If It Happened During Combat They Supposed To Believe It Did

[63SIERRA]

I know that there is a law that says if something happened to a soldier during combat operations. the VA is SUPPOSED to take it at face value and apply it as the truth to try and help you develop your claim.

Heres what happened to me during gulf war one. We were stationed at the port near the sea. We were in large metal buildings awaiting missions to haul m1 abrams tanks across the desert . There were thousands of us in the port area on cots set up in the huge warehouses. We had primitive showers ser up out side the building. One night I was in the shower, and heard the loud sirens start whining like a firetruck. I was in the shower with soap app over my head and my body. I immidiately try to get the soap out of my hair and head, because I had never heard these sirens go off before/, All of a sudden I hear a loud boom. I can see out the screen window of the shower a bright explosion right overhead but high in the sky. Then annother sonic boom, with super bright flases.. I panic and run into the warehouse, where everybody in the building seems to be in their MOPP suit already yelling GAS, GAS, GAS. There I stood, naked as a buzzard, in front of not only my whole company but my whole battalion of people., it seemed like they were all staring at me.

I started trying to get dressed and get my MOPP gear on, and started having a panic attack. I could not get them on an paniced. I thought surely I would die. I recall several people coming to my cot, assisting me, and helping me get the suit on, it seems like it took forever. I sat on my cot, heart pumping like I thought it would explode, hyperventilating in my MOPP mask, frozen. At the time I was a corporal, and it was very humiliating, kknowing half of 11th CSG had seen me in my birthday suit, as theres lots of woman and men in transportation companys. I was also traumatized by the SCUD attacks, right over our head. Word was out that a scud had got thru, and hit a warehouse further down from us at the port abt a week earlier and killed around a dozen troops.

This incedint is burned deeply in my brain. I see it as a flash ., like looking at a picture very often. It always there. I am to this day jumpy when I hear a fire truck siren, they are exactly the same as what they used at the port that night. I dont like to get in the shower either, I shower abt once every 2 weeks if needed. Heres my dillema/ I feel like they would chastize me for going get help. because so many others went thru alot worse shitd. I went fishing with a guy who has traumatic brain injury. He got shot off of a tank by a sniper, while sipping a soda, blown out of a track vehicle, and hes all messed up, mentally and physically/

. ASIDE from that, I may have a brain injury. Further down the line, as the war was winding down,they had brought a squad of us somewhere that I forget, and we were waiting to be picked up, maybe to the showers, or px or somewhere like that. We were sitting under a large flatbed iron trailer that was docked there, to get out of the sun. we were there for a long time, abt an hour. well finally our ride came, and I stood up as I usally would, and forgot I was under the trailer. I stood up and went right down, awaking with sand in my mouth. I heard ringing and it hurt like hell. I had a headach for abt 3 day/ I never went to sick call. Ive had short term memory issues ever since. So I think that caused it.

With the way the va is though, the doubting thomas show me proof you lying bastard attitude that they have, Ive been reluctant to go forward for help.

Edited December 24, 2013 by 63SIERRA

[71M10]

Statements also are reviewed/evaluated in relation to credibility of the person making the statement and the consistancy of the statement. Is the person using the right terminology is the statement consistant with the known facts, things like that.

Only one Scud hit a military installation in Saudi Arabia during the whole war that caused any casualties. The Patriot wasn't even 50% effective in the initial claims by us Army (multiple launches at each missle). Post war analysis proved that only 4 scuds were intercepted by patriot missles, the program was a complete failure (that generation of missile). In fact, when I was stationed in Ft. Bliss in 1987 many of the batteries couldn't even hit the drone aircraft they were to target. At that time one of the most effective use of the Patriot system was cooking turkeys on the radar mast during field exercises.

I am not saying you didn't experience these things, but how you are relating them may be causing some of your problems. You say a port near the sea, but don't have a name for this place and clearly you are providing extraneous informaiton because all ports are near the sea. You talk about hearing the sonic booms and then seeing the flashes. You would see the flash first and then hear it. What you were hearing wern't sonic booms but explosions. Rank of corporal in a support unit, an achievement, most e-4's in support units were/are specialists. After about the first week in basic training it was permanently and totally ingrained in my psyche for ever and ever that I had a M17 Protective Mask, calling it anything other than that was an invitation to push Ft. Dix into the Sea.

How you are communicating is causing some of your problems.

