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

[63SIERRA]

Something else that bothers me, several old line platoon sgts in the warehouse in our unit, that were in vietnam, at night they would start screaming and yelling and the other older NCOS knew what was going on they were having flashbacks from vietnam, and crying like little kids, they too had to be affected, because it was like a fishtank, a big open warehouse, everybody could see everybody else. It seemed like almost every night, one old sgt in particular, would flash, and all the other senior NCO put thier cot around him, to hold him down and calm him, because it was getting rough,. I recall hearing thing snapping, breaking, like he was fighting the devil over there. What that man had to go thru, must have been hell. Gulf war brought all that flooding back, he fought it twice, while fighting another war. WAR is hell man. I pray that that old SGT is getting what he deserves and the VA isnt screwing him around. ALOT of good men gave so much for this country.

It was abt the time the scud attacks started, that they started having flashbacks. I guess the scuds made it real.

The iraqi knew if a scud hit one of those warehouses, there would be certain casualties, we were in there like cordwood. The partiot missles cost a million bucks a piece, and worth every damn red nickle. !!

Edited December 24, 2013 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

I fee a lot better telling this story, we should ask the admin to start a section where people can tell of thier war experiences. it feels great to let this stuff be known.

[JT24usn]

Training letter 10-05

Relaxed standards for PTSD

http://www.vfwilserviceoffice.com/upload/TL%2010%2005%20Revised%20PTSD.doc

.

[Philip Rogers]

I don't think it means during combat operations but more like during combat, as in while taking incoming small arms/mortar fire, I dive for cover behind a berm and injure my back or twist my ankle. As for people seeing you naked, I would think you should've been over that by time basic was over, unless you are perhaps a female. I know when I was in '65-'68, men, showered together and there was no privacy. I don't know what they do these days. They may have private toilets/showers for everyone.

You may have a tough time proving PTSD for that. The banging your head, I think you'll need a witness statement(s). I helped a guy get comp for banging his head when they flew over a berm, in a tank, and he smashed his head, during training. He was air evac'd and had a witness statement from his 1st Sgt.

jmo

pr

[meghp0405]

if you believe that you have TBI issues, see you doc so he/she can schedule the appropriate tests for not only the determination but the severity level as well. when a veteran has submitted a claim, va ha to develop that claim, so the more information you provide, the less they have to do. However, they will investigate the units/personnel involved.

I'm not sure what you were asking for/about in your initial comment. The VA has a benefit of doubt rule, when adjudicating a claim and the decision rests with a 50-50, then the VA awards the veteran with the disability/% by awarding the veteran with the benefit of a doubt.

I have to agree with JBasser, if your claiming PTSD because you were naked in front of your fellow soldiers, put your big boy panties on and move out smartly!! let those that truly deserve the diagnosis of PTSD move forward and get the treatment they rightfully deserve..

[63SIERRA]

the naked was embarrasing, the scud missiles exploding overhead was the scary part. Also anyone who doesnt believe that being the target of scud missles being shot at you isnt combat should try it sometimes.

I bet the loved ones of the ones who got killed by the one that got thru, a week before they shot them at us, would argue that it was combat.

just because it wasnt someone a hundred yards away, shooting a ak 47 at you, doesnt mean it wasnt combat.

When the 16 inch guns on our Iowa class battleships hammered islands of iwo jima bfore the marines storned it, . I bet you a dollar the enemy thought they were in combat.

Edited December 25, 2013 by 63SIERRA