[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Warrior Transition Unit (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 5/19/2010 7:33:17 AM EDT
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A guy at work was a doctor for 4 years at the WTU. Where redeploying servicemen are treated before being returned to duty or medically retired.
Some facts (from him) 5% there actually received a purple heart. 80% of those return to duty (some missing limbs) 25% there were actually hurt during the deployment. This includes broken legs during basketball games. 75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones. Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Makes me fucking sick. |
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I've taken lots of 911 calls from a Warrior Transition Battalion - several per week. I'd say a little more than half are for medical calls, the rest are for someone going apeshit, feeling suicidal or other psychiatric problems.
One time, local cops were looking for an armed robbery suspect. MPs found him in his room at the WTB barracks. I don't know what really goes in there, but those soldiers need help. |
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A guy at work was a doctor for 4 years at the WTU. Where redeploying servicemen are treated before being returned to duty or medically retired. Some facts (from him) 5% there actually received a purple heart. 80% of those return to duty (some missing limbs) 25% there were actually hurt during the deployment. This includes broken legs during basketball games. 75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones. Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Makes me fucking sick. I was in a WTU. I approve of this message. I would like to point out that those stats will vary greatly depending on where the WTU is. Places like BAMC or WRAMC get the majority of the deployment injuries. Other smaller places get training injuries and non-military related injuries. I have PTSD, and could have qualified for the 50%, but I felt I would have been working the system and didn't ask for it. I saw many other veterans working the system for all kinds of dumb shit. I also saw other veterans who were so fucked up that there is no amount of money that would be enough for their hardship. |
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I know a person on a 40% .gov disability pension (flat feet and gastric reflux.) He spent six years in the Army from 1984-1990, and was passed over for MAJ. Once, he spent hours lecturing a 1LT fresh from Iraq about combat tactics, and the Sunni threat in Basra. I call him a Veteran of the Cola Wars (with apologies to RustedAce.) |
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Quoted: I saw many other veterans working the system for all kinds of dumb shit. Know of a guy who went back and scored disability because he was starting a company and "disabled veteran" owned businesses get points on contract proposals. His 'back hurt'. There's some folks who won't work for him for that. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. Technically speaking, it's possible for someone to develop PTSD through something like a mortar attack on the base. PTSD is generally thought to be the result of a possibly genetic diathesis in individuals. Once the stress level hits a trigger point...which would vary from individual to individual...then the combination of the predisposition and the stress results in PTSD. It's probably a safe bet, however, that the overwhelming majority of the claims from the referenced group are made up. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused.  I can't tell you the countless soldiers I saw who were missing limbs or burnt to a crisp. Don't you dare cast the whole WTU in that light.
It broke my heart every time I saw her; she lost both her arms and nothing else. What is someone to do for the rest of their life with no arms? |
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75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones.
Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Jesus - flippin - Christ .........that's pathetic. 
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. |
| Typically .gov over reaction to an issue. After ignoring PTSD for decades (which is a legitimate disability, worked with a guy that had it) they've now been pushed into handing out PTSD ratings for the asking. Some of this is due to congressional and other external pressure, some is due to bureaucratic lethargy, some is due to improved diagnostic techniques that are fairly new to the field. PTSD is a complex issue, I suspect VA and the military will be struggling with this for several years to come. Is the system subject to gaming? Sure, but it always has been. Is it worse now? I honestly don't know. My observations are that of an outsider with several friends and relatives that have gone thru the system and worked in it. |
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Well fuck, where's my 50%? I'm getting nothing from the VA currently. They sent me a letter a few weeks ago saying I "made too much money in 2007" so now I'm supposedly getting a bill for service related treatment from 2009.
