Saturday, August 24, 2013

Why is it so hard to get Military Disability? Our Veterans Did their part!

Why is it so hard to get Military Disability?  Our Veterans Did their part!

My father was a Purple Heart recipient for his service to this country.  He was drafted two days after high school graduation.

He didn't want to go but he did his duty to his country.  He ended up getting  blown out of a supply truck because the driver ran over a landmine.

He found himself flat on his back at the bottom of a hillside unable to move.  A Philippine man approached him.  My father thought he would be killed.  The man came up beside him took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it and went and go help. He saved my father.  He was flown back to the US where he recovered from his physical injuries.  However the emotional PTSD  torment stayed

When my father was diagnosed with kidney cancer and tumors everywhere on his organs, they made him reapply for disability many times.  He had his PTSD under control as best as he could.  They wanted him to prove he had PTSD.

Our family had to live through all the trauma we witnessed as children as he was forced to see a psychiatrist to prove he had PTSD.  When he could prove that, they asked him if he could proved he served in the Vietnam War.

The told him there was a fire and that all records were destroyed.  Thank god my father kept all this records, letters, orders, his service number, etc. 

He finally was approved for 80% disability.  My father died on May 24, 2012.  My mother has been turned down several times for survival support.  It is so sad that our Veterans, spouses and children suffer and in the end they cannot get financial support.

My father asked me to make sure that I deliver the message to our Veterans and Families to:

1) Seek help when you get home, even if you don't think you have PTSD.  Anyone would need to talk to someone after any trauma in their life.

 2) keep all your records so you can prove service to your country. 

Has anyone else had trouble getting their disability for their service or spouse survival benefits? 

Leslie Raddatz
PTSD Survivor




 

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