Posted on Feb 22, 2016
Veterans Want Past Discharges to Recognize Post-Traumatic Stress
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RP Members and Connections what's your opinion on this?
Kristofer Goldsmith was discharged from the Army at the height of the Iraq war because he was not on a plane to Baghdad for his second deployment. Instead, he was in a hospital after attempting suicide the night before.
On the sergeant’s first deployment, his duties often required him to photograph mutilated corpses. After coming home, he was stalked by nightmares and despair. In 2007, he overdosed on pills, and his platoon found him passed out in a grove of trees at Fort Stewart, Ga., that had been planted to honor soldiers killed in combat.
Instead of screening Mr. Goldsmith for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, records show that the Army wrote him up for missing his flight, then forced him out of the military with a less-than-honorable discharge. When he petitioned the Army to upgrade his discharge, arguing that he missed his flight because of undiagnosed PTSD, it rejected his appeal.
Kristofer Goldsmith was discharged from the Army at the height of the Iraq war because he was not on a plane to Baghdad for his second deployment. Instead, he was in a hospital after attempting suicide the night before.
On the sergeant’s first deployment, his duties often required him to photograph mutilated corpses. After coming home, he was stalked by nightmares and despair. In 2007, he overdosed on pills, and his platoon found him passed out in a grove of trees at Fort Stewart, Ga., that had been planted to honor soldiers killed in combat.
Instead of screening Mr. Goldsmith for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, records show that the Army wrote him up for missing his flight, then forced him out of the military with a less-than-honorable discharge. When he petitioned the Army to upgrade his discharge, arguing that he missed his flight because of undiagnosed PTSD, it rejected his appeal.
Veterans Want Past Discharges to Recognize Post-Traumatic Stress
Posted from nytimes.com
Discharge
PTSD
Suicide
Mental Health
Disability
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 33
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs, as a diagnosed PTSD patient, my opinion is most likely biased on this topic. However, I do think at worst, these servicemembers should have received medical discharges vs the OTH or BCD many received. Sometimes the mental wounds can be more severe and longer lasting than the physical.
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SPC Douglas Bolton
MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P Very true my friend. The mental anguish is the silent killer of many of our brothers and sisters.
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Jenn Moynihan
I agree as well. In the past 15 years there have been a lot of questionable discharges & many (as I understand from the Harvard Legal Clinic for Veterans) can be changed. As long as it was not via a court martial (understood).
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Typical governmental style bullshit. These decisions are made base on $$ and by non-combat morons. Governments sends us to fight and die and then throw us away. Congress has a platinum health plan yet they cannot manage to take care of the ones that protect them and allow them to have these benefits. Not one of my calm posts but there is something absolutely morally and ethically devoid in this. I am tired of the excuses on how the government can't afford to equip and take care of those they purposely put in harms way. How can they live with themselves with the blood of so many on their hands.
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SPC Douglas Bolton
Sgt John H. So well said. Too Many veterans who deserve help are left in the dust, and we have to face the high suicide rates in the military. It has got to stop. Hopefully President Trump will follow through on getting the VA clean up.
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Cpl Gabriel F.
Congress has a platinum health plan states the fact they consider themselves more important than Veterans or active military.
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I believe that any individual that at one time showed stellar performance, begins displaying behavior that is drastically from their norm should have not be afraid of the stigmatization of initiating the first step - which is an evaluation, of how to deal with all of this. This unfortunately would require a huge cultural shift within the Military. Nobody wants that on their record, may interfere with promotions etc... just heartbreaking how this silence is taking its toll!
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SPC Douglas Bolton
Cpl Rebecca Nicholson Couldn't agree more. People are ending their lives because of no caring from the military. Got to stop.
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SCPO Penny Douphinett
As you know, my son was a nuke and that fact alone kept him from medical and seeking help. I belong to a group of families who have lost their active duty/vet to suicide. The story is virtually the same for every active duty, getting help was not something they could do if they wanted to keep their career. Of course, each Command will tell you they will absolutely provide assistance to suicidal people with no repercussions, but that is bullshit! It will take a huge culture shift, but I can't imagine it happening. There has been an Admiral, a General and many, many senior officers/ senior enlisted commit suicide and the military keeps rolling on. Providing their "awareness training" and talking out the side of their mouths.
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