My Hero-

What was it Becca said when introducing our family blog? Be in touch, quit gossiping through mom (s'resiously folks!), etc etc- I have loved this link for our family.
I would like to share what we have been pretty deeply involved with here at home and what we are learning. I know I've spoken with one or the other of you on the phone but I so quickly lose track of what I have said and to whom, and I would not want any in the family to feel they have been in the dark. For quite some time Dad has been being medicated for depression and has struggled with being over the top stressed, and over the top frustrated (which you already know dissolves into anger in about a heart-beat), or the opposite, which is apologizing and weeping in turns. For awhile now these things have been escalating to the point that I felt that emotionally at least, Dad was heading full speed into a brick wall if we could not get things derailed. He came home from work one day almost beside himself, a rough evening eventually led to a kitchen table discussion. In the end it was decided that getting him away from work for a couple of weeks was critical. He needed rest and he needed perspective. With a couple of days to complete his to-do list at work, he gave his boss notice on Thursday afternoon that he was taking vacation time starting the next day and would not be back for 2 weeks. Period. He spent the first few days with Jared- they went to a softball tournament down in Mesquite where Jared's team was playing, then did a great loop that took in Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and more. When he arrived home, refreshed and finally detached from work- he decided to use the remaining vacation time to consult the VA about getting pharmacy benefits, etc. He had mentioned this before and more than once but never felt he could leave work as much as he would need to in order to make all the initial contacts.
It is interesting to me how things happen sometimes. It all started with a brief appointment at a branch office for the VA in Orem and launched from there. It has been about a month since that initial contact- dad has had a full physical evaluation, and a complete psych evaluation also. I was there for each and in each instance I was impressed at the skill and caring of the doctor involved. Your dad was a boots on the ground marine who received a Purple Heart, an Honorable Discharge, and should have been given a Service Medal (we're finding out what happened to that...). He was exposed to Agent Orange, and has a resounding case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (we sometimes tweek the PTSD abbreviation to PSTD and call it Pissed.) He goes to Salt Lake City twice a week now, once for a class/support group on "Coping Skills", which guides the vets in diffusing the negative emotions they deal with, and another helping with the PTSD. He meets with other vets, many from Vietnam- they are always taught, and then they talk. It has been so good for him. I think it has helped to see that he is not alone in suffering the after affects of serving when he did in Nam, and also to see that there are vets who are dealing with even more than he is.
It has been challenging- I have learned of some of Dad's experiences as I have heard him tell them or helped him write them, and they are horrific. He will continue to meet with his psychiatrist, a returned missionary from Vernal, who tells us that so much of what dad is suffering is directly associated with his disorder and can be overcome with a combination of correctly medicating along with counseling.
There are 15 medical conditions now accepted by the US Govt as being a direct cause and effect situation after exposure to Agent Orange. Type II Diabetes is one of them- dad qualifies for all his medical care through the VA at no cost for the rest of his life. Last, but certainly not least- is the change I am beginning to see in him as he has regular contact with people outside the family who honor his sacrifice and respect him for his service. Who knows, tomorrow may really be a new day for him, and I am so glad. In every sense of the word, your dad is a Hero.