Fuck the VA, I'm never going back even though really it's THEM that owes ME money. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. As much as I was being humorous in my PTSD statement, the thought of NOT stepping outside the wire was my biggest concern while deployed. The spectre of having to serve as LNO in BAF or staff at some school house for Afghan security actually made me feel physically ill when it reared its head. That a mail clerk could suffer emotionally from being sequestered as what is effectively a prisoner pulling boring duty on a shitty FOB sounds more horrible to me than being unexpectedly called upon to man the MRAP's turret on a convoy. |
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Quoted: Quoted: The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. Technically speaking, it's possible for someone to develop PTSD through something like a mortar attack on the base. PTSD is generally thought to be the result of a possibly genetic diathesis in individuals. Once the stress level hits a trigger point...which would vary from individual to individual...then the combination of the predisposition and the stress results in PTSD. It's probably a safe bet, however, that the overwhelming majority of the claims from the referenced group are made up. Not to mention, not all PTSD cases are disabling. Many people get by with some therapy or short-term medication, even talking with buddies works. ETA: Some medications can apparently induce PTSD, a friend has had that problem, she was damned near disabled by the anthrax shots the military was giving her even AFTER she had bad reactions to them, the Clinton administration would not allow doctors to stop the shots even if a service member had negative side effects and they weren't even allowed to admit that the shots weren't 100% safe (even though the manufacturer acknowledged some people could have the side effects and stated that anyone who did should discontinue the shots). |
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A guy at work was a doctor for 4 years at the WTU. Where redeploying servicemen are treated before being returned to duty or medically retired. Some facts (from him) 5% there actually received a purple heart. 80% of those return to duty (some missing limbs) 25% there were actually hurt during the deployment. This includes broken legs during basketball games. 75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones. Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Makes me fucking sick. Watch the sweeping generalizations. I got tonsilitus alot while in the suck so they yanked my tonsils...ended up with apnea because of it. Or at least thats as much as they can figure. I was at like sub 10% BF and I got it so the weight thing is BS. While some of it can be mitigated by weight loss it is always there. Do you have any idea what it is like to essentially be with out sleep for 2 years? I almost lost my marriage over it. It got so I could not drive for fear of falling asleep, thoughts of suicide the whole smash. Being well rested is something people take for granted I am currently fighting with the VA about them funding my cpap stuff because they won't pay for the mask and machine replacement. Fucking nightmare. I just want the stuff so I don't fucking die in my sleep or crash into an underpass. |
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At my last demobilization briefing they told us that we would get six months of free medication.
I was planning on medicating my PTSD with a six pack of beer per day, which I calculated as 182.5 sixpacks that the government owes me. I'm still waiting on that beer. Maybe I should call the VA. |
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At my last demobilization briefing they told us that we would get six months of free medication. I was planning on medicating my PTSD with a six pack of beer per day, which I calculated as 182.5 sixpacks that the government owes me. I'm still waiting on that beer. Maybe I should call the VA. Hey, if I have to pay out of pocket for my Jack and diet Coke, you have to pay for your beer, too.
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At my last demobilization briefing they told us that we would get six months of free medication. I was planning on medicating my PTSD with a six pack of beer per day, which I calculated as 182.5 sixpacks that the government owes me. I'm still waiting on that beer. Maybe I should call the VA. I'm in on that shit 
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A guy at work was a doctor for 4 years at the WTU. Where redeploying servicemen are treated before being returned to duty or medically retired. Some facts (from him) 5% there actually received a purple heart. 80% of those return to duty (some missing limbs) 25% there were actually hurt during the deployment. This includes broken legs during basketball games. 75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones. Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Makes me fucking sick. Watch the sweeping generalizations. I got tonsilitus alot while in the suck so they yanked my tonsils...ended up with apnea because of it. Or at least thats as much as they can figure. I was at like sub 10% BF and I got it so the weight thing is BS. While some of it can be mitigated by weight loss it is always there. Do you have any idea what it is like to essentially be with out sleep for 2 years? I almost lost my marriage over it. It got so I could not drive for fear of falling asleep, thoughts of suicide the whole smash. Being well rested is something people take for granted I am currently fighting with the VA about them funding my cpap stuff because they won't pay for the mask and machine replacement. Fucking nightmare. I just want the stuff so I don't fucking die in my sleep or crash into an underpass. What generalizations? Trying to see where the word, "all" is in there. This is about WTU.Designed for wounded warriors. Yet guys come back and stay there on full orders for two years for combat sleep apnea. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. |
