Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims

[babylonsister]

Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims
By PAULINE ARRILLAGA, Associated Press
AP


They call him the angry guy now. Even his friends. And at this moment, on a snowy evening when he should be home, putting his son to bed, Andrew Pogany is, in fact, ticked off.

He sits with a soldier in a law office. The man has brought with him a pile of medical files, and another desperate story: Sent off to war to fight for his country. Diagnosed, now, with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet the Army, the soldier tells Pogany, is drawing up papers to discharge him in a way that could mean no medical benefits. And they want him out in three weeks.

The soldier confides he thinks about killing himself. All the time, he says.

Pogany makes sure he has his cell number.

He tells the soldier to call any time, day or night. He copies the medical records, and recommends a book by a Vietnam veteran turned Zen monk. The man once helped Pogany through his own tough times. Maybe, until Pogany can make something happen, the monk's words will help this guy hang on.

Two hours behind closed doors, then a handshake and the soldier leaves. Pogany seethes.

"Disgusting," he fumes. "This is so disgusting."

snip//

He deployed to Iraq in September 2003, a 32-year-old staff sergeant trained in intelligence and interrogation. Based at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, he volunteered to go to war with a team of Green Berets when another soldier couldn't.

Then, only a few days in-country, Pogany saw the shredded body of a gunned-down Iraqi. He had what he thought was a panic attack -- vomiting, hallucinations so horrible his comrades looked like zombies. He went to his command, told them something was wrong. He says he got the "man up" response.

A psychologist examined him, concluded he'd had a normal combat stress reaction and recommended some rest, then back to duty. Pogany's commanders instead shipped him back to Fort Carson, and a week later came the charge: "cowardly conduct as a result of fear," a crime punishable by death under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The last such conviction in the Army occurred during the Vietnam War.

more...

http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/04/18/D9F5TAL02_us_the_war_within_the_coward/index.html

[Dystopian]

1. KandR

A beautiful soul....aiming his anger in the direction of goodness...doing something of value.
Too many are dying....this man is an inspiration. A true hero.
Our veterans need to bond with those who have been there....

There was absolutely no help for my Vietnam vet husband.
He's gone...the war took him 25 years later.
Died by the needle.

*The link didn't work for me.



peace~

[babylonsister]

3. Just tried the link and this popped up:

maybe it will work later.


Sorry! Salon and Open Salon are undergoing nightly maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience and will keep the outage as brief as possible.

And I'm very sorry to hear about your husband. :hug: I have an ex-brother in law still going through some horrible stuff from VN. He will never be the same.

[Dystopian]

5. Heartfelt thanks for posting this...

We need to hear more about those coming back to serve humanity...
Too many heart wrenching stories these days....it's too much to bear at times.

And thank you for your kind words:hug: It's the story of my life.
And so sad that your ex-brother in law is still living the nightmare...never ending.
So very sorry for him and thousands of others....they are the forgotten.

One uplifting post as this does wonders to rekindle my belief in the goodness of the human spirit.
If only more got the help they needed, they could channel their anguish to help their brothers....in return, healing themselves.
I have a friend who worked in a veterans shelter...although he never saw combat, what he gave from the heart will never be forgotten.

Thank you again for posting...and will check the link later.

peace~

[Heidi]

2. Recommended.

:kick:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

4. K&R

This is bravery at it's finest.

[Dystopian]

6. Link now working...

Inspiring story ....amazing.
Brings me to tears...

peace~

[Cid_B]

7. Something else going on there...

Sounds like didn't prep himself mentally beforehand or there was something wrong previously. That is definitely not a normal reaction.

[babylonsister]

9. Maybe no amount of prepping can prepare certain people for

what they're subjected to.

[Cid_B]

10. No doubt...

but those people should not be in the military where they could be exposed to something ugly. It's a good thing he is out.

[Missy Vixen]

12. There are hundreds of thousands in the military

most likely suffering from PTSD now.

Where's the help for them?

[Cid_B]

14. There are resources...

While there are service members suffering from PTSD there are resources that can be utilized. I don't know if they are adequate but they are there.

Also, IMHO, there was something up with this guy beforehand if the story happened exactly the way the article states (which i doubt.)

The average reaction to seeing a dead person is not to hallucinate that your buddies are zombies. Pretty sure that is much farther down the bell curve.

______________________

[deaniac21]

8. Branded, scorned as the one who ran.

What do you do when you're branded, and you know you're a man.

[Missy Vixen]

11. Thanks for posting this

Those who continue funding the misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan don't have to face any of this, do they?

[Soulis]

13. Hallucinations?

Our military experimenting on our soldiers? Again?