mental health

[Guest guest]

Pam,

Thanks for your concern.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I just read a story

recently, one of our guys in

>>>>>>>>>>Iraq got his leg blown off over there. Now his treatment is done

and

>>>>>>>>>it comes time

for him to come home and the military would not pay for

an airline ticket home. Isn't that one os the most

disgraceful things

u have ever heard. Thankfully, another vet was

nearby and heard this,

so bought the kid a first class ticket home. Are

there any other

choices for care for vets in your area, how can

they expect someone

to wait that long to be seen. Did he serve in a

combat situation? Can

he claim post traumatic stress?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What a horrible thing that happened to that poor kid who got his leg

blown off! My husband said he never heard of such a thing! It is so

horrible it is hard to believe. Disgraceful hardly defines the ugliness of

the story.

The Govt. BS’ed the public for many years about the Viet Nam

was saying there was no harm to the soldiers who were sprayed with Agent

Orange, the foliage killer. They refused treatment for them for

years!!!! They finally had to admit it the face of irrefutable evidence years

later and help the soldiers who were sick.

Now they are trying to say the soldiers in the Gulf War weren’t

harmed by chemicals and some of them claim they are ill.

My husband was in Viet

Nam but was an electronics technician on a

ship. He saw a lot of gore and even had to participate in some ambulance

rides and pick up pieces of people. He worked on the river boats that

went up and down the Danang

River. Those guys

were like sitting ducks for the Cong to shoot at from the banks. When

they came back, if at all, they were full of blood and dead or dieing. My

husband was bi-polar then but didn’t know what was wrong with him. He

signed up for another tour of duty because when he got out it was hard to find

a job. He left the navy one year short of the 5 yr tour due to mental

illness. They gave him an honorable discharge. He was in the Navy

for 9 yrs. It wasn’t until about 1988 that he was dxed and the Dr. said

that he should have gotten some kind of pension due to illness and if someone

would have helped him back when he left, he would be getting a monthly check

now. He did not have post traumatic stress. Not only are there no

other choices for Vets in the area but it took him 2 years to be seen. They

finally gave him an appt. months in advance and when it came time to go they

canceled and gave him another one a couple of months later. Soon he called

from outside of his job and told them he was going to commit subside if

he couldn’t get in. They wanted to admit him to the hosp. but he had to

try to keep his job.

Mental health hospitals are closing all over the US due to lack

of funds. Two in our town closed down a couple of years ago, one was for

teens! We desperately need mental health care for people. People

need help before they hit bottom. Without treatment and drugs, people

with brain chemical problems can’t hold down jobs and be productive.

Whole families suffer then. Without my husband working, what would we

do? I am on disability and really cannot work. I with I could, it

would lighten his burden and help us both. I used to work but haven’t

been able to for 7 years.

It has been a hard couple of years for us!!!!

From: Pam

Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 7:40

AM

To: LUPIES

Subject: Re: mental

health Cheryl

-Cheryl, man I had no idea what a mess our mental health care system

is in. What makes matters worse...your hubby is a

Vet !!!!! He served

our country and now no one gives a shit about him,

that is so typical

of our government.