ptsd Saw "contract" Psych At Vamc Cnp For Ptsd Claim

[Johnny K.]

81. What if I did not serve in combat?

For veterans who did not serve in combat, the VA requires independent credible proof that a stressor actually occurred. It will give you a questionnaire to describe stressors to which you were exposed, and you should spend some time making this as complete as possible, including dates wherever available. It will go to military historians to search for unit histories, which are rarely helpful unless you can narrow the stressor down to ten days or so. Other types of independent proof could include “buddy” statements, contemporary letters home and newspaper accounts.

[Johnny K.]

Thanks for welcome and the replies, you give me some hope of eventually getting service connected.

I worked surgical ICU at Long Beach Naval Hospital and treated many returning vets with burns, amputations, and much more.

Then I went to Vietnam and saw the other end of the cycle. Then saw plenty of car, motorcycle wrecks after getting back to the world.

Only two marriages,

and the second one is neverending . I only work part time, doing very simple tasks and working mostly alone. I had a job for 28 tears that gave me an option of moving from one station to another when things got rough. I managed to fly under the radar with a lot of fights, arguments, substance abuse etc. and all that is now in my past since I get the meds I need to function. Still have some really hard times but I keep on trying.

You're all right,

JOHNNY HM2 FMST/8404

[GwenW]

Johnny K,

I wanted to welcome you to the Hadit fambly and wish you great success with your claim. Many others are the ones in the know and will be better able to answer your questions.

Gwen

[Berta]

Johnny-I cannot imagine any Corpsman in Nam or stateside treating Nam vets who would NOT have PTSD.

I replied to your other post-

you said it all-

"getting back to the world"

Men and women for Nam vets the "world" was the US of A and the "world" changed considerably during Vietnam-

The Combat group I worked in always referred to the "world" as the place they left and that they returned to with their innocence completely gone-

and the "world" seemed to have gone crazy too-during their DEROS-

drugs, free love, mini skirts ,flower power and also a deep animosity toward the returning Vietnam veterans.

As I mentioned in social the other day- the Warrior had become the blame target during the Vietnam War.

Who wouldnt have PTSD -dealing with that fact-as well as the Nam.

[Johnny K.]

Dear Berta,

You are so right about coming back to "the world"

I want to thank you for the service of you and your family. Like the bumper sticker says "All gave some; some gave All". You have certainly given your share, and then some.

If you can think of any ways to get through to the DRO at my hearing, just email me... and I accept prayers, too!

I thought you might appreciate this article that was in the local paper today.

BY TED NUGENT

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the so-called Summer of Love. Honest and intelligent people will remember it for what it really was: the Summer of Drugs.

Forty years ago hordes of stoned, dirty, stinky hippies converged on San Francisco to "turn on, tune in, and drop out," which was the calling card of LSD proponent Timothy Leary. Turned off by the work ethic and productive American Dream values of their parents, hippies instead opted for a cowardly, irresponsible lifestyle of random sex, life-destroying drugs and mostly soulless rock music that flourished in San Francisco.

The Summer of Drugs climaxed with the Monterey Pop Festival which included some truly virtuoso musical talents such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, both of whom would be dead a couple of years later due to drug abuse. Other musical geniuses such as Jim Morrison and Mama Cass would also be dead due to drugs within a few short years. The bodies of chemical-infested, brain-dead liberal deniers continue to stack up like cordwood.

As a diehard musician, I terribly miss these very talented people who squandered God's gifts in favor of poison and the joke of hipness. I often wonder what musical peaks they could have climbed had they not gagged to death on their own vomit. Their choice of dope over quality of life, musical talent and meaningful relationships with loved ones can only be categorized as despicably selfish.

I literally had to step over stoned, drooling fans, band mates, concert promoters and staff to pursue my musical American Dream throughout the 1960s and 1970s. I flushed more dope and cocaine down backstage toilets than I care to remember. In utter frustration I was even forced to punch my way through violent dopers on occasion. So much for peace and love. The DEA should make me an honorary officer.

I was forced to fire band members and business associates due to mindless, dangerous, illegal drug use. Clean and sober for 59 years, I am still rocking my brains out and approaching my 6,000th concert. Clean and sober is the real party.

Young people make mistakes. I've made my share, but none that involved placing my life or the lives of others at risk because of dope. I saw first-hand too many destroyed lives and wrecked families to ever want to drool and vomit on myself and call that a good time. I put my heart and soul into creating the best music I possibly could and I went hunting instead. My dream continues with ferocity, thank you.

The 1960s, a generation that wanted to hold hands, give peace a chance, smoke dope and change the world, changed it all right: for the worse. America is still suffering the horrible consequences of hippies who thought utopia could be found in joints and intentional disconnect.

A quick study of social statistics before and after the 1960s is quite telling. The rising rates of divorce, high school drop outs, drug use, abortion, sexual diseases and crime, not to mention the exponential expansion of government and taxes, is dramatic. The "if it feels good, do it" lifestyle born of the 1960s has proved to be destructive and deadly.

So now, 40 years later, there are actually people who want to celebrate the anniversary of the Summer of Drugs. Hippies are once again descending on ultra-liberal San Francisco--a city that once wanted to give shopping carts to the homeless--to celebrate and try to remember their dopey days of youth when so many of their musical heroes and friends long ago assumed room temperature by "partying" themselves to death. Nice.

While I salute and commend the political and cultural activism of the 1960s that fueled the civil rights movement, other than that, the decade is barren of any positive cultural or social impact. Honest people will remember 1967 for what is truly was.

There is a saying that if you can remember the 1960s, you were not there. I was there and remember the decade in vivid, ugly detail. I remember its toxic underbelly excess because I was caught in the vortex of the music revolution that was sweeping the country, and because my radar was fine-tuned thanks to a clean and sober lifestyle.

Death due to drugs and the social carnage heaped upon America by hippies is nothing to celebrate. That is a fool's game, but it is quite apparent some burned-out hippies never learn.

(Copyright 2007, Wall Street Journal)

[Jay Johnson]

Sorry, but Nugent is an idiot and his "statistics" are always greatly flawed or taken out of context. America has more teen pregnancies, more drugs, FAR more violence and pays more taxes than any other industrialized nation on earth and we are FAR more socially conservative in ALL of those regards.

The stats show, quite clearly, that if you let people do what they want the world will be better off. The 60's was a revolution against suppression (anti-black, anti-woman culture of the 50's) and was NEEDED in order to correct the problems of prior decades. Sure, there was excess, but excess is self correcting, because people, eventually, need to come back down to reality.

BTW, the divorce rates are higher today, because, unlike the 1950's and earlier, it is actually illegal to beat your wife (you could rape your wife until the 1980's and could not be charged with a crime in most states...some states still allow some forms of rape against spouses). Divorce went up when women got a voice in the matter.....period!

One more note, during the "liberal" period of the clinton era teen pregnancies went down, abortions went down, drug use went down and violence went down....under bush, they've all spiked again and he's the most conservative president we've had in decades.....

How does this relate to veterans? It doesn't, but I could beat my cat to death with a stupid stick and it would still be smarter than anything nugent has ever said!

[Johnny K.]

Sorry to trigger you.

My point in quoting that article was only to aggree with Berta about the "world" being different when we came home.

You, of course are totally correct to disagree.

Could you offer any suggestions about the topic of of this thread, PTSD, and dealing with the VA's DRO hearing that I am facing on 9/12. Certainly a person with your depth of insight could help me out.

My apologies for your stepping personal views,

Johnny K.