Whatever Happened to Those Veterans?
Estimated read time: 9 minutes
Often I read a story that was touching and memorable at the time and I always hope for a sequel. More often than not, the story is written when it's news or is good enough to earn a writer wannabe (or a drunk redneck) fifty bucks, but the author rarely revisits the story later. I might not think about the story until weeks, months, and sometimes years afterwards when I experience or read something that brings that story to mind. I'm left hanging with the empty thought, "Whatever happened to...."
Talk show hosts, both radio and TV, are notorious for leaving us hanging. They feign their outrage of the day today and move on to other topics tomorrow as if the outrage yesterday was nothing at all. They'll revive the outrage or topic when other players are involved, but the listener or viewer is left with that empty thought, "Whatever happened to...."
Or maybe it's just me. I have a long memory. I don't care who is in the spotlight today rehashing what I remember from yesterday. I want to know what happened to the person who was in the spotlight yesterday and why they aren't in the spotlight today.
Here at Five Drunk Rednecks, I try to revisit some stories. I figure if I feel that way about stories I read about, readers of my stories may feel the same. I'm not perfect at revisiting stories, but I try to hit on the ones I know I would want an update on if someone else had written them.
About a year ago, I wrote Mental Illness Comes in Many Shapes. Like most of my articles, I ended it with a music video - Joe Bachman and the Tailgaters. If you haven't read my article or seen the video, now is a good time to click on the link and get yourself up to speed. I'll grab a beer while you're catching up.
Welcome back.
A lot of characters played a part in the story. Many played a tragic role. The most memorable are the three veterans injured looking for Bergdahl and the two veterans featured in the video dedicated to raising awareness of our veterans suffering from physical and emotional (PTSD) injuries.
Afghanistan veterans and Bowe Bergdahl
None of the veterans in my story chose to be on the public stage. Circumstances and events beyond their control thrust them there. It is reasonable to assume that they may want to put that chapter of their lives behind them as they embrace the future and what it holds. For that reason, I performed a cursory search of the Internet and am sharing only what they have shared since the trial of Bergdahl last year and the release of the video a few years ago. If we stop respecting one's wish for privacy, what sort of society have we become? A reality show for profit?
Two of the three veterans injured on a search and rescue mission for Bowe Bergdahl have fallen off the grid. Sgt Mark Allen, who suffered a traumatic head wound that left him paralyzed and unable to communicate, and Cpl. Jonathan Morita, who suffered severe damage to his hand that required a dozen and a half or so surgeries, have left no online traces of themselves since Bergdahl's trial. We can only hope or pray that they and their families are putting back together the pieces of their lives Bergdahl shattered.
Navy SEAL James Hatch has written a book about his service, the search and rescue mission for Bergdahl, and the aftermath of putting his life together again. With the support of his family and friends, he overcame his depression and suicidal thoughts and is at peace with himself and Begdahl's sentence, a sentence that didn't include any prison time for desertion.
The Army formalized Bowe Bergdahl's sentence for desertion and other charges this past June. Bergdahl was demoted to private, ordered to pay the equivalent of a $10,000 fine in the form of pay forfeiture, and given a dishonorable discharge. The fine is in the form of pay forfeiture, but the Army has yet to decide if Bergdahl is entitled to almost $300,000 in back pay he accrued while a prisoner of the Taliban. Other than his pay issue, Bergdahl has dropped off the grid and out of sight of the public stage. We can only hope or pray he finds the mental health care he needs and then dedicates his life trying to make amends for all the tragedy he caused.
Encore presentation:
Two of the three veterans injured on a search and rescue mission for Bowe Bergdahl have fallen off the grid. Sgt Mark Allen, who suffered a traumatic head wound that left him paralyzed and unable to communicate, and Cpl. Jonathan Morita, who suffered severe damage to his hand that required a dozen and a half or so surgeries, have left no online traces of themselves since Bergdahl's trial. We can only hope or pray that they and their families are putting back together the pieces of their lives Bergdahl shattered.
Navy SEAL James Hatch has written a book about his service, the search and rescue mission for Bergdahl, and the aftermath of putting his life together again. With the support of his family and friends, he overcame his depression and suicidal thoughts and is at peace with himself and Begdahl's sentence, a sentence that didn't include any prison time for desertion.
The Army formalized Bowe Bergdahl's sentence for desertion and other charges this past June. Bergdahl was demoted to private, ordered to pay the equivalent of a $10,000 fine in the form of pay forfeiture, and given a dishonorable discharge. The fine is in the form of pay forfeiture, but the Army has yet to decide if Bergdahl is entitled to almost $300,000 in back pay he accrued while a prisoner of the Taliban. Other than his pay issue, Bergdahl has dropped off the grid and out of sight of the public stage. We can only hope or pray he finds the mental health care he needs and then dedicates his life trying to make amends for all the tragedy he caused.
