DESERT STORM DIARY: Treatment of A Gulf War Veteran

Desert Storm Diaries:  The War After the War Continues with Part 2 of Matt Letterman, A Gulf War Veteran’s Quest To Get ANSWERS AND HELP

This is Part 2 of a Diary concerning Matt Letterman that was written about his trip to Washington DC in September 2008.  I have not altered his input to me but I will say I met this fellow veteran in DC as the old nurse I could tell he was ill!  His feet were swollen so much he could not lace and secure his boots!  He is 45 and can not walk very far or very fast.  He went to DC seeking answers and help.  With that here is his submission:

After being denied in the early fall of 2008.  I decided to go to the gulf war meeting, VA’s Gulf War Veteran’s Advisory Committee in Washington , DC .  Financially strapped I was determined to go.  My truck is not road worthy enough to make the trip plus I’m a liability driving due to falling asleep at the wheel(chronic fatigue???).

A very good fellow Gulf War Veteran came from Kentucky all the way to my place in south central Missouri !!  Then turned around and headed back the way he came!!!  I spent the night at his house and the next day we (along with his son) headed out for Washington , DC .

The first stop in DC was at the WRIISC we met and talked with MS Bonnie Bonotto who sent me upstairs to see Dr Mian Li he checked me out visually made me follow him down stairwells as well as back up stairs.  I thought I was going to pass out!!!!  After spending quite a bit of time with him he showed us the lab there at the WRIISC, underused but impressive to say the least!!!.

I then met with Fernando Rivera, Medical Center Director and an older gentleman who was the center’s Medical Chief of Staff, don’t recall his name. After meeting with the above individuals while sitting in the atrium area waiting on my ride to pull up to get me, a chain of events unfolded unlike any I have never known, my phone started ringing.  For the record this is my “take” on what happened next.   And ring it did!!!

 Now I am fielding calls from the Chief of Staff of Medicine from Poplar Bluff Missouri VA hospital as well as Little Rock Arkansas VA hospital!!! Asking me what they could do to help!!!!????  Then here come the patient advocates from the aforementioned hospitals plus DC medical center where I was sitting!!!

I told the patient advocates they had already had there chances to help me especially when I was begging them face to face for help in the past!!!!!!!  As far as the chiefs of staff of the aforementioned hospitals, I replied that if they truly wanted to help me to instruct their staff of doctors etc to stop telling us gulf war soldiers that our problems is all in our heads!!!! 

        At this point I was agitated to say the least!!  Once wash DC/capitol hill found out that a very, very sick, raggedy a–ed gulf war vet who had traveled by car 1000+ miles was in town it was OMG!!!  We don’t need this guy to fall over dead on our turf!!  To me it was sickening!!  and for me to say that takes a lot!!!! I turned the cell phone off!!!  I did not need my a_s kissed!!!.

I then went to see my Congresswoman, Jo Ann Emerson (R, MO).  I checked in at her office desk fully expecting to just meet with her aide.  I had a seat and just about fell asleep sitting there, when I was awoken to a lady’s voice.  I looked up and said hello Ms Atalie  (Atalie Ebersole is one of Jo Ann’s aides) as I extended my hand she replyed, I am Jo Ann Emerson!!

Like I said chronic fatigue was on top of me.  We then went into her personal chambers with 2 of her aides present (Ms Atalie Ebersole, executive assistant and MS  Andrea Uckele, senior legislative assistant).  I was treated like family in her presence she wanted to know my story she hardly ever took her eyes off of me.  This I know because on a few occasions her eyes watered up, anyhow she sat right next to me, and we talked for approx 1 hour 45 minutes.    She told me who my point of contact was back here in Missouri and further said that if needed to contact her directly.

When I tried to contact the Congresswoman on two separate occasions the first time involved a younger sounding staffer at her Cape Geraurdo Missouri office where I was laughed at and in the background I could hear remarks being made about me, none of them good and not worth printing.

So then I attended the advisory meetings for the next 2 days.  Chairman Cragin and the panel of experts did their jobs rather well.  As a ex soldier/sick gulf vet, sitting in the crowd my take on the meetings was different divisions of the VA administration telling Chairman Cragin and the panel exactly what they would hope to hear.  Most of it(in my experiance) was lies, half truths, avoidance of the real issues, and of course the ever present B___S____!!! At this point  I was fed up!!!

I did not get to speak the first day but I did on the second.  At the end of my few minutes, Chairman Cragin ask me to type up an after action report and submit it to him.  I agreed.  Afterwards Mr Keith Stabler who is the chief of judicial/advisory review for the compensation and pension service of the VA sat and talked with me at one point in time he wanted to throw in the Towel/quit.

At that point I had a PTSD episode, due to the emotions I was feeling as a result of the frustrations of the past 2 days.  I had numerous sets of hands on me as I sat there shaking, he assured me he would look into my claim, saying remember I am one of you, I was there.  I gave him copies of my documents and left DC .

I had numerous phone calls on the way home from lots of agencies but once they found out I was off their turf they breathed a sigh of relief!  It would have been bad PR if I would have fallen over dead in DC!

Since the trip I have submitted a lot of documents/photographs/signed statements on my behalf from team mates I was able to locate, after 18 years!!! This was all submitted thru Lelia Jackson who then sent it to Keith Stabler.

Recently Keith contacted me and said he had his most experienced rater look at my packet and said that it would be denied!  This rater did not contact a single statement person at all! Neither was my primary physician Dr. Lishnevski at West Plains Missouri VA clinic

The doctor, who finally knuckled under and agreed to talk to the rater about my condition.  At that point, I said “Doc Lish”…why now are you willing to do this?  His reply was because you’re too damned young to be this damned sick!!  I almost fell thru myself!!!  I relayed this development to Keith Stabler.  My doctor was never contacted.  I submitted photos of combat in the desert…denied.  I found an official after action report on my unit/brigade, denied.   Nothing about my team was the excuse, I honestly don’t see how any soldier I served with can get a service connection rating!  After all our unit medical records are lost (they was in a conex container that fell overboard into the Mediterranean sea ?).  I submitted photos of dead enemy  bloating…..denied.

 We are losing 50 to 75 gulf war veterans per month in there 30’s and 40’s!  One of my teammates checked out in 1993 cancer he was 22?    At this point I am 45, wondering if I will see 46???