Home Front Pilots were Trailblazers

Micky was among a large contingent of WWII test pilot for the Army Air Corps needed for various duties at home. They flew freshly completed and repaired aircraft from the factory giving them “shakedown flights” to ensure they were safe for pilots overseas fighting the war. They trained Air Corps cadets to fly, they also developed advanced attack tactics to be used in war because little was known about air power and how it could be effective on the battlefield. Each type and model of aircraft were different, their strengths and weaknesses needed to be exposed and these elite pilots completed that task. They also had one of the most dangerous jobs in the Army Air Corps, they flew aircraft towing targets for cadets and trainees to shoot live rounds at. The cadet pilots and trainee gunners had little to no experience flying their aircraft let alone shooting at a moving target. Less dangerous jobs included flying aircraft to locations throughout the United States for the lend/lease program for our allies to pick up during the war. These pilots were not militarized, they were not allowed to be a part of the militarized Air Corps. They were looked down upon by many higher ups and war pilots because they were civil service employees and not soldiers.

These pilots did not have a glamorous job, but were as important as those fighting the war. They were required to pay their own way to the bases they worked from, including their training sites. When they were killed they were not given the military burial. Their families were responsible for the cost of the burial if they died during their service and fellow pilots were known to take up a collection to have their bodies delivered to their families. Their coffins were not allowed to be draped with the American Flag, although some unofficially were done by family and friends. These pilots were an elite group of flyers that served their country with distinction. They did this duty because they wanted to fly and be a part of the success of the war effort.

Each of these pilots had a license. They were trained to be “Army Pilots”. Their training paralled the training of aviation cadets even though they were not trained for combat roles or to fly in formation. Even though they developed and tested attack angles and tactics, they did receive extensive instructions to maneuver the aircrafts and recover from just about any scenario. These pilots flew every aircraft imaginable even testing rocket propelled aircraft. The only difference between these pilots and other pilots was they were female. Micky was Mildred D. Tuttle-Axton, a female Civil Service pilot during WWII. During WWII over 25,000 women applied to be US pilots and only 1,830 were accepted with 1,074 continued on to be trained as Women’s Air force Service Pilots (WASP). Thirty eight female pilots lost their lives while doing their part for the war effort.

During WWII every American felt the pinch of the war. Everyone knew someone in the war. Every family felt the loss of a family member, friend or acquaintance. During WWII over 16.1 million men served in the armed forces. An estimated 276,000 females preformed non-combat roles with another 74,000 nurses. During the war there were food rations, gas rations, copper drives, steel drives and anything to help the war effort. During this time the industrial complex of the United States was at full capacity, everyone had a part to play including pilots at home. Where there were male test pilots, the women pilots freed men up to fly into battle.   

These women were not accepted during WWII. Women did not belong in the military unless they were nurses. Many men scoffed at women joining the Army or doing “men’s jobs”. It appeared our society was not ready for women to serve, but necessity prevailed and women finally became a part of the American WWII military war machine. Women have always joined the fight, many dressed as men during the US Civil war to serve their country, but to many men the military was no place for a woman. With the history of women being successful in the military it is hard to see why women in “battle” is such a controversial topic, they have always been there. Even with the backing of men such as General Eisenhower, Fleet Admiral Nimitz, and Air Corps General “Hap” Arnold backing the female WWII pilots our society still struggles with this to this day. Things are changing, a study in 2011 showed females represent 14% of the active duty force and 20% of new recruits. They also represent 5.5% of the veteran population.

It was not until November of 1977 that these female pilots were given veterans status. In May of 1979 the US Air Force issued its first honorable discharges for WASP pilots serving during WWII. The female Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guard, and Marines that serve today owe a great deal of admiration and respect of their foremothers. They were the original SHEROS that served our country with honor. As one WWII WASP stated, the aircraft does not notice the sex of the pilot, it notices good and bad pilots. I bet a rifle feels the same way, it knows a good shot from a bad one!

