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VA Helps Vietnam Veteran Get His Life Back

 

Dale Herb of Marietta, Ohio, prepares to enter his new van, which he can drive himself using hand controls. PHOTO BY PEYTON NEELY, MARIETTA TIMES. USED WITH PERMISSION

By Tom Cramer VHA Communications

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Dale Herb knew something was going terribly wrong with him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Eleven years ago I had to stop working because of my health,” said the 67-year-old Vietnam Veteran. “I was getting weaker and weaker.  I was breaking down physically. So I went to the VA because I thought they might have an idea what was wrong with me.  And they did.”

Not Good News

Herb’s doctors at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center told him he had Parkinson’s disease, a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.

“I got exposed to a lot of chemicals in Vietnam,” said the Army Veteran, who lives with his wife Deborah in Marietta, Ohio. “I guess I’m paying the price for serving my country, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  I went out into the jungle and did what I was supposed to do.  All of us did.  We did our jobs.”

Herb said he’s glad he turned to the VA for help.

“I found out I had benefits I wasn’t aware of, so that’s been very helpful to me,” he said. “The VA has been taking care of me.  I’m lucky, because there’s no way I could have paid for the medicine they’re giving me.  It’s very expensive.  Without the VA I would have had to choose between food or medicine.”

But no amount of medicine can permanently halt Parkinson’s in its tracks. It’s a relentless disease that just keeps progressing.

“About a year ago I lost the use of my legs,” Herb said. “I was homebound.  I couldn’t go anywhere.  It was hard on me and hard on my family.  It was hard on my wife because of all the strain it put on her.  She has health issues too.”

That’s when the VA stepped in once again with a solution.

On the Road Again

“They gave me a special van* that I could drive using just my hands,” he said. “They paid for six driver rehab lessons so I could learn how to drive my new van.  Then they gave me a powered wheelchair so I can go up the ramp and into my van.  I can get around now.  I’ve got my independence again.  After a year at home I’m getting reacquainted with my community.”

“The quality of his life will be so much better now,” said Herb’s wife, Deborah. “This is exciting.  I can’t explain what this means to us.”

“If you’re a Veteran and you need help, I would strongly encourage you to go to the VA.

Herb said the best part about his new van is that he can visit his three adult children and nine grandchildren whenever he wants.
“They all live within four miles of us,” he said, “so we’re blessed. Just last week I went to see my oldest grandson play in a basketball game.”

Good People

The Army Veteran said he’s also grateful to the VA for helping him out with yet another health issue: the post traumatic stress he developed as a result of his service in Vietnam.

“I had a very good doctor at the Chillicothe VA who helped me through some rough times,” he said. “She’s an extraordinary person, and she’s the reason I’m alive today.  There were times when I was ready to give up, but she made all the difference in the world.  And she does this for Veterans on a day-to-day basis.

“I believe there are some people who don’t just have a job…they have a gift,” he continued. “She has a gift.”

He reflected for a few moments, then added: “There are a lot of good people at the VA.”

To learn more about Parkinson’s disease, the research VA is conducting on Parkinson’s or where to find help if you have this disease or think you might, visit http://www.parkinsons.va.gov/care.asp

*Eligibility criteria: For financial assistance in purchasing a new or used automobile, a Veteran must be service-connected for a disability resulting in: loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet; loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands.

Other eligibility criteria include: impairment of vision in both eyes, certain severe burn injuries, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

This entitles Veterans to an automobile grant (purchase of the car). They are also entitled to adaptive equipment for that car (lifts, seats, steering, etc.) if they have the disabilities listed above.

Navy Reservist on a continuing mission to help prevent Veteran suicide

 

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Posted onWednesday, April 19, 2017 7:28 am Posted in Guest Posts, Top Stories, VSO / Partners by VAntage Point Contributor 2 comments 77 views

The topic of Veteran suicide is very a personal and emotional one for me. Most Veterans – and I am one – have a hard time verbalizing or showing our feelings. That’s one of the reasons why we tend to have higher rates of suicide than the population at large, and why many of us suffer silently with anger, depression and anxiety.

In my experience, most Veterans feel more comfortable disclosing painful information with those who have experienced similar events and can readily relate to the perils of military service. War is not a Hollywood set with witty dialogue and leading characters at the ready when operations go wrong. It is chaotic and unpredictable, and full of people both resilient and fragile.

Joseph Cubba in uniform.

My journey with suicide began with a dear friend and mentor who went out of his way to help me through some tough times. About 10 years ago, I was sending many of my own troops to war. Each of them was facing more than a year in a war zone and I, too, faced an impending deployment. I had an 18-month-old daughter and a newborn boy, and I couldn’t fathom going to the war and leaving them behind. I was distraught at the thought that I was sending others in my place.