PTSD Video Veterans and the Band
The first veteran featured in Joe Bachman and the Tailgater's song, "A Soldier's Memoir" that ended my article is Staff Sergeant David Crocket. His honor, pride, and pain are written in his eyes throughout the video. After retiring from the Army in 2014 after 12 years of service, he worked with a construction company for three years. In 2017 he decided he needed a "massive change," as his LinkedIn page states. He moved to Montana to become a rancher and live his dream. He also is active on Twitter and Instagram tweeting and sharing pictures of his horses, dogs, snow, and the Big Sky country. For all intent purposes, he's found his peace and living his dream. Since he never posts anything of his personal life nor his military career other than to state he is a retired army Staff Sergeant, I take it his ranch is his life and his presence on the public stage five years ago was nothing more than a pixel in the complete picture of who he is. I'll respect his apparent wish to exit the public stage and not link his social media accounts. The accounts are out there if you wish to befriend a great guy, but you'll need to do your own homework to find him.
The second veteran featured is Tyler Southern, Corporal USMC. His infectious smile and sense of humor hides the extent of his injuries until well into the video. "I may have been relieved of three of my original issued limbs," Southern states in the video. With his arm around his wife, he proudly says what matters is her and, as he points to her belly with what's left of his other arm, his son to be born. Southern has a Twitter account that he hasn't posted to in two years. It looked like he fell off the public stage, forgotten. It was because of his absence from Twitter I dug in to find out what happened to him...and the other veterans. No matter how well veterans hide the demons inside they are battling, sometimes the veteran loses the battle. Thankfully, I can report Corporal Southern is doing fine and hasn't lost a bit of his humor. In a local news story out of Florida where he lives, you not only get to see Southern's not-yet-born son of five years ago in the video playing with his Dad a few months ago, but in another picture, you see Southern's second child. The feel good story doesn't stop there. A businessman in Reno, NV - Justin Von Metal of Von Metal Performance V-Twin Racing motorcycle shop - heard of Southern's story and he set out to do what never had been done before. He modified a motorcycle for a triple amputee so Southern could get some of his freedom back.
Joe Bachman and the Tailgaters have worked closely with veteran organizations to raise awareness of veteran issues. Not a veteran himself, Bachman chose to serve his country another way. His song, "A Soldier's Memoir," inspired by his fans who are veterans, accomplished what hundreds of PSAs, ads, and blog posts have a hard time doing. His song brought tears to many eyes, raised awareness of veteran issues, and made us all truly appreciate the sacrifices our veterans have made. My Internet search failed to turn up a good website for the band or a schedule of their tour dates. For the local folk here, they have played at Seacrets in Ocean City (click anywhere in the video at the bottom to view their hour long performance), but an official site for the band is lacking.
The platitudinal treatment of veterans glosses over the very real sacrifices many have made for their country. A pretty boy selling TAC glasses "inspired by our heroes in uniform" does more of a disservice to our veterans than anything else. No, I take that back. The so-called Commander-in-Chief referring to our troops as "heroes in uniform" on an almost daily basis does far more damage. The casual "thank you for your service" cliche outright negates the true thankfulness we should have for those veterans who have sacrificed the most. If you were to meet any of the veterans described above, how do you think your words of gratitude to them would be taken with so many reducing the gratitude to the level of "have a nice day?"
As a veteran, I still wouldn't begin to know how to talk to these veterans. I'm a good listener, though. Sometimes that's all that's needed. One thing I am sure of is our veterans need support. Not the platitudinal support, but real support.
The government doesn't provide state-of-the-art prosthetics. Your support to outside organizations can.
The government can't provide a lifetime of top notch psychological support. Your support to outside charities can.
You get the picture. The government can provide needed and necessary basic support for our veterans, but non-governmental organizations provide needed and necessary support over and beyond. And it's support that will be needed for a lifetime.
As our veterans age, the emotional scars may become more pronounced. I talked about a veteran I knew in my article, What Memorial Day Means to Me. All his life he hid the details of his experience in The Bay Of Pigs fiasco. It wasn't until forty years later he hinted at the scenario that he might have shot and killed a Cuban boy. Experts now know that PTSD never goes away. If anything, it becomes worse as a veteran ages.
The second veteran featured is Tyler Southern, Corporal USMC. His infectious smile and sense of humor hides the extent of his injuries until well into the video. "I may have been relieved of three of my original issued limbs," Southern states in the video. With his arm around his wife, he proudly says what matters is her and, as he points to her belly with what's left of his other arm, his son to be born. Southern has a Twitter account that he hasn't posted to in two years. It looked like he fell off the public stage, forgotten. It was because of his absence from Twitter I dug in to find out what happened to him...and the other veterans. No matter how well veterans hide the demons inside they are battling, sometimes the veteran loses the battle. Thankfully, I can report Corporal Southern is doing fine and hasn't lost a bit of his humor. In a local news story out of Florida where he lives, you not only get to see Southern's not-yet-born son of five years ago in the video playing with his Dad a few months ago, but in another picture, you see Southern's second child. The feel good story doesn't stop there. A businessman in Reno, NV - Justin Von Metal of Von Metal Performance V-Twin Racing motorcycle shop - heard of Southern's story and he set out to do what never had been done before. He modified a motorcycle for a triple amputee so Southern could get some of his freedom back.