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Think of Those Who Sacrifice for us Over the Holidays

Jack is a Marine with two tours in Iraq and struggles during the holidays. As a mental health clinician I see problems the general public don’t see, or want to see. The holidays are especially stressful to some military and veterans families, especially those dealing with deployments and the aftermath of those deployments. Being a combat veteran myself and being deployed for the birth of my second son, multiple Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays, ball games, recitals and anniversaries I understand the difficulties faced by these troops and their families. Jack was deployed to Iraq during the holidays for both tours and struggles this time of year. During his second tour his patrol was attacked resulting in the death of his troop Javier. Jack blames himself for the loss, he feels he didn’t have his “head in the game” because he believed he was distracted because of his family and lives with Javier’s death every day.  

Jack described the re-occurring thoughts and dreams of Javier’s death, who died in his arms two days after Christmas. He continually thinks of Javier, especially around the holidays. He has seen others die but he is especially troubled with Javier’s death because he knew him well, feels responsible, and he had a wife and two children. Routinely he contacts Javier’s widow to check on her and the children. Every Christmas he sends Javier’s family presents. He wears a bracelet with Javier’s name on it as a commitment to him and a reminder of his perceived “failures”.  Jack is consumed by survivor’s guilt and feels he doesn’t deserve to be happy, Javier’s children don’t have a father “because of him”. That is a tough thing to live with every day of your life. Every day he tries to cope while struggling with his own family and feeling guilty he is alive.  

Not all of us have a story like Jack’s. Many veterans have missed the holidays due to their service. One of the biggest sacrifices in the service to our country is the families of those deployed, they continually get overlooked. With deployments continually happening over the 12 years after Desert Storm and the 16 years of war, many military families have had to deal with 28 years of multiple deployments to the Middle East and various other locations. Many families are used to their loved ones being gone over the holidays, it’s what’s required and what they do.  During my 20 years in the Air Force I only missed 3 Thanksgivings and Christmases because of deployments. Those deployments were tougher on my family than me, I was too busy and continued to work.

In allot of cases the families continue to move on, some feel guilt, some are angry, some are use to it, and some struggle to hold the family together. The holidays are always a stressful time of year for most families, place a loved one in a war zone and the stress is three fold. Some visit relatives while the member is deployed, some stay at their military base or in their community. Either way these families are struggling to hold their relationships and children together. Many younger children do not understand why daddy is not home for the holidays, it’s hard on everyone. 

Jack is working on moving forward in his life, he is finally getting counseling, but many veterans continue to struggle beside their families. Jack is lucky, his wife is very supportive and understanding. She has every reason to leave but doesn’t even though he is not the man she married. She is just as brave as Jack.

I would like everyone to think about those military members, families, and veterans who are serving or served our country over the holidays. Think of those families who’s loved ones are deployed. Think of those families that have lost loved ones and will never have them home again. Think of those that were wounded and will never have their life the way it was, and also think about those that have lost their buddies and live with the guilt. Think about the spouses and children of those who went to war and came back a different person. To some veterans and their families the holidays are tough on them. If you know of a friend or family member struggling, encourage them get help, it’s just a phone call away. Support them when you can, especially the holidays.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Military Cuts Hurt Individuals and Families

Thomas was on the fast track. He was in the Air Force assigned to the security police force (SP) at Minot Air Force Base N.D. Thomas had worked hard to keep his nose clean, he wanted to become a dog handler and since he had little to do in North Dakota he commonly volunteered to clean the dog kennels on his off-duty time.  Thomas was from southern California and being in North Dakota was quite a culture shock for him. He was up for a promotion when he went on leave. He had to escape the obscureness of Minot so he went home to SoCal where the weather was worm. While in SoCal he was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was shot in the leg outside a nightclub. When he returned to Minot he received the needed physical medical assistance for his gunshot wound. The problem was he received no help for his mental state after the shooting. After the incident in California he had fallen out of favor with his command. They started treating him differently. When the drawdowns happened under President HW Bush he was forced out because the SP manning was at 110%. He was denied re-enlistment and separated from the military. He moved home to Southern California to be with his family. This is just one of many cases of past drawdowns. He was a good troop, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid for that.

