Dishonorable Discharge
I first met George about 9 months ago. He was in one of the first units sent into battle in Fallujah Iraq. He continues to carry those days with him. He had been a fast burner in the Army, making the rank of E-5 in 3 years. In war he saw and did things that no one should have to. Anyone who has been to war understands. While he was in theatre he did not believe the sleeping problems and the hyper-vigilance was an issue, he thought it was normal. He thought those horrific dreams would go away. What he didn’t know was those dreams and feelings would follow him home.
George returned home to a hero’s welcome organized by Vietnam Veterans. When he returned he did not feel like a hero. He felt guilt and pain from the things he had to do and see. He was happy to see his wife and 18 month old son, the happiness wouldn’t last. His inability to sleep caused him to start drinking more and more. He feared his wife would look at him differently if he told her about his pain and what he had to do on the battlefield, so he never talked to her about it. His temper got worse, scaring his wife. He feared getting help from mental health would end his career. What would his wife think? What would his comrades think? Was George crazy? What would his First Sergeant and Commander think? Drinking is acceptable in Military culture, getting mental health is not. As his marriage declined he drank more and started spending time with his war buddies. It wasn’t long before he started missing formation and drills. His first sergeant talked to him, but it did no good, he was in an internal struggle with the guilt and pain of what he had to do in Fallujah.
As he continued to decline his wife left, it finally got to the point where alcohol was the only thing that made the pain go away. Everything came to a head with a DUI. His First Sergeant and Commander had seen enough, they gave him a dishonorable discharge. Now George has child support, no job, a drinking problem, nowhere to live, little prospect of a future, and no VA benefits because of his dishonorable discharge. He considered suicide on several occasions, but he could not go through with it.
Unfortunately this is not an abnormal case, this is really happening to veterans. It is impossible to go to war and come back the same person. In a lot of cases families and commanders are ill prepared to deal with mental health issues. To families it is a safety concern. To commanders it’s their job to do what is best for their troops, their unit, and the military. Once George was kicked out he became homeless, he burned his bridges due to his drinking, and he had nowhere to go.
George was fortunate to run into a Veteran that had contacts that could help him. I spent some time with him trying to get him to get help. Veterans are stubborn, asking for help is not on their radar, another veteran stands a better chance at getting a veteran help than civilians, veterans trust veterans. Many veterans do not know the military is taking another look at dishonorable discharges because of PTSD and self-medicating. George’s case is a good example of what can happen when a soldier does not get help. The military is re-looking at dishonorable discharges like Georges to possibly upgrade them so they can receive their earned benefits. Part of the problem is some veterans do not trust the system, why should they? The system put them where they are. I was able to help him apply for the upgrade. He contacted his brother for an address to use.
Help is there for these veterans if they know where to look. There is housing available for homeless veterans and agencies for mental health help if the veteran is willing to spend time and look. Depression can set in during these types of situations and the veteran needs help. Contacting the local American Legion, AMVETS, DAV, or VFW, is a good start for their upgrade, usually they have some answers. If the veteran or the person helping them get help hits resistance keep trying. Some veterans look at dishonorable discharges as a disgrace, they do not know or believe this could have been them under different circumstances. Let’s give our wounded warriors the help they deserve.
For questions or comments, I can be reached at bo@afterdutyvets.com or visit our website at afterdutyvets.com.