| You know, I should point this out here. In a previous thread about PTSD I mentioned friend who was so badly PTSDd that he ended up homeless and shooting heroin. Well, I found out a few weeks ago that he's clean, got an apartment, and a job. He still struggles, but he's trying to get past it. |
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I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. Exactly. Everybody responds entirely differently to stressors and the resultant behavior is manifested in similarly varied ways. So, I think it's rather callous of respondents to immediately poo-poo claims of PTSD because the manifestation of that illness does not meet their idea of what PTSD should "look like". It's a serious illness that debilitates far more service members than those who have been diagnosed. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. I think also when people constantly tell you something should bother you it ends up bothering you. Why isnt the average Afghan who sees horrible stuff and death on a daily basis a crying wreck? Because its normal and expected to them. Why can someone sit on a fob then go home and be "psychologically disabled"? Becuase its what they are told is normal and expected. |
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Nothing to add other than the obvious observation: Real combat casualties need to be getting ALL the help they can get. The people that are just there to sponge need to be busting rocks and building roads. Seems like a simple records check would be able to filter out 90% of the BS. The other 10% could be nailed with maybe three questions. |
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You know, I should point this out here. In a previous thread about PTSD I mentioned friend who was so badly PTSDd that he ended up homeless and shooting heroin. Well, I found out a few weeks ago that he's clean, got an apartment, and a job. He still struggles, but he's trying to get past it. good, i had a good friend come back and become a massive alcoholic, lost his wife, kid, house, federal BOP job, everything. He apparently found jesus ans is engaged now, so i'm very happy for him at least cleaning himself up. |
| I know one who was a desk jockey and never left Camp Arifjan who is claiming PTSD. This guy is a $%#bag and causes all kinds of trouble. This is a 1LT who was passed over for CPT(thank goodness) and sends emails to 2 stars like they're his best buddy. Guys wacked in the head but not PTSD. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. The last shrink I talked to was absolutely brutal about not calling anything that wasn't PTSD, PTSD. Anecdotally, this appears not to be the case with others. Of course, if MAJ Nidal Hassan is an example of the kind of shrinks we have, we have issues. There was a big hubbub recently about why US soldiers have such a higher rate of PTSD than British soldiers. If stories about getting "PTSD" from being worried, or getting a shot, are true - this might explain it. PTSD has a very specific characterization in the DSMV. There are other kinds of stress one can experience in a combat zone, but PTSD is very specific. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. I think also when people constantly tell you something should bother you it ends up bothering you. Why isnt the average Afghan who sees horrible stuff and death on a daily basis a crying wreck? Because its normal and expected to them. Why can someone sit on a fob then go home and be "psychologically disabled"? Becuase its what they are told is normal and expected. I wouldn't be hoisting the "average Afghan" up as an example of successful coping with persistent stress. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. I think also when people constantly tell you something should bother you it ends up bothering you. Why isnt the average Afghan who sees horrible stuff and death on a daily basis a crying wreck? Because its normal and expected to them. Why can someone sit on a fob then go home and be "psychologically disabled"? Becuase its what they are told is normal and expected. I wouldn't be hoisting the "average Afghan" up as an example of successful coping with persistent stress. Why not? They live in a very high stress environment, it would seem very natural that their psyche would develop very successful stress coping mechanisms. |
