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The FReeper Foxhole - One Vietnam Vets Battle with the VA - Dec.17th, 2002

Posted on 12/17/2002 5:37:35 AM PST by SAMWolf

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

Resource Links For Veterans


Click on the pix

One P.O.ed Viet Nam Vet


Perhaps I should call this The Not So Great American Novel by Jim K. Except I did not author this work. I was only the observer who wrote it down. It was authored by thousands of people throughout my life. Some of those were / are very good people. Others were complete shit-heads. Many were just lazy, and paid to do a job that was way above their abilities. Perhaps that is the real tragedy of The Not So Great American Novel. I will try to retell this story with as little personal slant as possible. I do not want to color this merely due to my views. It should be seen in a harsh but white light to bring forth the flaws in the system. But I can only say as I recall I saw it. And obviously I had a single view point, so obviously my view point was some what slanted. To those that I wrong I am sorry. Show me where I am wrong and I will change it.

Hi, I am a disabled Viet-Nam Veteran. For physical disability I am considered 60%, but because I am unemployable due to my condition, I am considered 100% disabled for unemployability. To be truthful this page is going to be hard to write, since when I think of how the V.A. has treated me, it gets me so enraged that it tends to ruin my whole week. I must state here that I really have little problem with most V.A. Medical Facilities. Most are very slow, but very good. My problems tends to be with many of the staff of the non-medical facilities.

The next section tells about my long time battle with the V.A. If you are a Disabled Veteran and do not want to read about my problems thats OK. Go to the end of these pages for information to help you fight your battle against the V.A. Do Not feel badly that you can not handle my problems. I know how you feel. There has been many times when listening to how the V.A. screwed up other Vets, would have driven me over the edge, and very close to homicidal.

While reading this do not get the idea that there was anything unusual about the Viet Nam Veteran when compared to other War Veterans. Post Viet Nam Stress Syndrom was not new. Many Veterans from WWII and Korea suffered a similar fate. I recall Miss Tamblyn a Medical Technology Professor at Cal State LA. She once told me thst prior to WWII she had been so in love with a wonderful man. He went off to war, and when he came back he had changed completely. In the European Theater my uncle had to eat some of his meals sitting on dead bodies, because "There was no place else to sit". Do not expect people to go through such things without serious mental stress. And never expect them to be the same again. My uncle is a wonderful man, but that is only in spite of WWII. I know Korean Veterans that are the same, as are some of the Viet Nam Refugees. It is just a matter of time before the Bosnia Refugees come to the US, and many of them will also have been over-stressed. Occasionally I see a person on the streets, and I can just tell that they have gone through a horrible situation. Maybe it was war maybe not, but the scares are in their eyes.

After completing 2 year of junior college, with a A.A. in General Sciences. I had joined the Navy Reserve because I though that I could help fight the Viet Nam War. We were to be on active duty for 2 years. I volunteered for 4 months more to go to Gun Fire Radar Repair School during the summer of 1969.

In January 1970 I went active for real, and was assigned to the U.S.S. Regulus - AF-57 a refrigeration supply ship. In the summer we went to Viet Nam, returning in the fall. We went again in 1971 about the same time. But this time when we left San Francisco, I had a sore throat (later I was to find out that this was Strep Throat).

For the next 3 months I got sicker and sicker. I would go to the Corpsman office and be told "Yes we know that you are sick, but we are undermanned. Can you keep working?" I figured that Hell Yes, they need me. So in those 3 months I lost 30 pounds. For the last month I had numerous problems. I threw up after every meal (later I figured out that it was just too cold). I was constantly tired. And for the last 2 weeks I was throwing bacterial embolisms.

Finally I was put in the Naval Hospital in Subic Bay, Philippines (the home of Olongapo). I was diagnosed to have bacterial endocardidis (a bacterial infection of the heart lining). This became apparent when I quickly developed a heart murmur, and I was found to have Streptococcus Viridian bacteria in my blood. For the next 3 months I was under treatment, and sent back to the states.

The Navy said that I was fit for duty and was going to send me back out to sea. I figured that they really did not know what they were doing, and since my time was up I left the Navy in January 1972. A couple of months later it was confirmed that the Navy did not know what they were doing because the Navy Doctors said I had mitral valve damage, and a V.A. doctor told me no it was the aortic valve (considerably more dangerous.)

I really do not have a problem with the Corpsmen. They do what they were trained to do. They tend to be very good with large gapping wounds with lots of blood, and VD They just never received the training required for other serious illness. I do not even have a problem with this disease being allowed to go so far. After all "We were in the combat zone, and undermanned".

This is where the problems started. The non-medical V.A. personnel kept saying "We can find no evidence that you have a problem". I figured that they were there to help the Vets so they must be going by the books. This was such a error in judgment on my part that it is unbelievable.

I had a hint something was wrong when I went to college. I figured that it would be a good idea to become a Medical Technologist, since I could keep a eye on my heart condition better. But I also thought that the V.A. has specialist in employment, and it would be foolish if I did not have them help me.



TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: freeperfoxhole; medical; va; veterans; vietnam
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To: SAMWolf
Thanks for the accounting. I have never and hopefully will never seek one thin dime from the VA or the nation that turned its back on its best sons and daughters during and after our service in the RVN. And until the bastard Arabs attacked us I swore I would never serve in another foreign war. But give me the opportunity and I could make sure their heaven ran out of enough virgins. And yet still I would want nothing from American VA largess < /sarcasm >.
81 posted on 12/17/2002 4:46:52 PM PST by ImpBill
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To: ImpBill
Well, that's because you have pride and integrity. The problem with our Government is that they lost those things when it became big business for some. It's pathetic.
82 posted on 12/17/2002 4:59:14 PM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
It wasn't the one I wanted to send the link to, but I seem to have lost a link to my own sketch... But since I have it scanned on my machine, and the original in a frame...
83 posted on 12/17/2002 5:21:37 PM PST by Darksheare
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To: MistyCA
I probably should keep in mind that New York cut it's budget on such funding in response to Clinton's cuts.
*Vague hand wave*
But I got scared wnough about it that I have done my best to stay out of teh body and fender shop. When I got mono, I had to be threatened with being admitted before I did anything about it.
(That's how much I normally am afraid of the body and fender shop!)
84 posted on 12/17/2002 5:29:46 PM PST by Darksheare
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To: ImpBill
Thanks for your service ImpBill. I know the feeling, I was bitter after I came home, finally got involved with a bunch of other Vietnam Vets in the late 80's and it helped.
85 posted on 12/17/2002 5:40:14 PM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf
You're also with us now.
86 posted on 12/17/2002 5:50:21 PM PST by Darksheare
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To: Darksheare
You got that right.
87 posted on 12/17/2002 5:55:33 PM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf; MistyCA; AntiJen
A very disheartening and discouraging read. Thanks for the education. I need to hear stories like this to keep me motivated. I sit here thinking, "What can I do"? Grrrrrr....

It's so frustrating.

88 posted on 12/17/2002 6:06:27 PM PST by SpookBrat
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To: AntiJen
Well, I had a great day. It was awesome, in fact. So...I hope all your stuff went well, Jen. Sounds like you've got a couple of things going on there!
89 posted on 12/17/2002 6:15:06 PM PST by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: Darksheare
I don't like the body and fender shop either!
90 posted on 12/17/2002 6:24:52 PM PST by MistyCA
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To: Brad's Gramma; SAMWolf; MistyCA; AntiJen; Victoria Delsoul; Aquamarine; LadyX; WVNan; MeeknMing; ...
I hope you don't mind me thread jumping. I didn't want to put too many pictures of my kids on one thread, for fear of being labled vain, which of course I am....LOL.....I'm crazy about my kids. I think they are so beautiful and I love them so much.

Brad's Gramma, I miss you like crazy. I promise not to tell Jonah you called him beautiful. I'm sure Brad is "beautiful" too.

<---------click on the picture

91 posted on 12/17/2002 6:27:37 PM PST by SpookBrat
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To: SpookBrat
Thanks, Spooky. Yes, it is very frustrating.
92 posted on 12/17/2002 6:29:09 PM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
What can one do? I need to finish reading the thread, but what can one person do? I wish I could do more for our vets.
93 posted on 12/17/2002 6:30:27 PM PST by SpookBrat
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To: SpookBrat
The kids are beautiful! :)
94 posted on 12/17/2002 6:30:41 PM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA; SAMWolf
So are yours MistyCA. Hey....ya know....I've never seen SAM's kids. OK SAM, break out the wallet. Let's see your kids.
95 posted on 12/17/2002 6:33:36 PM PST by SpookBrat
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To: SpookBrat
First of all, let the congress people know that we want the vets taken care of. Then, go to the DAV or some other organization and join it! Membership, whether or not you attend the meetings, gives them the ability to operate and assist vets. Or, help them with their fund raisers. Call your local groups and see what kind of assistance they need.
96 posted on 12/17/2002 6:40:12 PM PST by MistyCA
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To: SpookBrat; SAMWolf
Thanks, Spook. Yes, Sam should break out the wallet! :)
97 posted on 12/17/2002 6:43:08 PM PST by MistyCA
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To: MistyCA
Our neighbor across the street just got her Masters in social work and plans on working with Vets. She was telling us about a vet center in down town Jacksonville (I think). I thought the kids and I could go down there one day. I don't know what we could do there. I'll call and ask them. I'm really proud to know my neighbor because of her goals. She's a very good person.
98 posted on 12/17/2002 6:46:18 PM PST by SpookBrat
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To: MistyCA; SpookBrat
The wallet's not the problem, no scanner is.
99 posted on 12/17/2002 6:51:09 PM PST by SAMWolf
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To: SAMWolf
Poo! I hate it when the scanner is the problem. My scanner is a pain in the bootie. I'm sure your children are beautiful as well. I'll bet your wife is gorgeous.
100 posted on 12/17/2002 7:01:45 PM PST by SpookBrat
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