Some in congress are proposing the shrinking of our military, again they are doing it on the back of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines both active and retired. This can be nothing but a blow to the economy by raising the unemployment rate. There is no doubt the military budget could be cut.  I don’t believe cutting personnel and benefits is the answer. Cutting some of the expensive defense projects like the F-35 that is 167 Billion Dollars over budget with a cost of 160 Million per aircraft will put a dent into the cuts. Another possible cut could be the Aircraft Carrier battle group fleet. Does the United States need 11 Aircraft carriers? Russia, and China have 1 each. Some lawmakers are pressing to build tanks the Army does not want or need because they create jobs in their districts. Congress allotted 500 million dollars for this pet project.

Closing bases sounds good in theory, it is troubling for those communities that will lose the bases. We should look at George and Norton AFB’s and see what that did to San Bernardino County. This is the same kind of action President George HW Bush put into play after the first Gulf War. The military was cut so heavily in personnel that when 9/11 hit there were fewer personnel to deal with the aftermath. We had to lower our recruitment standards to get people into the military, by getting wavers for people with drug and other convictions. Lowering the standards caused a host of other problems for the military down the road.

Our military personnel went to war without sufficient body armor and personal gear, but they had plenty of tanks and heavy equipment. President George W Bush even cut combat pay for a while to personnel in theatre being shot at. Families were having to buy body armor and sending it to their loved ones, but hey we have 11 aircraft carrier groups. Not very helpful to someone being shot at on the ground. There are military personnel that have more than 7 tours into a war zone. There are other places the Pentagon can cut, doing it on the backs of the troops is not right.

Giving smaller pay raises, decreasing the tax-free housing allowances, retirement pay and benefits for the troops is a problem for many of us. Where are those in Washington giving, what are they doing to help the situation. As a retiree, I have no real problem paying a higher co-pay if it is within reason. Tell me what a little more is when you talk about co-pays and deductibles? I see no numbers. The people in Washington sent our troops into two wars, now after they are done with them it is time to cut personnel, cost of living raises and benefits. To many the military is all they know, it is their life and their culture. It feels like the military is saying we are done with you, good bye. After our military members and families have sacrificed so much to the war effort they want to decrease what was promised to them when the enlisted.

Congress does not state how the personnel cuts will be completed, if it needs to be done OK, do it through attrition, not kicking people out who have served their country proudly like in the past. Don’t cut the budget on the backs of those that fought in our name for your freedom. I understand the military needs to keep us safe, but we do not need all this equipment, it ends up with our allies or enemies as it is in the case of ISIS in Iraq. Spend the money on the people that made us the most powerful nation in the world. People are the military’s greatest resource, don’t kick them to the curb once you have used them up, that’s what it feels like to so many of us.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

It’s Time for an Emotional Reset for Vietnam Veterans

While in the store yesterday wearing my Veteran’s hat I was approached by a gentleman and told “thanks for your service and fighting for our freedoms”. It’s always great to hear from those that thank me and it happens quite frequently. What happened about five minutes later caught me off guard. A gentleman named Larry walked up and said, I saw the guy thank you, man have times changed. Larry was right, times have changed. Larry went in the Army in 1974 and retired after 22 years. He had seen the ups and downs of the military. He told me stories about his time in and how they were treated when he first went in the military, it was not good. He did not serve in Vietnam but served with many who did and like me was upset by the way they were treated when they returned home.

The Vietnam veterans were spit on, called baby killers, murders, rapist, and other things that can’t be published upon their returned home. Larry had never seen Vietnam but was treated the same because he wore the uniform. The Vietnam era veterans have been treated with little respect over the years. It feels to me that times have changed and a thank you is long overdue.

