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

[carlie]

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.

http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:38%20section:1154%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title38-section1154)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

38 USC

§1154. Consideration to be accorded time, place, and circumstances of service

(a) The Secretary shall include in the regulations pertaining to service-connection of disabilities (1) additional provisions in effect requiring that in each case where a veteran is seeking service-connection for any disability due consideration shall be given to the places, types, and circumstances of such veteran's service as shown by such veteran's service record, the official history of each organization in which such veteran served, such veteran's medical records, and all pertinent medical and lay evidence, and (2) the provisions required by section 5 of the Veterans’ Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act (Public Law 98–542; 98 Stat. 2727).

(b) In the case of any veteran who engaged in combat with the enemy in active service with a military, naval, or air organization of the United States during a period of war, campaign, or expedition, the Secretary shall accept as sufficient proof of service-connection of any disease or injury alleged to have been incurred in or aggravated by such service satisfactory lay or other evidence of service incurrence or aggravation of such injury or disease, if consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of such service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service, and, to that end, shall resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Service-connection of such injury or disease may be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. The reasons for granting or denying service-connection in each case shall be recorded in full.

(Pub. L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1124, §354; Pub. L. 94–433, title IV, §404(20), Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1379;Pub. L. 98–542, §4, Oct. 24, 1984, 98 Stat. 2727; Pub. L. 102–54, §14(b)(1), June 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 282; renumbered §1154 and amended Pub. L. 102–83, §§4(b)(1), (2)(E), 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 404–406.)

[carlie]

Breathe Deep people . . .

The VBA sure isn't perfect but it's what we have to work with

and is ever evolving.

No flamewars or attempts to incite one.

Everyone's here to either - get help - or give help.

[carlie]

71M10

If you were being helpful I would think you would try to expalin how the rule can help vets rather than try and pick it apart and find ways to knock holes in a veterans account, just as you did with mine. I have undisputable proof of where I was at, when I was there, how long. ect. Thats not the point, the point is the rule, of combat and how it can HELP vets.

hopefully my story can help others, who have suffered mentally but dont believe they will be believed.

63,

The law for this is in my earlier reply.

It's alot better to have someone here pick something apart - so improvement can be made

to a claim / issue . . .

rather than having the VBA pick it apart - in a denial.