I served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps combat engineer and explosives expert from 1967 to 1970. I was at the end of my tour of duty when I got injured.
I took a direct hit from a mortar round while setting up explosives near a Viet Cong underground tunnel system. While I lay helpless on the jungle floor with open wounds, a U.S. plane flew overhead, spraying the surrounding foliage, and me, with Agent Orange. I lay there like that for 14 hours before getting medivac’d out of the combat zone.
For my military service in Vietnam I got awarded a Purple Heart and a 10 percent VA rating for significant burns to my extremities.
Adjusting after Vietnam
After Vietnam, I lived like a hermit for several years. It was like I was still out in the jungle. I had sudden impulses of anger and wanted no communication from anyone. I became more distant from family and friends and felt like I couldn’t trust anyone, until I met my wife. She helped me see that I needed help to fit back into society.
I didn’t understand what was wrong with me, but now there’s a name for it. My anger issues are symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused by my combat experiences in Vietnam. I don’t think guys like me, who served in Vietnam, know about PTSD.
Trying for More from the VA
Now that I am older, my physical problems have gotten worse. I have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy and connective tissue disease. I am a cabinetmaker by profession, but I can’t use my hands, so I’ve been collecting Social Security disability benefits. It’s not enough.
I have spent the last five years trying to get more in VA disability benefits. I was very close to losing faith in the VA system until I happened to go to an AMVETS meeting and talked to several veterans who were passing around Alpha brochures. They said the VA is good for medical help but, to get through the disability claims process, I needed to stop what I was doing. They said it would kill me to try to get more from the VA on my own. They told me to go to Alpha, which I did.
Getting More with Alpha
At Alpha everyone was so pleasant and responsive to me. I couldn’t have asked for better service. My Alpha Advocate, Allen, submitted an initial claim for me emphasizing PTSD and my inability to work. Unbelievably, I was awarded a 100 percent rating for Individual Unemployability. Alpha does not get a fee for winning initial claims but we’re appealing for an earlier effective date to get me more back pay. If we win this appeal I’ll be very happy to see Alpha get paid their 20 percent for what they’ve already done for me.
We’re also going to put in another claim for connective tissue disease, which was caused from my burn injuries. Allen says I deserve to get a proper evaluation for it as a service-connected disability.
I can’t believe that I went from getting nearly nothing from the VA, to getting enough to keep my home and to feel more secure about not working. I’m grateful to my veteran friends at AMVETS for telling me about Alpha. And I’m confident for the first time in over 40 years, that I will get what I deserve from the VA for my service in Vietnam. – Robert
Note: All representation coordinated by Alpha is provided by our employees, the Advocates, who are accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). No private organization that trains and employs accredited agents has been legally recognized by the VA for the purposes of preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims. This work must be done by the Advocates themselves and not organizations.