The Vietnam Veterans are a great bunch of people who continue to be treated questionably by the system.  Most of the Vietnam veterans have spent their lives working and providing for their families with little or no fanfare. Some delved into their work to mask their problems and emotions. Others fought the system working with organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion, and American Veterans (AMVETS) and other veteran organizations. Vietnam veterans are at or getting to retirement age, as they retire they are starting to struggle. From what I have seen as they retire they have more time to look back and question what they had to do during war. It appears that Vietnam veterans are finally finding it acceptable to get mental health help and are seeking that help. It also appears they are coming out of the woodwork to get help because the post 9-11 veterans have made it ok for them to seek mental health treatment.

Vietnam Veterans are a major part of why today’s veterans are treated with respect like they are. After Desert Storm Vietnam veterans are the ones who made sure we were welcomed home. One Vietnam veteran told me when I returned from Desert Storm “there was no way you were going to be treated like us”. We were not going to let it happen! They are the ones that go to the airports and welcome home todays soldiers returning from deployment. They are the reason there is a diagnosis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and made sure Gulf war syndrome was recognized by the Veterans Administration (VA) after they spent over 20 years fighting over Agent Orange. They are responsible for many of veteran’s benefits today. The Vietnam veterans fought for the recent veterans and the future of all veterans, as recent veterans it is our time to take care of and support them.

My challenge to all veterans is to purchase a veterans hat or shirt and wear it with pride so people can let you know that they appreciate your service to our country. You have earned it! All of those who took the oath are veterans and deserve the accolades, so this Veterans Day wear your veteran items with pride, and continue to wear it, you have earned the thank you. From a Desert Storm veteran to all veterans, thank you for your service. I challenge everyone to take time to thank those who have worn the uniform and fought for your freedoms when you see them.  It is time for an emotional reset for our Vietnam veterans. Show them times have changed and they are appreciated.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Getting Out Can Be a Struggle

Joan and Carl are friends we met while stationed in Alaska. Carl was one of my troops and our families became close. We have stayed in touch over the years and it was nice when Carl called and said he was finally retiring after 23 years. One of the biggest issues we face when we get out of the military is re-integration into society. Joan called me one night and starting discussing how Carl was struggling. She said Carl was having problems re-integrating back into society and asked if I would call him. Joan was trying to find out how long it was going to take Carl to become a civilian again. Like many who retire from the military Carl has not mentally left the military. This is common for veterans, especially those that have been to war or retired. I discussed with Joan the troubles of re-integration. It took me about 5 years to integrate back into society, and I am still not totally there yet after 13 years out. She thought he would change once he got out, but true to form he didn’t. The reality is Carl may never change.

Most civilians don’t understand why veterans are the way they are, but there’s a reason. Most military members and veterans lose their identity as soon as they enter the military. Joining the military requires personal sacrifice by everyone involved.  Military recruits are socialized into the system by replacing their identity with a military identity. The recruits are told they are expected to conform to military standards no matter who they were in civilian life. Military members are infused with military values, duty, honor, loyalty, including commitment to comrades, unit, and nation above self. Active duty members can endure long hours and dangerous conditions while their families deal with frequent deployment and the challenges of maintaining a family while they are deployed. All veterans, Active Duty, National Guard and Reserves share a bond civilians and families don’t understand. There are times military bonds transcends family and marital bonds, spouses struggle to understand this, causing a host of problems in the family unit. This can carry into civilian life after they get out not only with their family but with their employeers and society.

For veterans finding a job is imperative. Carl struggled to find a good job that made him happy. Many have to move to a location where the jobs are, away from their biological families. For veterans it is difficult to go from leading troops and command situations to working in a position that has no real future. Many find it difficult to go from a totally structured environment like the military to a totally unstructured one like school or a civilian job. Veterans are used to commanding troops and having responsibility for millions of dollars in equipment, jobs at minimum wage can be demoralizing. Carl eventually found a job as a mechanic, but his skill set was more in line with being the one in charge running the shop.  

