your 'Tokyo Rose' of psychology to explain that PTSD is just a big scam that these 'kid' veterans of OIF and OEF 'dreamed up' to get a meal ticket without working. After all, we know that the veterans of Vietnam and later wars aren't real veterans, Americans, or even real men like the 'greatest generation.'

Publius, you would be a good PR man for a few corporations I know of that profit from the "gains of war"

Are you by chance any relation to Carl Rove or any of the Bush Admn.?

By the way…have you ever heard of CORPORATE WELFARE? I do believe that total government expenditures for them are far greater than any benefits ever received by veterans.

Publius – It would greatly surprise me if you ever left the FOB in Iraq. "Multiple" Iraq deployments don't really count for much if you sat in a cool office "behind the wire."

So, first, let me explain to you a bit about a real deployment…

For the first 5 months my husband was in Iraq (his first tour) they were ahead of the supply chain so they often went without food. They endured endless days of 140+ degree heat with no relief – doing patrols through "red" zones while guys like you sat happily in the "green" zones they had secured. They secured these zones with sweat, blood, and loss of life. They lived 17 months like that. Never sure when the next "bad guy" would pop up, living in substandard conditions, watching people they served with – their brothers – die.

Now, while that was lots of "fun" – the second deployment was worse. Welcome to Ramadi. This time a lifetime's worth of death & dying courtesy of snipers, IED's, and RPG's. Daily, constant, neverending fear, combat, and hardship.

But, guess what? My husband, like most true soldiers, was proud to do his job and did it well. He put his own mental and physical health aside to make sure that his missions were handled and that the soldiers he served with had someone watching their backs.

The time he gave in Iraq – the time he didn't spend watching out for himself and his health – has cost him. But, still, he doesn't complain. He walks like a 70 yr old after too many IED's & RPG's wrecked his hips and back. He can't lift his left arm high enough to play with out two year old sometimes as a result of being blown through a door. He often can't hear the laughter of his child or the voice of his wife. And, worse still, are the demons that haunt him every night… the faces of those who were killed around him. Things other people take for granted now cause him anxiety and paranoia (27 months of constantly being on guard – and not inside a cushy FOB) will do that to you.

And, I guess I should also tell you, that before all of this started, my husband was a Junior in college, very close to completing his Engineering degree. Then, Sept 11, 2001, happened and he stopped pursuing his personal goals, and entered the Army to care for his Nation. We took a 60% pay cut to go into the military. We sold our home, moved away from family and friends, and paid all of the prices required of military families. We did so proudly and with full knowledge of the higher price that would be paid if everyone just sat back and did nothing.

The benefits offered through the VA are benefits EARNED. It's not a welfare handout. When is the last time you heard of any welfare program requiring you to put your life on the line in order to qualify???? I am so ashamed of you and I feel deeply sorry for any soldier who has to endure such as person as an officier in his command. I've known some wonderful, caring officers, but you're the reason, IMHO, every officer should be required to serve a few years enlisted first.

YOU DON'T GET WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE A SOLDIER.

Ugh!

Who ever told you your records were destroyed lied to you

records of vietnam era vets for the years you were in would not have been destroyed

The Fire

A fire at the NPRC in St. Louis on July 12, 1973, destroyed about 80 percent of the records for Army personnel discharged between November 1, 1912, and January 1, 1960. About 75 percent of the records for Air Force personnel with surnames from "Hubbard" through "Z" discharged between September 25, 1947, and January 1, 1964, were also destroyed.

What Was Lost

It is hard to determine exactly what was lost in the fire, because there were no indices to the blocks of records involved. The records were merely filed in alphabetical order for the following groups:

World War I: Army September 7, 1939 to November 1, 1912

World War II: Army December 3l, 1946 to September 8, 1939

Post World War II: Army December 3l, 1959 to January 1, 1947; Air Force: December 31, 1963 to September 25, 1947

Millions of records, especially medical records, had been withdrawn from all three groups and loaned to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prior to the fire. The fact that one's records are not in NPRC files at a particular time does not mean the records were destroyed in the fire.

Reconstruction of Lost Records

If a veteran is advised that his or her records may have been lost in the fire, he or she may send photocopies of any documents they possess to the NPRC, particularly separation documents. The address is National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 631325 1 00. This enables the NPRC to re-establish files by adding those documents to the computerized index and filing them permanently.

Alternate Sources of Military Service Data

In the event a veteran does not have any records in his or her possession, the essential military service data may be available from a number of alternate sources.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains records on veterans whose military records were affected by the fire if the veteran or a beneficiary filed a claim prior to July 1973.

Service information may also be found in various kinds of "organizational" records such as unit morning reports, payrolls and military orders on file at the NPRC or other National Archives and -Records Administration facilities.

There also is a great deal of information available in records of the State Adjutants General, and other state veterans services" offices.

By using alternate sources, NPRC may often be able to reconstruct a veteran's beginning and ending dates of active service, the character of service, rank while in service, time lost while on active duty, and periods of hospitalization. NPRC is usually able to issue NA Form 13038, "Certification of Military Service, "considered the equivalent of a Form DD-214, "Report of Separation From Active Duty," for the purpose of establishing eligibility for veterans benefits.

Necessary Information for File Reconstruction

The key to reconstructing military data is to give the NPRC enough specific information so the staff can properly search the various sources. The following information is normally required:

Full name used during military service

Branch of service

Approximate dates of service

Service number

Place of entry into service

Last Unit of assignment

Place of discharge.

but unfortunetly they don't in real life.

So this guys beleives he's a Dr also, or is he saying the Dr's don't know what they are talking about. This guy doesn't see or know what a combat soldier lives through, each soldier has their own scars. In Vietnam the soldiers were sprayed by their own government with Agent Orange and many are now suffering with cancer, liver and kidney problems etc due to the spraying of agent orange and the water that was contaminated etc.

100%Serrvice-Conncted Desert Storm Retired.