to get it together and take care of his family (by that they mean earn money).  So not only has the PTSD caused anxiety and depression, but it has caused him to doubt his worth as a man.

My husband is an amazing man and father.  But he also has PTSD and anyone who has a family member with PTSD knows how disruptive and painful it can be.  

It’s time to make a change.  Part of that is forcing the government to overhaul the VA and make it accessible to our veterans.  Unfortunately, we all know how poorly our government fixes problems.  Maybe it is time for all of us to show our appreciation of veterans.  I’m not talking about having a bumper sticker saying “I support the veterans.”  I’m talking about starting nonprofits and donating money to organizations that are out there actually doing some good.

Bumper stickers don’t make any difference in the lives of our veterans.  True caring comes from learning the truth of what our soldiers experience and helping them find life and happiness again.

Love,

Ann