Carl also struggled with the attitude of people in the civilian sector, he does not understand why civilians were so different than him. To him his way was the only one that made since, what was wrong with them?  He struggles with why people worry about what he deems as irrelevant issues. Many veterans feel after you have been to war it is a minor inconvenience that your computer will not connect to the internet. Some civilians treat this as a catastrophe, to many veterans it is unimportant. They really don’t care. We still have our brothers and sisters fighting in a war, we don’t care about Hollywood issues or minor problems. Many veterans still look at daily events because we still have friends in the military in danger.

Some veterans isolate when they get out hoping to become comfortable with themselves. Some never get that comfort back. Some learn to manage the guilt and shame of war, while others continue to struggle. Most miss the comradery they had with their military buddies. Once out veterans must depend on those who don’t understand them. Getting out can be scary and hard on the members and their families. Many continue to struggle with the change and loss of friendships and comradery. It is important they grieve the loss to help them move forward. When asked, most veterans will tell you they miss the comradery most of all. Getting out is scary and can become a struggle, they need support from their community, help them when you can.

 For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Female Veterans are Treated Differently

Recently a civilian clinician contacted me about a client she was working with. Sue had finally sought out counseling after 20 years of living with her sexual assault while serving 4 years on active duty in the Army. Sue was tired of hiding her assault from her husband and wanted help to deal with the betrayal of her superiors while she was in the Army. Sue’s husbands started questioning her because of the Military Sexual Trauma (MST) in the news. Sue had been raped by her Lieutenant (LT) and given extra duty for having the gall to report it to her Commanding officer (CO). She was treated as a liar and grilled by the investigator, who was her CO. She was forced to re-live her rape and nothing ever happened to the LT. Her assault was swept under the rug, and the LT went on to become a Major, probably assaulting more females. Word got out of her “betrayal” and male soldiers started treating her with discontent because they felt she could not be trusted. Her civilian clinician was set aback and could not understand how this could happen in a culture like the military where everyone “follows orders”. Unfortunately this type of behavior and sexual assault is common in the military, worse than we as a society want to believe.

During the consultation with the civilian clinician I told her that I have yet to meet a female veteran that has not, at a minimum, been sexually harassed while in. With the recent interest in MST allot of female veterans struggle because it brings up old wounds and questions by their family members. Many female veterans have flashbacks of their trauma causing them to re-live the horrors of their time in. The clinician went on to tell more of the story, and it sounded all too familiar. In many cases the way females are looked at and treated continue after their separation from the service.

I met a female veteran at a MST training who was livid that MST has only come to light in recent years because men have started coming forward about being sexually assaulted. She stated “it did not matter about MST until men started coming forward, now it has become a big deal”. Women feel it has only become legitimate when men started coming forward about their MST, in reality it looks that way.

Women feel they are widely ignored by the Veterans Administration (VA). This was verified when Susan, a female veteran I know went to the VA medical center for services. At the desk she was asked for her husband’s social security number and told they generally don’t treat spouses. When she corrected the VA employee he said OK, how can I help you? This might sound small, but it is offensive to any veteran and would not happen to a male veteran. Women are not seen as military veterans, they are seen as spouses by society and even the VA at times. This is not an isolated incident, another female friend went to the vet center and was told by the lead clinician to stop being an angry Latino woman and deal with her situation. This type of sexist remark would never happen to a male veteran. 

Allot of female veterans won’t tell anyone they were in. They stay quiet because they are looked at differently by civilian men who did not serve. Some of these men seem to be embarrassed that a woman served and they didn’t, female civilians don’t understand why a woman would join the military, that’s a man’s job. When they do talk about their time in, usually to other veterans, they feel they are partially a part of the good ‘ol boys club, but are only allowed one foot in, they are received skeptically by many male veterans.   

