Reprimanded for drilling - It is still happening

1stSgt Nolan..very very true.

PV2 Shaull, understood...on the other hand, my 89 yr old plus uncle, a WWII combat vet, doesn't think he deserves anything from the VA; I know VA docs who retired because the newly discharged soldiers read Title 38 and spit out the magic words for a rating--or just threaten to kill themselves in the VA Clinic (had actually witnessed it). Poof: instant VA disability. I'm rated 60% and could be a lot more; yet I think a fellow recently discharged from Iraq/Afghan with a limb missing and nothing else wrong should go to the head of the line--in other words, Purple Heart vets. They are the ones the system is designed for, plus those injured in related ways such as PSTD, hard landings, training injuries, etc. A fellow with six sinus surgeries on active duty might get 10% while his prostate might give 30% or more. Meanwhile the fellow with the missing limb is still in line depending on which limb. The active army wants to grant disability only to purple hearts and severely injured; they want you to get paid from the VA budget, not DOD; social security then wants to argue about it too. Not an optimal system when Fat Elmo who simply doesn't want to walk to the front door of Wal Mart has a handicapped sticker and is rated 100% disabled by SSecurity. Jose or Hans from Mars swims ashore as though making a touchdown, and suddenly draws more income than the fellow with no legs. Tell me the justice in that, or how a country that screwed up will survive much longer when the printing press for dollars runs out of ink?

Yeah well it took me 15 years to even get the notion to go in to get the rating. Yeah I don't like that people use the 'Magic words'. I will refuse to use them. Do I believe that most of my depressions and anxiety that I suffer since I have was chapter were due to how I was treated by the Company Commander, Company First Sergeant, and various people in the company and even in my platoon who follow what they were doing. Hell YES, do I feel like kicking some one in ass at times, I won't lie there have been times, but not often. Have I ever wish to harm or kill myself, hell NO. I didn't bring up the depression and anxiety when I went to get my rating in the first place, because it part of the experience I don't wish to relive going through to get benefits for it. It has made life after the living hell at times, and I have gone through times of feeling guilty for being left over here, especially in 1991 when most of my friends were over there. Yes I agree with you so much, there are so many more vet who so much deserving of he benefits. I seen so many who have gotten out due to drugs or being drunks who had problems before they joined, who got full benefits. That is crock of shit, they should of got nothing, their problems weren't caused by stress of the military, they might of been enhanced, but weren't entirely caused. Right now, I have been through College on Vocation Rehab, and still taking online course as we speak, but the reality is, with the pain issue I have with my back, hip, ankle. I may find it hard to find an employer who will be willing to keep me around any length of time. Working for most small shops will be non-starter because many require one to do lifting and crawling around which, yes in pinch, I can do, but will I be able to do much of anything else afterwards, probably not. So I am looking at starting home business. I do have handicap placard, but when I go to places like Wal-Mart I part at the other end of the parking lot, I need the exercise, and people who are worse off can use the handicap spots. Yeah I hear SGM Coberly, I have seen the same thing, and think the same thing to myself.

PV2 Shaull, you are not alone. You are as alone as you want to be. Some things you just have to go through to get to the other side. I have to remind myself every day that the bad stuff was just a pit stop in life. Many people, including me carry with them various types of what you describe. Anger turned inward, call it what you will. Helping others, physical exercise, that stuff helps me tremendously.

Yeah I know. It taken me 25 years to realize to admit to that to myself and wife telling me we were done if I didn't seek help after being married for 13 years. Which I knew I probably needed to see someone, but I was waiting to get tested for Asperger's because our 9 year old son has it. I think most of my family on my Dad side has it one form or another, because if I was going to see 'Life coach' I wanted help with dealing the aspects of that too, then finding out that I have ADHD on top of the Asperger's was eye opening. It made a lot of things growing up crystal clear, and why after I was injure, my Lt, Platoon Sergeant, Squad Leader, and Team Leader were always hard on me not to take as much pain relieve meds as I could. So I didn't and tried to ignored as much as possible, part of the reason I waited for 15 years until, it got so bad I couldn't stand it no longer. Like I said, at times I had dealing the V.A. in general because depending on who I am seeing it brings back so many memories, of people not listening what I am trying to explaining to them. Yeah, it great that I can now rotate my ankle more, but my quality of life hasn't improved one bit. I can't stand on it for more than 10-20 minutes with causing discomfort. Can't go out for runs or hikes. I live in the U.P. of Michigan, someone has to go out shovel snow, it doesn't move itself and afterward even hot hot showers down help ease the pain. Every time we have bad snow or rain storm coming, my ankle always let me know 18 hours before events hits us. Winters up here, there not much to do for physical exercise, but this past summer I took walks around K.I. Sawyer with my son so he could tell me stories about his games he plays, he turning into gamer. Just drive me nuts reopening up some things in the past, that I rather leave past if you know what I mean. It was hard to see my former Company Commander in command of the 1-503rd PIR when they jumped into Northern Iraq in 2003. It was hard not to have breakdown at work, when I working as Night Auditor all by myself while watching news. I was little stunned to say the least, some of the stunts he and the First Sergeant had pulled after they got into the Company. Still have issues over that, I mean I don't like being micromanage, or being yelled at in public, or being yelled to about someone else. I have come right back at bosses to tell them to shut the hell up, or I am leaving for the shift, or gone to punch out and gone home for the day due to it. I just don't do it, as I explain to them, the last person to do that, had the first name of Drill Sergeant, if I did something wrong, then explain to me what I did wrong, I explain why I did it, if we can't find common ground, then we have to agree to disagree. I don't hide how I feel about things I think are morally wrong, or that don't fit in what the company image should be.