carlie Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Whether you be infantryman on the front lines or slinging hash in Kansas, every servicemember is a link in the chain from which our Bell of Liberty is suspended. Congratulations! Kelly, Write a book ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder Vync Posted August 27, 2014 Content Curator/HadIt.com Elder Share Posted August 27, 2014 A vet is a vet. There are many thousands of peace time vets. I am one. I received several injury's on active duty. These resulted in life long medical difficulties. They were found to be service connected and I am compensated for them. I do not feel any guilt what so ever for this. I volunteered to serve - I swore and signed - I went where they put me - when they put me - I did what they told me. Should I feel guilty that there was no combat for me to partake in ? I think not. To me - our combat vets are heros - not that I feel any wars are worth it, but all combat vets go thru some type of hell in my eyes. jmho +1 ArNG11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warone Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Well said Carlie, Toyotafan, you earned it, do want you want with it. Best of luck you. JMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbamatt Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Please don't feel guilty because you are still a veteran. You went through training and exercises even though you did not deploy. Some of the training is hard on a body. The military work schedule is rigorous. No matter what you in the military had had illness and injury as a result from your service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Kelly Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Another thing to consider is enjoying your benefits for all those who can't: the ones who didn't make it home, those who did and perished shortly after or who did not receive their due through decades of suffering. What you're getting is pocket change compared to that and what we send to other countries for whatever those ends are. Enjoy it for those who can't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootbeer22 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 (edited) Toyotafan:I appreciate your sentiment also and think I understand the meaning of what you are trying to say? Although there are some folks who don't get what they feel they deserve in terms of VA compensation, it is a very good disability system in terms of taking care of vets. I was injured severly while on duty and retired at the same time the wars in Iraq and Afganistan were heating up in 2004. I live around Fort Lewis, WA and saw a lot of younger folks being treated when I was in various clinics there. At the time, I had good private insurance, so I did not want to be a burden on the military or VA systems when a new generation of war injured vets was coming into VA and DOD clinics to be treated. As a result, I held off on making my claim. I actually thought I made a claim when I was retiring because I was asked to release my records under a new program for that specific disability claims purpose - but my paperwork got misplaced somehow? So, now, that the wars for the most part are over, I felt it was time to refile my claim. My wife continued to push me to get it done because she said that I was entitled to it just like everyone else in my situation. It's mostly because my condition is deteriorating more now and she watches me suffer from the pain alot and is worried about the future. That said, I met some resistance when I first refiled my claim and the nurse doing a C & P exam said that the older vets (like me) now just coming into the system are a "burden" to the younger generations of vets seeking care? I think she's overworked so I did not take it personal. So, I guess there is no shortage of opinions about what vets and others think they do or do not deserve - but keep one thing in mind..only about 1% of the nation's population ever serves in the military...so it's a very special group that has made a lot of sacrifices and continues to sacrifice everyday. Overall, it's an evidence based system and if you've got the correct evidence then that will generally dictate what someone gets...sometimes, it may take many appeals, but perserverence does pay off in the end. Most of us served, never complained and just did our duty which is the culture that we knew..so asking for anything (even compensation we may deserve) is difficult for many of us to request...even if we deserve it...and for many it becomes a blessing to a better life- answered. Edited August 27, 2014 by rootbeer22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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