Information released in 2010 from the California department of veteran affairs shows that female veterans are the fasted growing sub-population with a median age of 46 and a population of 1.8 million.  A female in the military is more likely to be raped than killed, this causes an increased risk of suicide for female vets between ages of 18-34 because of sexual trauma. Of those females in the military 55% were sexually assaulted opposed to 24% of civilian females. Those women vets who have experienced MST (and torture) are more likely to develop PTSD. Every veteran who has symptoms of MST is eligible for treatment at the VA. No matter the length of service. Some VA’s have opened a women’s clinic for our female veterans and according to my female veteran friends they are doing a good job. Our society needs to give these veterans the respect they have earned. Male veterans need to treat our sisters as one of us with respect. Female Veterans deserve to be treated equally by everyone, especially male veterans and the VA.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

Politics is a Part of the VA Mental Health System

Jose was discussing his dealings with the VA during one of our sessions. He is a Vietnam veteran with a Purple Heart and finally sought help after 30 years of self-medicating with alcohol to relive his Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD). Vietnam veterans are starting to age and the wounds are becoming more prevalent and life altering so they have finally started seeking help. Jose was one of many Veterans that is trying to get the help he has earned.     

Jose discussed his mental health experience with the VA and was not happy. After waiting 2 months he was finally called for a counseling group at the VA. He started group sessions and completed a 16 week program but felt he needed more. It is improbable to expect someone to become whole after years of living with PTSD or multiple deployments in 16 weeks. But that is the VA system they said he was done and was removed from the group. He started working with me because he was still struggling with his PTSD and the firefight where he was wounded and lost 2 buddies.  He lives with this every day and his memories have become a bigger part of his life as he ages.

Jose is not alone. Recent combat veterans as well as Vietnam veterans are coming forward in droves seeking mental health help. As a counselor at a local college veteran center I hear a lot about the Veterans Administration (VA). The complaints and skepticism have increased since the exposure of the systemic problems in the scheduling system a couple years ago. The disclosure of the VA issues has managed to piss off veterans more than they already were. The fact that the VA had problems was not a shock, the severity of the allegations was the shock. Part of the backlog in the mental health field at the VA is their hiring policies for mental health professionals.

The VA is having problems getting psychologist and mental health professionals to work there because of their hiring practices. Because of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) lobby in congress the VA has limited their pool of doctorate level psychologist to just over 28% of licensed and licensed eligible Psychologist. The VA requires all psychologist to attend an APA school and have an APA internship. Even if you were an Active Duty, National Guard, or Reserve psychologist you could not work for the VA if you did not attend an APA college with an APA internship. Under the VA requirements 72% of all licensed and licensed eligible psychologist do not meet the VA requirements. These jobs could be filled if the VA would hire qualified licensed psychologist and stop bowing to the APA lobby.     

In 2014 less than 2,500 positions were available for APA internships in the US and Canada. These internships are one year in length and are located throughout the United States. The APA estimates there are 8,700 doctorate level psychologist who graduate each year. For these 8,700 psychologist there were only 2,474 APA internships leaving 6,226 psychologist annually without APA internships disqualifying them from working at the VA. According to the APA the expectation of increasing APA internships is not promising. It cost and enormous sum of money and red tape for those that apply to become an APA internship so many internship sights don’t even try. The same can be said for the Social workers. Like psychologist the social workers lobby have used their political capital the same way the APA has.  

 For a Social worker to be hired must have attended a college that are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), this accreditation is limited to 231 LCSW Schools nationwide. Just like psychologist, if you were an active duty social worker but did not attend a CSWE school you are ineligible to work at the VA. Again the VA is limiting their resources to a select few. Both the APA and CSWE use their influence to ensure that those that pay to be a part of their organizations can work for the VA. The VA is having trouble filling the open mental health positions while our veterans are waiting weeks or months in many cases to receive help because of the APA and CSWE influenced lobby on congress and the VA.

With an average of 20 veterans committing suicide each day many find it unethical that the VA is not employing those that are qualified and licensed. Many licensed clinicians who are veterans can’t work at the VA, this is a real concern. I am aware of 2 veteran psychologist and multiple veteran Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) that the VA will not hire. Instead they hire peer counselors with little or no training in psychology, their requirement is they have had to be in the VA system as a patient. This is a good first step for veterans having someone who can help navigate the VA system but it is not the answer to the problem with veteran’s PTSD. The VA will hire minimally trained peer support specialist but not licensed mental health professionals, this makes no sense.     