Joe Bachman and the Tailgaters have worked closely with veteran organizations to raise awareness of veteran issues. Not a veteran himself, Bachman chose to serve his country another way. His song, "A Soldier's Memoir," inspired by his fans who are veterans, accomplished what hundreds of PSAs, ads, and blog posts have a hard time doing. His song brought tears to many eyes, raised awareness of veteran issues, and made us all truly appreciate the sacrifices our veterans have made. My Internet search failed to turn up a good website for the band or a schedule of their tour dates. For the local folk here, they have played at Seacrets in Ocean City (click anywhere in the video at the bottom to view their hour long performance), but an official site for the band is lacking.
The Takeaway, Which Substitutes for the TL;DR Folks Section
The platitudinal treatment of veterans glosses over the very real sacrifices many have made for their country. A pretty boy selling TAC glasses "inspired by our heroes in uniform" does more of a disservice to our veterans than anything else. No, I take that back. The so-called Commander-in-Chief referring to our troops as "heroes in uniform" on an almost daily basis does far more damage. The casual "thank you for your service" cliche outright negates the true thankfulness we should have for those veterans who have sacrificed the most. If you were to meet any of the veterans described above, how do you think your words of gratitude to them would be taken with so many reducing the gratitude to the level of "have a nice day?"
As a veteran, I still wouldn't begin to know how to talk to these veterans. I'm a good listener, though. Sometimes that's all that's needed. One thing I am sure of is our veterans need support. Not the platitudinal support, but real support.
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| Vietnam War Memorial reminding us our women soldiers suffer the traumas of war, too. |
The government can't provide a lifetime of top notch psychological support. Your support to outside charities can.
You get the picture. The government can provide needed and necessary basic support for our veterans, but non-governmental organizations provide needed and necessary support over and beyond. And it's support that will be needed for a lifetime.
As our veterans age, the emotional scars may become more pronounced. I talked about a veteran I knew in my article, What Memorial Day Means to Me. All his life he hid the details of his experience in The Bay Of Pigs fiasco. It wasn't until forty years later he hinted at the scenario that he might have shot and killed a Cuban boy. Experts now know that PTSD never goes away. If anything, it becomes worse as a veteran ages.
As veterans struggle with their injuries, both physical and emotional, we must be there to support them the best we can. Always. For their entire lives. And we must support them not for profit nor fifteen minutes of fame nor to sell the latest military inspired gadget. We must support them as individuals because it is the right thing to do.
One of the biggest ways you can help is lend your ear. Sometimes, a veteran just wants to be heard, but doesn't expect answers. Resist the "thank you for your service" platitude. Save the thank you for when you make a connection and want to reach out and shake the veteran's hand or give them a hug of support. That's genuine and the veteran will know it.
If lending an ear isn't enough, a good place to start is with the Veterans Administration. Not only might the veteran need help understanding what's going on inside, but family members and friends might need help understanding what the veteran they love is going through. The old school stigma of PTSD being a sign of a "weak man" is over. People need help dealing with the trauma of battle. Other people need help dealing with the trauma of their loved one or friend "not being the same." Seek help together.
If you don't have a friend or family member directly affecting you, a veteran in your community may need help. It doesn't matter if you know the veteran or not or even if the veteran is in your neighborhood. Veterans have given to you every day in their service so you can celebrate your birthday in freedom. Make your birthday the day you give a little something back to the veteran. There are many organizations that strive to give our injured veterans the best care possible. On your birthday, give to those organizations so they can help our veterans in ways you can't on your own.
Oh, and hey. If you're like me who enjoys quiet many miles away from people because people will never understand anyways, type away - as anonymous even - in the comments section below. I'll guarantee that I will read your comments...might even respond. Point is, someone is always listening to you.
How to Support Our Veterans
One of the biggest ways you can help is lend your ear. Sometimes, a veteran just wants to be heard, but doesn't expect answers. Resist the "thank you for your service" platitude. Save the thank you for when you make a connection and want to reach out and shake the veteran's hand or give them a hug of support. That's genuine and the veteran will know it.
If lending an ear isn't enough, a good place to start is with the Veterans Administration. Not only might the veteran need help understanding what's going on inside, but family members and friends might need help understanding what the veteran they love is going through. The old school stigma of PTSD being a sign of a "weak man" is over. People need help dealing with the trauma of battle. Other people need help dealing with the trauma of their loved one or friend "not being the same." Seek help together.
If you don't have a friend or family member directly affecting you, a veteran in your community may need help. It doesn't matter if you know the veteran or not or even if the veteran is in your neighborhood. Veterans have given to you every day in their service so you can celebrate your birthday in freedom. Make your birthday the day you give a little something back to the veteran. There are many organizations that strive to give our injured veterans the best care possible. On your birthday, give to those organizations so they can help our veterans in ways you can't on your own.
Oh, and hey. If you're like me who enjoys quiet many miles away from people because people will never understand anyways, type away - as anonymous even - in the comments section below. I'll guarantee that I will read your comments...might even respond. Point is, someone is always listening to you.
Posted by A Drunk Redneck
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