Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Delk
Yeah,ptsd sort of sneaks up on you. I thought it was all something that a "tough" guy would never get and then,all of a sudden,you're thinking and doing things that you would never have imagined would be a part of your life.Things that confuse and scare your friends and family.I would not wish it on anyone.I still find it hard to admit any weakness and would imagine Hemingway and Ruark would have felt the same especially in the time that they lived.It's a lot easier for people to accept "weakness" ,in all its manifestations , in their military personnel today.
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While PTSD exists, no arguement there, but I know that some folks are faking it for the dough. As an example, met a guy who lives down the street, a young fellow maybe mid-20's. He said he was receiving full compensation for PTSD. I asked him who he did. He replied that he had been in the navy. What did you do there? I asked. He said he had a secondary job as a sniper on ship. (I didn't know they had any.) I asked him if he had shot anyone. He said, "No, but I saw some guys shot by some Navy Seals that we had on board." I let the matter drop, but for this he got something like 130% pay for life.
I was in an RV camp two years ago. A guy walked by wearing an Air Force cap. We chatted. He said he was getting 100% PTSD for life. He explained that he was in the Air Force in VN.
I said, "Oh, were you in a bomber crew?"
"No", he said, "I was a load master".
"You loaded bombs?"
"No, I worked with cargo planes". He went on to explain that he was walking down the street in Saigon and saw a hotel blow up. "People were killed." He explained.
"For that you put in for PTSD pay for life?" I asked.
"yep", he said. "I had nightmares."
Last week my an old friend came over, hadn't seen him for decades. He'd spent '68/69' in country...Army E4. He was one of those guys who went out into the boonies and placed sensors along trails, etc... He registered the site with with the arty guys. When the little machines went off he'd order a fire mission. He'd tell'em to fire for effect until he ordered them to cease fire. He said once he ordered 150 rounds of 105. They'd shoot HE and LOM, messy stuff. Then he'd go out to the target area to see how he'd done. He said, "There'd be lots of blood trails and little piles of gooey stuff." He said he was doing an E6's job and they offered him a commission if he'd re-up, but he told them he'd had enough fun for one lifetime. He talked about his experiences at length. Of course, right after he returned, he jumped at loud noises, and shouted out in his sleep etc...but he recovered. He became a cop and then a fireman around oil rigs.
Now if there was ever a guy who would succumb to PTSD it seems to me he'd be the guy. He killed many people, often observing the rounds splash on target. He often worked alone or with one or two guys. He laughed about being scared. He fought VC until Tet, then NVA. The VC were pretty much reduced as a fighting force after Tet. This guy enjoyed telling the stories. We BS'd for hours.
Me? I was an attack pilot. The only problems I had when I returned was the lack of danger in civilian life. Everything seemed so mundane. I had trouble figuring out that even if no one was shooting at you, you must pay attention.
I am sure there are legit cases of PTSD that need treatment and deserve some additional pay, but from what I've experienced, there are a lot of frauds out there too.