Soldier’s Letter to Senator re: Lack of health care for Vets

Dear Senator Cornyn,

I have been a member of the U.S. military since I was 17 years old, both as an enlisted soldier and now as an officer. I deployed to Iraq with Army Civil Affairs from April 2003 to March 2004, where I served in the Sadr City.

Since my return to Dallas, I have concluded that the health care systems for the military and veterans are utterly broken. Additionally, our leadership is ignoring the psychological and physical problems faced by returning veterans.

The results of a study conducted by the VA Inspector General were recently released. ("Dallas VA Hospital is Nation’s Worst," Dallas Morning News, January 18, 2005, Page 1.) The Dallas VA Hospital serves 38 counties in Texas, as well as 2 in Oklahoma. All veterans in the area must be routed through the Dallas management system to obtain care.

Even with a main infrastructure that was remodeled in 1998, the hospital scored last in the entire country.

Investigators found that most of the patient rooms they examined were unclean and had foul odors, walls had buildups of grime, and stretchers had dried residue of bodily fluids. The administration did not collect or analyze mortality data, and patient injuries such as falls were not recorded. Waiting times for an appointment can stretch up to a year.

There was no evidence of a plan for better management, and the director of the North Texas VA system quit several weeks ago (at virtually the same time the results of the study were released.)

To make matters worse, the VA system is struggling with the influx of mentally and physically injured soldiers returning from Iraq. The VA has promised two years of health care coverage for combat veterans, but the soldiers are unable to obtain treatment due to long wait times, abhorrent hospital conditions, and incompetent doctors. The VA system and military doctors refuse to recognize the damage that the war in Iraq is causing.

The problem is not abstract. Real people are involved:

Andrew V. was an Army officer that I served with in Sadr City.

A police officer in civilian life, he was decorated with the Bronze Star for his acts in Iraq. Upon his return, he faced serious problems dealing with the readjustment to civilian life. Alcohol, PTSD, and family problems worsened, and nothing helped. In the summer of 2004, he donned his formal Army uniform, placed a noose around his neck, and stepped from a bridge, killing himself. He left behind a wife and a legacy of faithful service to his country.

William F. is another soldier that I served with in Iraq.

On December 17, 2003, we were riding beside each other in the open back of an unarmored humvee. As we passed, the enemy detonated 20 pounds of plastic explosive that had been buried in a puddle of sewage beside the road, followed by automatic weapons fire from both sides.

William’s back was broken by the blast and shrapnel. Army doctors refused to believe him when he complained of back pain, and they completely missed the diagnosis for 6 weeks.

He is now confronted with the Texas VA health care system, which refused to send him to a specialist for his injury. A recipient of the Purple Heart, and he got to see a pediatrician. For psychological problems and PTSD, he was told by a military psychologist that he should "try a few spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar before bedtime."

Charlie M. is an enlisted soldier that was transferred from Fallujah to my team in Sadr City.

In addition to the normal attacks, he endured two roadside bombs in unarmored vehicles and an AK-47 round directly to the back of his body armor.

Understandably upset, he asked for psychological help. None was available. One morning, he confronted our unit commander while naked and wielding a cinderblock. He stated that he was not going on any more missions, then dropped the block on his foot.

She reduced him in rank, got him a prescription for medication (but no counseling), and sent him to Sadr City as punishment. (At the time, Sadr City was more dangerous than Fallujah.) Charlie is now unemployed in Abilene, but the Army is looking at him to volunteer for another deployment to Iraq.

Without help, what does a struggling veteran do? Ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Drink too much. Sleep too little. Fill the emptiness with some addiction. Watch personal relationships crumble.

The leadership of the military admits that 1 in 6 returning soldiers suffers from mental readjustment issues. In reality, the number is much higher, but everyone looks the other way.

While at a wedding recently, I had a discussion with a VA employee who evaluates disability claims. He stated that he does not believe that returning veterans have problems, and that they are simply looking for easy money. Because of this belief, he disapproves PTSD claims.

These are the problems we face.

How can you help? Simple:

Demand quality health care for returning soldiers and veterans. Confront the military and VA with their refusal to recognize physical injuries and mental problems.

I thank you for your assistance and advocacy.

Sincerely,

Jason N. Thelen

http://www.militaryproject.org/arti...