Sinister Epidemic

[Sludge]

I don't get it?

We have known around here all of the topics this blogger discusses, and have discussed them in detail for the last year or so.


There is no conspiracy. All there is is a bunch of Docs that are forced to hand out bags of pills to folks so they don't get sued AND get their kickbacks from certain drug companies.

This ain't about evil. It is about money. So I guess it is about evil...

 

[Sludge]

I recently heard a 'Nam vet say that things are better for returning vets today. I have issues with that. This proves it.

In some ways, today, it's worse. Today there's all this rhetoric about that's being done and set up for vets. It's all just bullshit to placate the public into thinking something is better than it is.

I have a friend from my PTSD group, an Army Captain, 16+years in service. He was a company commander, I believe, in Iraq. He worked with the Iraqi Army training them and going on ops. He's out now. Is there a job for him. NO. Is there someone 'really' helping him get one, NO. And the companies he's applied to don't want to start him at the level he should be. If there is anyone that has the talent, ability, intelligence to do a great job I don't know who else it would be. And, of course he's not alone in his predicament.

All this stuff doesn't bode well for an all volunteer military. What we need most at this time is people that will cut to the chase and get the job done. Not more talking heads. As always, we're loosing the best and the brightest that this country has to offer.

This happens rarely, but I must disagree with you Sarg. Things are better for these newbies. However, shit still don't work worth a damn. Things are better as they get treatment and benefits and recognition. Things are just as bad as the End of Nam in that the treatments are mostly profit fueled quackery, the benefits still blow goats even if one compensates for inflation and the lowest bidder, and recognition ain't worth the Chinese slave labor made yellow and red/white/blue ribbon magnets on the ass end of all the soccer mom's SUVs parked outside the f*cking Zumba gym it is printed on.


However, as usual, I completely agree with all the points you make in the post. As one of the observers in the middle (Ya'll Nam Vets are my parent's generation- I grew up around the aftermath of that fiasco and ya'll 2nd Gulf War/War on Terror/ World War III vets are a bit after I got retired against my will).

I see the same shit for both categories but with different generations, different lingo. Kind of glad I'm part of the War That Never Actually Happened group. Little or no treatment and near complete anonymity appears to be better than the shit you folks have to put up with.;)

 

[JarHed]

Hey Sludge

Hmmm, I'm not Sarg. :eek:

Not having a 'senior' moment I hope. :rolleyes:

JarHed

 

[Sarg]

And if I'm the "blogger" you're speaking of, my name is Sarg and yes you'll hear it until Anthony throws me off the site. These young folks come on here thinking that VA is going to do all these marvelous things for us, when they have no intention of doing so.

So yeah, I'm going to tell them, "no they don't do that but if you go to..., the people you need to talk to about that are..., here is what the regs say, here's the website you go to improve your chance of winning your claim...".

If you don't like it, here's the way to deal with it...Link Removed


Sarg

 

[Jimmy1]

I don't get it?

We have known around here all of the topics this blogger discusses, and have discussed them in detail for the last year or so.


There is no conspiracy. All there is is a bunch of Docs that are forced to hand out bags of pills to folks so they don't get sued AND get their kickbacks from certain drug companies.

This ain't about evil. It is about money. So I guess it is about evil...

The problem Sludge is that when veterans first start realizing something is wrong, they have no idea what it is, so the psych's the VA and the doctors can get them to agree to and sign anything and they believe anything they say, after all, they are the ones with the degree.

It's our job to get the veterans to make an informed decision but it's an uphill battle with so many obstacles, wire, and booby traps, that we end up getting caught.

I pity the next generation and am glad I will be checking out in the next 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years.

 

[Sludge]

Hey Sludge

Hmmm, I'm not Sarg. :eek:

Not having a 'senior' moment I hope. :rolleyes:

JarHed

yUP, SENIOR MOMENT. tOO MUCH TIME IN THE FIELD.

 

[Sludge]

And if I'm the "blogger" you're speaking of, my name is Sarg and yes you'll hear it until Anthony throws me off the site. These young folks come on here thinking that VA is going to do all these marvelous things for us, when they have no intention of doing so.

So yeah, I'm going to tell them, "no they don't do that but if you go to..., the people you need to talk to about that are..., here is what the regs say, here's the website you go to improve your chance of winning your claim...".

If you don't like it, here's the way to deal with it...Link Removed


Sarg

Nope, not referring to you in particular, just meant it as a general term. In fact looking back- I over generalized, to the point it reads like a personalized attack. Not my intent. No offense intended.

I still feel that things appear to be better, but I also agree it is the same old shit. Just to clarify.

 

[Sludge]

The problem Sludge is that when veterans first start realizing something is wrong, they have no idea what it is, so the psych's the VA and the doctors can get them to agree to and sign anything and they believe anything they say, after all, they are the ones with the degree.

It's our job to get the veterans to make an informed decision but it's an uphill battle with so many obstacles, wire, and booby traps, that we end up getting caught.

I pity the next generation and am glad I will be checking out in the next 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years.

I don't know if I agree with all that completely. These younger guys and gals are having PTSD drilled into them. If anything, I wonder how many have other issues that need treatment and are just getting covered by the PTSD blanket. I wonder how many of these combat PTSD cases really are combat PTSD or just diagnosis due to popular medicine right now. What I see down on this end is that a lot of vets that truly are suffering from PTSD are still not getting diagnosed as such by the VA, while every single one of our ground forces here has the check mark on their records. I use my nephew and his unit as an example: His first tour in Iraq, he came home and had the combat PTSD diagnosis. He laughed about this as he never saw any combat his first tour. Never got to go out as they didn't have gear to fit him. (His words, not mine- Don't know how the army does things these days, me.) By his third tour in Afghan, he came back directly to our house as he did suffer quite a bit there and was no longer laughing about the diagnosis, even though it came before the actual onset of any symptoms. SO this confused both of us, as it became a chicken or the egg scenario. As with most of the younger guys I've talked with however, the "I'm young and full of it bravado of PTSD is for wimps and pussies" attitude was still there. It appears to me that he and his buddies are now lost in the gaps like so many of us older folks are/were.

Does that make sense or do I need to check back later and repost when I can get my thoughts into words better? Not sure.

 

[JarHed]

There's no doubt in my mind that there are precursors to PTSD. What happens to us as kids growing up and all. I'm sure it puts some at more risk that others.

The other thing that I do agree on is that today there is a lot of talk about PTSD. How that affects those that serve is yet to be ascertained, of course.

I just see a lot of younger vets coming back to a very similar situation as I did. It's different in some ways but not others. It needs to be a whole lot better than it is.