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I'm in the WTU right now. I'd say 25% are legit combat related. 50% are people trying to get out, and the remaining 25% are people like me that were diagnosed with something like Diabetes on a deployment that are stuck here till the MEB process finishes. Out of the 50% 90 percent of them are 19-24 and cannot play by the rules until they get put out. This makes life very difficult for those of us who do make the formations, appointments and other shit. Aviator |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. I think also when people constantly tell you something should bother you it ends up bothering you. Why isnt the average Afghan who sees horrible stuff and death on a daily basis a crying wreck? Because its normal and expected to them. Why can someone sit on a fob then go home and be "psychologically disabled"? Becuase its what they are told is normal and expected. I wouldn't be hoisting the "average Afghan" up as an example of successful coping with persistent stress. Why not? They live in a very high stress environment, it would seem very natural that their psyche would develop very successful stress coping mechanisms. Well...where do I start? The average Afghan male's life expectency is 44 years. (CIA world factbook) Infant mortality is 165 in 1,000 live births.  (World Bank)
Afghanistan, as a whole, has one of the fastest rising rates of drug use. (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) 1.5 million Afghans are alcohol-dependent (US Census Bureau, International Data Base) Afghan males have a difficult time with sexual identity. Homosexual behavior is commonplace, yet decried by Islamic adherents. So, your "average Afghan", if he survives childbirth, is only expected to live 4 decades. He is likely to engage in alcoholism, drug use, or homosexuality. I wouldn't call those successful coping mechanisms. |
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The fake PTSD people who never left the wire? Yeah, fuck them. I don't know, man. Had I been a fobbit I'm sure it would have been more stressful for me by an order of mangitude. On a more serious note, WTU is a repositiry for folks who just want to be paid for nothing. One can't take away from the people who are there for the right reasons, but it is horribly abused. I can think of at least one NCO...a USAF E6 who developed serious stress-related issues and he never left the FOB. The guy enlisted, thinking that he'd never deploy since he was only a mail clerk. He drew the short end of the straw and was chosen to deploy to Kandahar, where I met him on my FOB. So, there he was...never thought he'd deploy, in the middle of a real shooting war. I think that just the possibility that he'd have to step outside the Hesco barriers was enough to cause him to start exhibiting stress-related behavior. I'm not qualified to conclude that he eventually developed PTSD, but I can see how one could even if they never experience actual combat. Either way, it sucked to be him. Stress is sometimes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep telling yourself you're going to be stressed doing X, then when you finally do X and it stresses you there really shouldn't be a surprise there. I think also when people constantly tell you something should bother you it ends up bothering you. Why isnt the average Afghan who sees horrible stuff and death on a daily basis a crying wreck? Because its normal and expected to them. Why can someone sit on a fob then go home and be "psychologically disabled"? Becuase its what they are told is normal and expected. I wouldn't be hoisting the "average Afghan" up as an example of successful coping with persistent stress. Why not? They live in a very high stress environment, it would seem very natural that their psyche would develop very successful stress coping mechanisms. Well...where do I start? The average Afghan male's life expectency is 44 years. (CIA world factbook) Infant mortality is 165 in 1,000 live births. (World Bank)
Afghanistan, as a whole, has one of the fastest rising rates of drug use. (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) 1.5 million Afghans are alcohol-dependent (US Census Bureau, International Data Base) Afghan males have a difficult time with sexual identity. Homosexual behavior is commonplace, yet decried by Islamic adherents. So, your "average Afghan", if he survives childbirth, is only expected to live 4 decades. He is likely to engage in alcoholism, drug use, or homosexuality. I wouldn't call those successful coping mechanisms. None of those are actual psychological coping mechanisms. Alcoholism is a self-destructive behavior, that can be correlated to stress, however you need a more comprehensive psychological analysis of the factors involved before you can declare causation. |
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A guy at work was a doctor for 4 years at the WTU. Where redeploying servicemen are treated before being returned to duty or medically retired. Some facts (from him) 5% there actually received a purple heart. 80% of those return to duty (some missing limbs) 25% there were actually hurt during the deployment. This includes broken legs during basketball games. 75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones. Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Makes me fucking sick. Watch the sweeping generalizations. I got tonsilitus alot while in the suck so they yanked my tonsils...ended up with apnea because of it. Or at least thats as much as they can figure. I was at like sub 10% BF and I got it so the weight thing is BS. While some of it can be mitigated by weight loss it is always there. Do you have any idea what it is like to essentially be with out sleep for 2 years? I almost lost my marriage over it. It got so I could not drive for fear of falling asleep, thoughts of suicide the whole smash. Being well rested is something people take for granted I am currently fighting with the VA about them funding my cpap stuff because they won't pay for the mask and machine replacement. Fucking nightmare. I just want the stuff so I don't fucking die in my sleep or crash into an underpass. What generalizations? Trying to see where the word, "all" is in there. This is about WTU.Designed for wounded warriors. Yet guys come back and stay there on full orders for two years for combat sleep apnea. Ok checkfire I mistook this for a bash on VA claimants. I have no idea wtf a WTU is and it sounds like the med hold platoon in Bootcamp on steroids. Carry on with your bashing of malingerers |
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God bless the service members who have legitimate medical problems. I wish our VA medical system was adequate for treating their needs and they deserve everything they can get. Fuck those who game the system and lie to get out early and get 'free money.' You diminish those with real problems. Quoted: The last shrink I talked to was absolutely brutal about not calling anything that wasn't PTSD, PTSD. Anecdotally, this appears not to be the case with others. Of course, if MAJ Nidal Hassan is an example of the kind of shrinks we have, we have issues. There was a big hubbub recently about why US soldiers have such a higher rate of PTSD than British soldiers. If stories about getting "PTSD" from being worried, or getting a shot, are true - this might explain it. PTSD has a very specific characterization in the DSMV. There are other kinds of stress one can experience in a combat zone, but PTSD is very specific. If PTSD is such a common disorder, where are all the Police, Firemen, and Paramedics with it? They see fucked up shit on a regular basis, yet for the most part they seem to deal with it. While I am sure there are service members with actual PTSD, what I hear from other veterans is that it is look at as a meal ticket and many are told to claim they have it even if they have no symptoms.  |
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Quoted:
God bless the service members who have legitimate medical problems. Iwish our VA medical system was adequate for treating their needs andthey deserve everything they can get. Fuck those who game the system and lie to get out early and get 'free money.' You diminish those with real problems.
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The last shrink I talked to was absolutely brutal about not calling anything that wasn't PTSD, PTSD. Anecdotally, this appears not to be the case with others. Of course, if MAJ Nidal Hassan is an example of the kind of shrinks we have, we have issues. There was a big hubbub recently about why US soldiers have such a higher rate of PTSD than British soldiers. If stories about getting "PTSD" from being worried, or getting a shot, are true - this might explain it. PTSD has a very specific characterization in the DSMV. There are other kinds of stress one can experience in a combat zone, but PTSD is very specific. If PTSD is such a common disorder, where are all the Police, Firemen, and Paramedics with it? They see fucked up shit on a regular basis, yet for the most part they seem to deal with it. While I am sure there are service members with actual PTSD, what I hear from other veterans is that it is look at as a meal ticket and many are told to claim they have it even if they have no symptoms.
Actually, they do develop PTSD as well, just differently. different levels of exposure over different amounts of time. Thats why you see so many cops or firemen are alcoholics, or have heart attacks, or eating/sleeping disorders. Trust me, i've done both jobs, it happens to all of us, both soldiers, cops, ff, and emts. The bad part is, a lot of cops are told "thats part of the job, deal with it" and not given and treatment for it or compensation. |
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Quoted:
God bless the service members who have legitimate medical problems. Iwish our VA medical system was adequate for treating their needs andthey deserve everything they can get. Fuck those who game the system and lie to get out early and get 'free money.' You diminish those with real problems.
Quoted:
The last shrink I talked to was absolutely brutal about not calling anything that wasn't PTSD, PTSD. Anecdotally, this appears not to be the case with others. Of course, if MAJ Nidal Hassan is an example of the kind of shrinks we have, we have issues. There was a big hubbub recently about why US soldiers have such a higher rate of PTSD than British soldiers. If stories about getting "PTSD" from being worried, or getting a shot, are true - this might explain it. PTSD has a very specific characterization in the DSMV. There are other kinds of stress one can experience in a combat zone, but PTSD is very specific. If PTSD is such a common disorder, where are all the Police, Firemen, and Paramedics with it? They see fucked up shit on a regular basis, yet for the most part they seem to deal with it. While I am sure there are service members with actual PTSD, what I hear from other veterans is that it is look at as a meal ticket and many are told to claim they have it even if they have no symptoms.