The income differential between the public sector and the government sector is also a problem. In California the starting salary for psychologist who works for non-profits pay more than the VA in most areas. Why should the 28% of licensed psychologist work for the VA for less pay? For veterans that are waiting for services, qualified licensed people are available if the VA would hire them. The only way we can make a change is contact our local politicians, and national veterans groups and voice your opinion. The VA needs to hire the people who are qualified and available. Until this change is happens I will have to keep getting pissed off about the 20 veterans a day that commit suicide and thousands waiting in line for help. It is unethical to maintain the status quo when there are qualified therapist available.

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.

VA Employees Don’t Feel Safe in Their Jobs

Most veterans that have walked into the Veterans Administration (VA) have felt there are people who work there don’t care. The reality is, most VA employees do care but are limited in what they can legally do.  Henry was a student of mine that works at the VA. He is retired from the Navy after serving over 24 years and wanted to continue serving by helping his brothers and sisters after retirement. Over time we had several discussions about the VA and how they operated. There were times he felt the need to discuss an issue with his superiors but was scared to for fear of losing his job. Whether his fear was real or perceived he did not feel safe. Henry felt trapped and limited to what he could do for hid patients. He worried that if he tried to change things or spoke up he might lose his job, if he didn’t do anything his fellow veteran might suffer. This is tough position to be in. Before we start blaming the individuals who work at the VA hospitals or the hospitals themselves, we need to look at the system they are forced to work in.     

We have all been appalled at the recent events at the VA. I have had the pleasure to know several employees at the Loma Linda VA. They are good people with a good heart. The problem is they don’t feel safe in their jobs and struggle to tell the truth about problems that exist. There are a lot of layers an employee must go through to reach someone that can make any changes, if changes can be changed at all. Many employees hesitate to “run something up the flag pole” for fear of being labeled a non-team player or trouble maker. This can make a VA employee’s life difficult at work if not cost them their job, so they do what their told and don’t make waves.

From an employee standpoint, they need to feel they can raise concern when warranted. The head of the VA hospital needs to let everyone know it’s safe and give credit to those who does what’s right and speaks up. Giving VA executives bonuses for doing their job seems inappropriate. It would be difficult for anyone to “not fudge the numbers” for the bonus, its human nature.  Why doesn’t the VA pay executives a set wage and incorporate the bonuses into their pay? Why tempt someone to cheat? These are questions only congress can answer. Issues between veterans and congress go back to the 1780’s. What we are hearing now about the VA is nothing new, every decade has had its problems. Congress makes the rules the employees must adhere to. Congresses inability to delegate power to VA management is a major part of the problem.   

Ex-secretary of defense Robert Gates discussed in his book “Duty” how entrenched the personnel employed by the VA are to their norm. He feels the people at the VA are generally good people but the system is broken. As Secretary Gates pointed out, congress hold allot of the blame when it comes to the VA system, it literally takes an act of congress to make any changes within the system, which basically means good luck. Since secretary Gate’s book has been released congress has attempted to make some changes.

The feeling of safety starts at the top. The President, Congress, The Secretary of Veterans affairs, and individual hospital administrators need to provide a feeling of safety for the employees when they raise an issue with the system. One of the major complaints from veterans is many employees at the VA are not veterans themselves. Veteran members of congress has dropped drastically from a peak of 80% in 1977 to 19% in 2013. The VA also employees a large quantity of civilians, fueling the debate. Money is not the problem, employees not feeling safe in their work environment is a huge part of the problem. Its time congress removes politics from the VA and put the right people in place to make the VA a safe place to receive care and work. Congress is the only ones that can make the drastic changes that the VA needs. Congress needs to give the power to make changes to the people who operate the VA and hold them accountable. It’s time to get the politics out of the VA.  

For questions or comments, I can be reached at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at marriedtoptsdpro.com and like us on Facebook at Married to PTSD Pro.