ptsd Buddy Letter?

[Johnny K.]

Berta,

I have been in contact with a Marine who I carried out of an impact range at Camp Pendleton. He and a friend were blown up by dud ordnance.

He was a patient I picked up as an EMT in 1975 but we were not in the same unit. He was in artillery in HQ 11th Marines and I was attached at the time to NavRegMedCtr CamPen.

Could a letter from him benefit me at my DRO hearing for non-combat PTSD?

He was unconcious when I picked him up and aside from keeping him alive, we share no other history. He got out of the Corps later because he lost an eye in the explosion. The other man died from his wounds.

Thanks,

Doc Johnny K.

[tssnave]

It took my VARO about 8 weeks to mail my C-file.

I would make certain that by viewing your C-file you have not waived your request for a hard copy of it. Plus, if your C-file is as big as mine, once I got a copy, it took me hours to go through it so if you have a big file (and there can be a lot more in there than you realize) you may be in time crunch viewing it at the VARO.

If, however, it doesn't impact your request for a hard copy (as in, does viewing it put your C-file back at the bottom of the copy pile?) then I'd say go ahead. Just make sure you get a hard copy of your C-file so you and someone you trust can go through it and really see what's gone on with it.

Good luck and keep us posted,

TS

[Johnny K.]

TSSNAVE,

I have never seen my c-file, so it might be quite large. The records clerk said the waiting list for a hard copy was very long and she suggested coming in to look at it by appointment at the VARO.

I wonder what else it might contain, other than what I have provided to the VA over the years. Can you, or anyone, give me examples of c-file contents?I have provided a lot of unit records and incident reports and my private medical reports. What else do they put in there?

Thanks for the comments and suggestions,

Doc Johnny K.

[Johnny K.]

Berta,

I have been accepted by VA for stressors and I guess what you said about my PTSD rising to a certain level is what the DRO will try to determine.

Four weeks to go and I seem to get more "wound up" the more I write and think about it.

I checked out the websites you shared and they are very helpful.

If you think of anything else I need to know , please let me post it.

Doc Johnny K.

[Pete53]

Johnny I promise you that you will be surprised by what you find in your "C" File. However maybe your best bet is to go look at it and ask for copies of things that you need to work on.

[Berta]

I am going to post links to getting buddy statements to- for you as well as others-

in separate topic