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]

the ptsd standards must not be that stringent because I know a guy who was stationed on a supply ship in vietnam, never saw combat, got sick of eating steaks, and only went ashore occasionally to get some supplies... (red light district).. . His claim was that he is afraid to sit near windows in resturants becasue of being afraid of getting blown up. As he witnessed a building get blown up while he was in town. therefore he has ptsd. He collects retirement and 90 percent disability.

Edited December 25, 2013 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

http://www.veteransforamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/3-Compensation.pdf

scroll to page 68 and read SPECIAL COMBAT RULE

[63SIERRA]

The rule is that a veteran’s per-

sonal statement that something happened during combat can be accepted as

proof of what has happened even if there are no official service records to corro-

borate the incident. The statement must

be consistent with the circumstances,

conditions or hardships of the veteran’s service.

MEGP did you know abt this rule?

Edited December 25, 2013 by 63SIERRA

[JT24usn]

Verification by jsrrc still needs to be made sometimes. A story like the one you mentioned almost happened at our RO. Navy vet spoke of fear of hostile and fear of life. He got PTSD diagnosis. Vets ship was in Vietnam and went ashore. His time period placed him on that ship at that time, or so we thought. Turns out he missed ships movement. Caught another ride. Stayed in Italy for captains mast and then caught up with ship on way back. It was almost a grant but was caught by a rater and sent back to jsrrc for confirmation. We took vet at his word and had PTSD diagnosis. Ended up severing his dmii due to not being in rvn. First rater took information at face value. Ship was on ao list and right timeframe.

Just food for thought.

V/r

T8r

[63SIERRA]

Well if he was lying and you all caught him then that is great, and im glad he got caught. The point im trying to make is im sure MANY veterans dont know of this rule, and many RO s surely do not apply this rule. Hopefully by educating veterans on what thier rights are, more vets can get the compensation they deserve. Just think how many vets shrugged of injuries in combat, because they didnt want to let thier buddies down, or get crap from thier chain of command. Had I been in garrison when I banged my head under that big rig , I surely would have went got checked out, and likely tried to at least get the day off, and let the butteflies quit swarming around in my head. I was in a combat zone. What would they have done, flown me back to Germany for cat scans, I think not. It would have been a flashlight in the eyes , a 500 lb motrin, and go back to work.

[Philip Rogers]

Not everyone gets PTSD, no matter how bad things are/were that happened to them. One of my Navy vets was in a real bad typhoon and receives TDIU, for PTSD, from it. Who am I to judge?? I kinda question his stuff, cuz shortly after I helped him get TDIU, he left our weekly group and has never been heard from since.

And then you get the grunts who claim they were in it 24/7, which is BS.

jmo

pr