Desert-Storm.com Community Forums

For the 20th aniversary I finally got motivated to scan some of my pics in.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Desert-Storm-Photos/139517642775901?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=25995&id=139517642775901

Welcome Vindic, I was HHC 2nd Bde 1st Inf. We told you guys were to go get the bad guys at in the desert...lol. In fact I even stayed in your barracks at Ft. Riley, top floor west end.

How is your health, both physical and mentally? I am having issues and I wasn't in the thick of it as much as you guys were.

Was McVeigh in your company?

I was one of two medics in B company. McVeigh was in C but I knew him casually. Not one of our finest products.

I would classify my physical health as fair. I have some issues I tolerate. Hypersensitivity to petrolium smoke is one of them. If I am in an enclosed area with combustion engine exaust I can get severe coughing fits. There are others but I live with them. What kind of things do you have going? Do you have a sense of the causes?

I would classify my mental health as good. We saw our fair share of ugly. Learned volumes about human nature. Ultimately I am proud of our role collectively and my role personally. I served with men who rose to the occasion and performed as professionals. In spite of the horrors I feel justified that we acted with compassion and valor. I personally processed hundreds of EPW's. I know firsthand how we behaved and I believe that under the circumstances and relative to the history of warfare we did an exemplary job.

I would love to trade photos with you. I have stayed in touch with a few guys and for some reason or other all of their photos are lost. One guy lost all his in Katrina, another had his thown out by his ex-wife, etc.

I've heard the "thrown out by wife" bit all too often.

Physically, I have a tinitus, ear canal disease (recognized by VA as a 0% service connected disability...for now), a chronic cough that I have never been able to get rid of, the VA cannot explain it at all, a red discoloration on both legs from the ankles up to my knees (does not breakout or itch), I had rapid weight gain within a year after we left the desert. I ache from head to toe 24/7. I have a torn meniscus in my left knee that the doctors say was most likely the result of an earlier injury (I got hurt when I fell off a duece and a half in the service), I've had hypertension for the last 17-18 years. I have suffered from sleep apnea since about 2 years after I left the service as well, I did not seek tratment for that until about 10 or so years ago, now the VA covers me for that.

Mentally, the VA classified me as having depression and PTSD and I take 2 head-meds as well as a sleep aid through the VA. I am a real ass to my family all too often. My kids are always afraid of me yelling at them, my wife resents me to the point that she wants a divorce but I refuse to give it to her because I love her and I depend on her just being there so much and because I refuse to not be able to see my kids anytime of the day or night that I want like when they wake up or go to sleep.

If I could only DX my body and get a new one!!!

I only recently filed for disability and finally got my paperwork back and now I need to gather letters from my wife and others around me documenting how I changed from when I went it. I need medical records as well and my civilian doctors office wants to change me 25 cents per page. My file is like 3" think.

Most of my pictures were lost as well when I took them into a developer in Saudi just outside Khobar Towers to get them developed and he never gave most of them back to me. I had 40+ rolls of film. Because of that, a fellow soldier in my unit allowed me to copy the few he had. Its a shame because I had so many great photographs over the span of 5 months. I took some of me in port waiting on our tracks, my buddies as well, many as we moved across the desert, many of our TOC setup and those who worked inside it, me and my equipment I had to operate between jumps, lots of the destruction you guys and our two armored battaliions did like the T-tanks blowing their tops, the EPWs, undetonated ordnance, trenchs & bunkers, burning oil fields, me holding some of the AKs and sniper rifles we came across, me sitting on a T-72 abandoned on the highway, an Iraqi supply warehouse prior to it being blown sky high by EOD, and quite a few from the Hiway of Death (highway 80 between Kuwait and Al Basrah just outside Safwan). I do have some from Safwan and the airfield that survived in my camera, time has taken its toll on them though.

Just typing this reply brings back so many memories just like most fo my other replies do.

Wow, thats interesting, I have some very similar things going on. I gained 70 lbs in the 6 months after we got back. Ive had thyroid and all of that checked out - nothing. I have a 10% service connected injury but I havent done much with the VA since I've been out. I also have Apnea. I've had CPAP for 15 years now. I have Hypertension as well.

I do understand the whole getting angry fast thing. But I just attribute that to my being an ass .

As far as pictures anything you have Id love to check out. We were in so many of the same places and knew the same people. I will however pass on the Highway pics, I have some of my own and they are enough.

Dagger, are you using a VSO to handle your claim? If so, they can get your medical records for free.

I am using my local County VA office. I still need to get my wife to write me a statement...but we just had that dreaded "we're over" talk. I got a lot of other stuff on my mind now.

Hate that man, hate to hear that.

dagger,
sad to hear about that, really do hate to hear it.

Me too, I've known her since about 94. We got married in 2001. She's been through a lot fo the initial VA stuff with me but not much over the last 10 years. She's been dealing with my "rough" side though and I believe she is over it.

I hate to hear it brother .
"There but the grace of God......."
Many have of us been down that path , and the rest of us fear it .