Printer Friendly Page
A VETERAN'S CRY FOR HELP IS ANSWERED -- Vet's
"other
than honorable" discharge has been deemed
"honorable
for VA purposes" so he can receive benefits.
For the original story on Steven Smith...click
here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/
nf07/nfJUL07/nf071607-12.htm
For more on "changing" a discharge so a veteran
can receive VA benefits, read the story from Veterans' Advocate Jim
Strickland...click here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/
nf07/nfAUG07/nf080907-4.htm
Today's story
here...
http://www.twincities.
com/localnews/ci_6615659?nclick_check=1
Story below:
-------------------------
A veteran's cry for help is answered
RUBÉN ROSARIO
Iraq combat veteran Jeremy Smith's two-year battle to get the help he
needs may finally be over.
To recap: Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the 26-year-old
Coon Rapids native's mental state spiraled to the point where two West
Virginia state troopers found the Minnesota Marine hallucinating about
phantom snipers while lost on his way to a Marine base in North Carolina
during a leave in 2004.
One trooper, Steven Smith, grew up with a Vietnam War veteran father
afflicted with the same disorder. He refused to go along when Smith's
base commander instructed the lawman to arrest the Marine, claiming the
troubled soldier was on drugs and making up the story.
"I told the man that I was not going to do that sort of thing and that
what this Marine needed was not jail but help," the cop said in my
column last month on Smith's troubles. Those problems included
self-medication, suicidal ideation and an "other than honorable''
discharge for the drug use that barred him from receiving any benefits.
But the state's Department of Veterans Affairs stepped up in recent
weeks. The agency, after reviewing Smith's case, deemed him ''honorable
for VA purposes.''
The designation allows Smith access to counseling and other services
that had been denied to him.
"We thank you very much for highlighting this problem across the
nation,'' Reggie Worlds, director of programs for the state Veterans
Affairs, said in a voicemail left at the Pioneer Press.
Studies and congressional hearings in recent months underlined critical
gaps in providing mental health care and other services to returning
combat vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Smith reluctantly shared his story in part to illustrate the silent
sufferings of fellow veterans. Some colleagues from his Marine battalion
turned to drugs or booze or fatally wrapped themselves around trees or
highway dividers.
"Things are looking up, finally,'' Smith said last week. Unemployed for
several months, he also recently landed a steady job laying electrical
cable, with a former Marine as his boss to boot.
"He understands what I went through,'' said Smith. "There are a lot of
guys hurting out there.''
One down, many more to go. But it does seem that the Gopher State might
just be a step ahead of the rest of the country in doing what is needed
to make sure these soldiers are prepared for a smooth transition to
civilian life.
# Take the Minnesota National Guard's "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon''
program. The Department of Defense recently tapped the two-year-old
reintegration effort to serve as a national model for other Guard and
reserve units. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also said the Pentagon
plans to shelve its hands-off policy toward returning vets and fund the
state program.
The Guard program includes an orientation meeting for families before
the reunion and mandates sit-downs with the returning soldier after 30,
60 and 90 days. While the first sit-down is mostly general in scope, the
other two are designed to address reintegration problems such as
substance abuse, marital or family discord, work-related stresses or
other situations that soldiers may be reluctant to reveal or discuss.
"We want to look them in the eyes and help assess where they are,'' said
Lt. Col. Kevin Gerdes, the Minnesota Guard's director of personnel.
"Without efforts like these, our soldiers are left very much in the dark
and not sure who they should be reaching out to.''
Minnesota National Guard Adjutant General Larry Shellito, who
established the program's concept, is a Vietnam War vet who suffered
neglect after returning from the war. Gerdes said the Guard program is
open to all returning soldiers in Minnesota from all military branches.
# Meanwhile, Minnesota Veterans Affairs officials established a one-stop
hot line to explain benefits, services and referral information for all
Minnesota veterans.
Launched Aug. 1 through a partnership with Crisis Connection, the
toll-free service line offers immediate, round-the clock crisis
intervention and psychological counseling.
"It is the first of its kind in the nation," said Mike Pugliese, the
state Veterans Affairs' deputy commissioner.
# Also, a national network of psychiatrists and psychologists offers
free mental health counseling to soldiers and their families. Called
Give an Hour, the nonprofit effort provides at least one hour of
counseling weekly.
Dr. Barbara Romberg, a Washington, D.C.-area clinical psychologist,
founded the network. There are several participants in the Twin Cities
and outstate Minnesota.
Reggie Worlds, of the state Veterans Affairs, believes stigma also plays
a key role in the service gap. Troubled soldiers, he says, are reluctant
to admit problems because of machismo and a military code that looks on
those who seek help as a displaying weakness.
"We are here to help," Worlds says of his agency. "There are two sides
to every story, and we are here to serve as advocates for that soldier."
Rubén Rosario can be reached at
rrosario@pioneerpress.com
or 651-228-5454.
WHERE TO GET HELP
Soldiers and family members can find help or information through these
phone numbers and Web sites:
# Each county in Minnesota has a veterans service officer. Check the
White Pages.
# Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs' LINKVET hot line:
1-888-LINKVET or 1-888-546-5838. Web site:
www.mdva.state.mn.us.
# Minnesota National Guard general helpline: 651-268-8919. Web site:
www.dma.state.mn.us.
# Give an Hour mental health counseling service:
www.giveanhour.org.
# U.S. Army vets can contact 1-800-THE ARMY for general help
information.
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