If I couldn’t face deployment, I thought retiring was the right thing to do. My friend shared with me stories of his two deployments and helped me think clearly about what it means to serve our country and serve others. Ultimately, I did deploy and served honorably for a year overseas. My friend went on to deploy a third time. Among the horrors he experienced was being the sole survivor of a convoy hit by a roadside bomb.

He came back with deep, unseen wounds that only trained professionals could address. But he took his life the night before he was to enter an in-patient VA facility. At his funeral, his widow told me that he had said to her the night he took his life that he was falling apart faster than they [the doctors] could put him back together.

Another incident would that would shape my deep feelings about suicide was in some ways even more personal, when a sailor in my care attempted to take his own life. I noticed that we had two radio stations that transmitted music 24 hours a day, but we didn’t have any spiritual time. I recruited my friend, an Army chaplain, and we marched to the radio station to ask if we could have an hour on Sundays to air some contemporary religious music along with some friendly banter between the “chaps” and me. Our plan was to help talk through, on air, some of the issues facing our young population of soldiers and sailors who were far away from home for the first time. Without any experience whatsoever, we arrived at the radio station and virtually demanded to get air time.

A young sailor trained us on the equipment so that we could tape our show ourselves and air it on Sunday mornings. As time went on, I learned to work the equipment and did my own production and post-production which enabled the young sailor to go on to other duties.

I noticed that he would hang around and listen to the show with us and ask many questions about how to deal with the issues facing young people in that part of the world. I saw a young man like my own son –  looking for answers to difficult questions.

One day, I arrived at the radio station to prepare for taping and asked about the sailor. The chief in charge told me that he had attempted suicide the night before, that he had been flown off the island, and was in critical condition. He recovered after a very long time in the hospital, but it left me with a feeling that I had missed something. I felt guilty and angry at myself that I didn’t pick up on the signals and felt like a failure. Today, I still can’t say that I’m “over” it. But I’m grateful that we’re connected via social media and that he is happy married and has a beautiful son.  I continue to provide him career advice which, to some degree, has helped assuage my feelings of inadequacy.

Not a day goes go by that I don’t think about these people and what, if anything, I can do to help. It motivates me to continue to serve as a Navy reserve officer in addition to serving IBM’s federal clients in my civilian job. I’m so very proud of the work we are doing in cooperation with the Department of Veterans Affairs. I know first-hand that the people at VA are dedicated professionals totally focused on the Veteran population and its well-being. I’m humbled and honored to be part of a great group of patriots looking out for those who most need our help.

IBM is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on programs that support our nation’s Veterans and their families. Next month, for the second consecutive year, IBM will support Brain Trust: Pathways to InnoVAtion in Boston. We look forward to continuing the valuable discussions begun last year and delving further collaborative efforts relating to brain and mental health.

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Joseph Cubba, a U.S. Navy Veteran and reservist, is vice president of federal sales and growth leader for IBM Global Business Services.

Fwd: New home for Veteran with Purple Heart

  New home for Veteran with Purple Heart PURPLE HEART PATRIOTS ! ! !     Do you know of a Purple Heart recipient who may qualify for a free home.  I've been advised that a Former NFL Hall of Fame player is donating this house In FULL.  What a great opportunity.  The deadline has been extended for FIVE DAYS so quick action is necessary!

Details below.  Contact Eva Secchiari.

Requirements:

1. Post 9/11 combat injury

2. Purple Heart recipient

3. 100% disabled by VA or DOD

4. Injuries include either loss of limb, paralysis or blindness

5. Current living situation not suitable for injuries

Eva Secchiari
Founder/President & Executive Director
LifeAfterActiveDuty. 501(c ) (3) nonprofit
www.lifeafteractiveduty.org
(702) 497-8744
DBA Veterans Transition Resource Center
Co-Founder/Executive Director & CEO

2550 Nature Park Drive Suite 200, North Las Vegas  NV 89084

www.veteranstransitionresourcecenter.com

www.donatevets.org

Phone (702) 954-6300

Direct Line (702) 954-6302

Fwd: FlapJack Fundraiser Flyer

 

 

 

 

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Robert, can you put this in Chap 711 May & June newsletters?  Other newsletters too?

Thanks, Len

  

Please see attached flyer (In .png format for web posting). Request Widest dissemination.

We still need volunteers to serve.

So far I have two Volunteers, Cathy Breedlove (NVEnergy) and Peggy Randal (WVON). Volunteers should arrive between 730-745 on June 10th.

We have 100 tickets (pre-event) we can get more printed.

Julie-10 tickets

Karen-10 tickets

Sheila-12 tickets