ptsd Iraq Veteran

[Guest terrysturgis]

During my visit to the dentist yesterday I noticed a picture of a soldier on the wall. It was the son of the dental assistant. I asked her what his MOS was. She did not know what that meant, then I said what was his occupation in the Army. Infantry. I asked her if he served overseas. That's when she opened up.

He served 8 months in Iraq as an Infantry soldier. Came home for a two week leave and went Awol for 30 days. We all know that's a bad decision. He served some jail time and his attorney has bargained for a Bad Conduct Discharge. In the discharge process he has been diagnosed with PTSD and ADD. He has been advised that if he accepts the BCD that after waiting 30 days he can go to the VA, get the BCD upgraded to honorable and receive care for the PTSD.

My question to the board has anyone heard of a 30 day wait and automatic upgrade to honorable? Thanks. Terry

[SLEDGE]

Somebody might have argued that a troop with PTSD would not have been out of place in a hostile zone.

That being said,

wouldn't he have been diagnosed after the fact.

How do you tell if PTSD exists until somebody has been among the regular folks for awhile?

They might say Hypervigilance will keep you alive in an unpleasant situation but it won't look like PTSD until after the guy gets back and tries to fit back into civilian life.

Going awol while under orders to deploy is not the standard way that PTSD is diagnosed or really even suspected.

This is confusing to me.

sledge

[hulamatt]

Somebody might have argued that a troop with PTSD would not have been out of place in a hostile zone.

That being said,

wouldn't he have been diagnosed after the fact.

How do you tell if PTSD exists until somebody has been among the regular folks for awhile?

They might say Hypervigilance will keep you alive in an unpleasant situation but it won't look like PTSD until after the guy gets back and tries to fit back into civilian life.

Going awol while under orders to deploy is not the standard way that PTSD is diagnosed or really even suspected.

This is confusing to me.

sledge

I agree

[gp747]

I had a brother, he was district attorney for three counties up in far eastern Oklahoma, in the hills, far, far, from what could be considered "civilization" (we talkin moonshine stills and backwoods bars and honky-tonks and folks that went to family reunions every year to get a date..............ookay?).

So, he's sittin in his district attorney office one day when in walked two "suits". They says that they are FBI and they are there to arrest this young man fer bein AWOL, say they have a FEDERAL warrant for this young fellow and would the district attorney mind if they were to round this kid up, says they know where he lives, they got an address and whatnot.

My brother, being the sane fellow that he was, and not wanting a WHOLE BUNCH of Federal Law peephole runnin' around in his "neck-of-the-woods", disruptin' the normal flow of things liquor-related and such, he says, "tell ya what, if y'all ain't et yet we'll just drive on over near where this young fellow lives and stop and get us a bite to eat then we'll just go on over to his house and tell his daddy that y'all are there to arrest his boy", the boy whose brother he was on leave to bury when he decided that losin one boy to Vietnam was enough.

So, They go to the eatin place (named the Mule Barn Inn in case I've got any Okies in the audience) and walk in and sit down (now, picture two strangers in black suits and white shirts with black ties, got the pic, yup, I thought so). So, they order up hamburgers and then they take a look around.........and one leans over to my brother and says..............real quite like....he says "Mr. District Attorney, Sir, do you realize that EVERYBODY in here has some kinda gun on their persons, somewhere?" to which my brother says "Heck, that ain't nuttin', you oughta see them pickumup trucks out there, shucks, ain't gotta rifle round here any smaller than a 30-30. Well, I'll see you too soon as you get through UP THERE IN THAT HOLLER, AFTER YOU GET LITTLE BILLY IN THEM HANDCUFFS!"

That's about when somebody unplugged the jukebox.......right as ole Merle was gonna finish singin Okie From Muskogee.......................It got REALLY quite in thar.

The FBI boys went on back to Oklahoma City, seems that they just couldn't locate Billy.....................course, he was the one that unplugged the jukebox.

Little Billy growed up to be a fine young man, went to college and retired just a couple years ago as the Sheriff of McCurtain County, Oklahoma.

That's my kind of folks.

[Wings]

My concern is the ADD. You just do not wake up one day and you have ADD. This young man must have had it since the day he was born. My youngest son who is now 34, could not have functioned in the military. When you are a parent you should notice behaviorial patterns in your children, and take appropriate action. This is a volunteer serice now, and there is no way that he should have been allowed in the service with ADD.

Papa

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Good call Papa!! ~Wings

[Guest terrysturgis]

I was wrong about the ADD info. During our last conversation he informed me that the diagnosus was PTSD and General Anxiety Disorder, not ADD.

Wings, we are persuing the Attorneys for Warriors direction and for that info I thank you. Terry

[carlie]

To my knowledge there is no such thing as a dishonorable discharge, as far as dd214's go, its either other than honorable or BCD's that as far as the VA goes are considered dishonorable, but no paperwork actually states dishonorable

hulamatt,

http://www4.va.gov/vetapp09/files3/0925427.txt

2. The Veteran's final military enlistment period from

October 1983 through April 1991 is the only period of service

during a recognized period of war, the Persian Gulf War

commenced in August 1990, but the Veteran cannot be credited

with wartime service because this enlistment was terminated

with a general court martial conviction which included a

dishonorable discharge.

http://www4.va.gov/vetapp09/files5/0944543.txt

5. On appellate review, the conviction specification for

desertion was reduced to a lesser included offense of AWOL,

and the dishonorable discharge was reduced to a bad conduct

discharge, but he remained convicted by general court

martial.