[63SIERRA]

also ALOT of Isreals were sadly killed by scud missles at the start of the war. Iraq fired a birrage at them, and they got thru. So lets not act like they were shooting potato guns.

Also I made sgt in 3 years. and was promotable in 5 before I got out . And thats including a demotion back to spec rank, while in Germany for an incident. I was in the top 5 at PLDC on ft. hood, in a class of over 300. The MI guys won top honors.

It almost sounds like fishing for information here the way you are questioning my service// what is your objective?

I was a specialist before they promoted me to corporal, because I had got back from PLDC, and they gave me my own squad. I was doing SGT work, for spc pay, but I wore my rockers with pride. , and come to think of it, in a transportation unit with close to 300 troops, I was the only corporal in the company.

It almost seems like some of you guys are getting upset because im putting out helpful information that can help vets, who really need to know this kind of information.

makes me wonder.

Edited January 3, 2014 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

71M10

If you were being helpful I would think you would try to expalin how the rule can help vets rather than try and pick it apart and find ways to knock holes in a veterans account, just as you did with mine. I have undisputable proof of where I was at, when I was there, how long. ect. Thats not the point, the point is the rule, of combat and how it can HELP vets.

hopefully my story can help others, who have suffered mentally but dont believe they will be believed.

Edited January 3, 2014 by 63SIERRA

[71M10]

IF YOU were being helpful....I was trying to be helpful. If I think that how you are relating your information might be causing you a problem and I don't tell you for fear of offending you than I will have done you a greater disservice. But you keep throwing out information and statements as facutal when they arn't, then rant and rave at how wrong it is. Example you stated "I know that there is a law that says if something happened to a soldier during combat operations..." The law uses "combat" not "combat operations" not "combat theatre" you are adding additional meaning that doesn't exist in the written text.

First off you are arguing this rule with an interpretation from a non VA-Source. Below is the actual rule:

38 CFR 3.304 Direct Service Connection

(d) Combat. Satisfactory lay or other evidence that an injury or disease was incurred or aggravated in combat will be accepted as sufficient proof of service connection if the evidence is consistent with the circumstances, conditions or hardships of such service even though there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation.

Further down in 3.304 (major snipage to save space)

(f) Posttraumatic stress disorder. Service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder requires medical evidence diagnosing the condition in accordance with §4.125(a) of this chapter; a link, established by medical evidence, between current symptoms and an in-service stressor; and credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred. The following provisions apply to claims for service connection of posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosed during service or based on the specified type of claimed stressor:

(1) If the evidence establishes a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder during service and the claimed stressor is related to that service, in the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and provided that the claimed stressor is consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of the veteran's service, the veteran's lay testimony alone may establish the occurrence of the claimed in-service stressor.

(2) If the evidence establishes that the veteran engaged in combat with the enemy and the claimed stressor is related to that combat, in the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and provided that the claimed stressor is consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of the veteran's service, the veteran's lay testimony alone may establish the occurrence of the claimed in-service stressor.

Sole use of the Veterans lay testimony to establish the stressor is only applilcable to those who "engaged in combat" with the enemy.

Why are you even discussing using an uncorroberated lay statment If you have undisputable proof. Use the proof!

Only two direct deaths of Israeli's from the explosion of scud missiles from the first gulf war were recorded. There was a higher incident on heart attacks and numerous old people died from suffication because their lungs were not capable of breathing through the resistance of the protective masks.

As for the Corporal comment, your own bristling defense of that and the conclusion you make at the end of it kinda points out that I wasn't being unreasonable to raise an eye brow about it, doesn't it!

My objective is to try to point out to you ways to improve your positon and how you are communicating. But clearly you don't want to hear it (which actually is consistant with TBI and a mental disorder).

Out of respect for you I will not comment or respond on any more or your topics.

Best regards,

[Loose Cannon]

Can this topic thread be finally put to bed now? The more I meet people, the more I love my dog(s).

[john999]

When I was in Vietnam on perimeter guard a dog handler came up to the bunker I was snoozing in while the other guy stood guard. The dog got away from the dog handler and jumped into the bunker with me. The dog handler screamed at me to freeze. No problem with that since I was looking into the eyes of a 140 lbs wolf/dog. Dog handler said he was sure I would be killed and that I was a lucky SOB because he got the dog under control before it attacked me. I almost got killed by accident a dozen times. Life in a combat zone. I did always think of PTSD as combat, but I guess I am wrong and I can see that.

John