There are plenty of PTSD diagnoses in the EMT/FD/PD fields. |
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Quoted: I know a person on a 40% .gov disability pension (flat feet and gastric reflux.) I developed gastric reflux as a result of working mid shift for 9 months. My brain/body got used to it just fine, but my stomach didn't like eating when it was used to sleeping, and as a result, I'd wake up at 11am with a mouthful of lava. The VA gives me free meds for it, but I don't get any compensation, nor do I want any. That money is better spent on people with more serious problems. Not all "non-combat" service-related claims are BS. |
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Quoted: Quoted: God bless the service members who have legitimate medical problems. Iwish our VA medical system was adequate for treating their needs andthey deserve everything they can get. Fuck those who game the system and lie to get out early and get 'free money.' You diminish those with real problems. Quoted: The last shrink I talked to was absolutely brutal about not calling anything that wasn't PTSD, PTSD. Anecdotally, this appears not to be the case with others. Of course, if MAJ Nidal Hassan is an example of the kind of shrinks we have, we have issues. There was a big hubbub recently about why US soldiers have such a higher rate of PTSD than British soldiers. If stories about getting "PTSD" from being worried, or getting a shot, are true - this might explain it. PTSD has a very specific characterization in the DSMV. There are other kinds of stress one can experience in a combat zone, but PTSD is very specific. If PTSD is such a common disorder, where are all the Police, Firemen, and Paramedics with it? They see fucked up shit on a regular basis, yet for the most part they seem to deal with it. While I am sure there are service members with actual PTSD, what I hear from other veterans is that it is look at as a meal ticket and many are told to claim they have it even if they have no symptoms. There are plenty of PTSD diagnoses in the EMT/FD/PD fields. I don't know a single FF/EMT with PTSD issues, and I have been one for 5 years now. Not saying it doesn't happen, but not at the rate that returning veterans have been diagnosed with it and I'm curious for the reason. Certainly, we are told that 'it is part of the job' and that is some of the reason it isn't talked about, but most of the old guys I work with are just bitter, and not screwed up. I have had a few nightmares, but they are not recurring or on a regular basis. Most of the guys that I work with that are heavy drinkers would be regardless IMHO. I certainly hope anyone with a valid PTSD diagnosis gets the help they need regardless. |
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Haha, sleep apnea is the biggest scam going for separating service members. If you're outraged now you should do a little research on what vets have claimed and been paid for over the years. My late father had blind spots in the center of his eyes and hearing loss. He was EOD in the Marine Corp during Vietnam. He was barely able to get 40% with it being increased to 50% a few months before he passed away. Sometimes the system only looks after those that work it and not the ones that deserve it. |
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Quoted:
A guy at work was a doctor for 4 years at the WTU. Where redeploying servicemen are treated before being returned to duty or medically retired. Some facts (from him) 5% there actually received a purple heart. 80% of those return to duty (some missing limbs) 25% there were actually hurt during the deployment. This includes broken legs during basketball games. 75% there are for pre-existing conditions or made up ones. Over half of the PTSD claims are from men and women who saw no combat. PTSD diagnosis is an automatic 50% disability. Due to many congressional complaints, any claimed PTSD is almost always supported. Websites are out there telling soldiers how to lie to get a false PTSD claim through the system. Sleep Apnea is a favorite. automatic 40%. Many soldiers (using the term loosely) deliberatly gain weight while there so that they can snore. Makes me fucking sick. I believe the PTSD one. I spent my deployment working at the TOC. SUcked, but oh well. One of the commo guys was constantly going to the aid station and getting pills for stress. He was such a total fucking pussy. Left the base like 4 times in 15 months, usually on a helo. No combat or anything. Yet he was the only person in the battalion I knew of who was on medication for some deployment stress bullshit. All he did was work on computers all fucking day. A lot of guys abuse the system for disability. It used to be common for guys to claim hearing loss. Docs can't prove it's BS, so they'd get disability for it. Now that the Army provides hearing protection for everything, they just tell these guys to piss off because they should have worn the supplied ear pro. My knees are bad from some hard parachute landings among other things. I thought about getting them looked at to see if there was an actual problem, but then I found out that would delay my ETS by a month or two, so I said fuck they're good enough  Thankfully once I quit doing the airborne crap my knees quit hurting.
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