ptsd 70% Ptsd Being Deployed Again

[CAVscoutIII]

Thats right I was told this weekend at drill I will be going back! I am combined 80% and 70% for PTSD. I'm at a loss for words. I do want to complete the last two years of my six year contract, but with everything going on, I'm just suprised. I just hope they can find something other than kickin down doors for this old Scout to do. On the good side maby this deployment they will not loose my medical record!

[kw34]

Guys,

Don't be so hard on him its part of it is the regs that allow him to remain as a active reservist and could even apply to a active duty person. They allow him to continue his career although not in the same capacity. Remember they are allowing amputees to remain in service in non-combat MOS's. It sounds to me like the board found him fit for non combat position. I was found unfit for the the mobility position I held but because I had 20 I was retired due to my medical condition. I was not considered for cross training nor did I want to because I was planning to retire anyway. I am thinking crosstraing offers the opportunity to continue his career. Me personally with 70% I would be gone because that is twice what an 0-6 makes in a weekend if i am correct, so like Mike says it just does not make sense to stay in. You served you country and you have paid a price for that service take what they have giving you walk away and try to get better.

[john999]

If you deploy to a combat zone you might have problems because even clerks get shot or blown up by bullets or bombs. You have to drive from point A to point B, and I know they still have roadside bombs. Do you have any idea where you are going? If it is Afghanistan that would be possibly highly unstable. You know that if the Army gets in a jam it is every man to the bunker line and that includes the cooks and clerks. The thing in my mind is that once you get to a combat zone anything can happen. In my unit in Vietnam a soldier cracked up and they just tied him up and pumped him full of drugs and evacuated him. It was a sight I won't forget with him screaming. This was from stress that boiled over because he should have been sent home long before that event. PTSD is not like acute combat fatigue where the soldier is better off if he quickly rejoins his fighting unit. What I see is that you want things to be as they were before PTSD. I don't think going back to a combat zone will make it better. How many more times are they going to deploy you after this? How much can you take before you have to be evacuated? You know these people are capable of treating problems you are having as a discipline problem. I bet their are some hard asses who still believe PTSD is just a soldier malingering. Some of those guys are in commmand.

[Wings]

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Military Disability (Medical) Separations and Retirements

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/a/medseparation.htm

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Overview of the Physical Disability Evaluation System

see attached information paper

info_paper_PDES_overview.doc

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SOLDIERS' COUNSEL: ADVOCACY BEFORE THE PHYSICAL EVALUATION BOARD http://www.louisvillelaw.com/federal/physi...ility_sep_2.htm

[tssnave]

My thoughts run the same line as John's - there is no true "combat support" role for "non-combatants" in the Army. The best way to screw up the front is by creating a Charlie Foxtrot in the rear - and where are the combat support desk jobs - you guessed it, soldier, in the rear.

CavScout - you stated "Sometimes I think a deployment might fix everything left over from the last one. It's hard to match the pride you have when you wear the uniform, and this is my last chance ever."

I understand what you're saying here, and I respect you for it. It sounds to me like you are trying to "get back on the horse that threw you" which makes sense. I can understand. However, while I am not up on PTSD, I do know that with my particular flavor of mental illness, lack of insight and lack of judgement are issues I have to deal with. I can't help but wonder if your PTSD has your thinking out of whack a bit. Do you have a trusted civilian shrink you can talk to about this to get a clinical professional to help you evaluate the pros and cons of going back in?

FTR, I think a lot of us, mentally and/or physically disabled, miss the Army (Marines, Navy, Air Force - any Coasties on the board?) and would love to go back to that time when we were a lean mean fighting machine. To go back to a time in our lives when we were whole. The uniform represents that. The camradiere that you only find in a good unit that understands espirit de corps. The confidence to believe that you can kick a$$ and take names and the courage to do so. To be competent, to be respected, to be a part of something bigger and better than yourself because you love this country and believe in what she stands for. You see one last chance to get back in the game. You know you have at least one more hail Mary pass in you and you want the chance to throw it. Great, now I've gone and worked myself up and want to go re-enlist and I'm 50 years old and 100% P&T!!

I want you to know that I understand where you're coming from. It makes sense to me. I would just strongly suggest that you talk to someone outside of the Army (which has a vested interest in your deployment) for a little perspective on what the best way is for you to manage your PTSD before you get deployed again. If the civilian shrink says no go for deployment, even in a "non combat" role, then get it in writing and use that to at the very least stay put stateside in supply or something.

I would also take the advice of those that understand how the VA and Reserve deployment systems work together so you can make an informed decision about whether or not to stay in or get out.

Either way, I support you.

Keep us posted,

TS Snave

Edited January 13, 2009 by tssnave