Choices

Note: The cartoon in yesterday's post has been fixed so that the entire strip is now visible.


I support our veterans. I appreciate the sacrifices they make to keep our country free. That being said, I don't like the ones who try to scam the system. And they are out there. I heard a veteran call in to a radio show one day not too long ago, and he was disgusted. He said that military personnel are assisted in assimilating to civilian life by Veterans Affairs. They have classes for them to tell them what benefits are available to them and their families. Great idea. What disgusted him was what they were told in one of the classes he attended. The instructor or facilitator (I hate that word) or whatever who was leading the class told the vets they should apply for benefits for PTSD even if they were exhibiting no symptoms. The vet who called in to the radio show said he fought for our freedom to make our own choices and be the best that we can be -- not for the freedom to take advantage of the system.

I couldn't help recalling that conversation when I read the article in the newspaper about Retired Staff Sgt. Hector Esparza. He says he has PTSD and is unable to work. He and his wife are struggling financially, and he says they are in danger of losing their home. I noticed some things in the article and in the photograph that accompanied it.

When he left the service in 2007, Esparza got a job working with troubled juveniles. But he says he felt that no one understood him, so he quit and sought treatment. Do you suppose there is any kind of a job out there that someone with PTSD could do? What about working in a library? That should be quiet and pretty low stress. What about working the non-emergency admissions desk at a hospital? What about working in the bookkeeping department at a bank or other business? Surely there is something he can do. Esparza says the doctors tell him not to isolate himself. However, he says, "I never really step outside the house." How can a doctor help him if he won't follow his directives? Then, Esparza complains, "I get depressed because I am isolated." Well, duh!

Two years ago, the Esparza's bought a $175,000 house expecting to pay for it with Esparza's $1,200 a month disability check. Of course, they immediately fell behind on the mortgage. They've already been bailed out once by a charity. 

The Esparza's have four dogs -- big dogs! Mr. Essie May and I have a dog, and I can tell you it is expensive to feed her and pay the vet bills. If a family is struggling, why does it have four dogs? 

Esparza has intricate tattoos covering both his arms. Wonder how much they cost? Wonder if he had them before his PTSD kicked in? If not, I would think the pain of getting them might trigger something.

The Esparza's owe $25,000 in credit card bills. I wonder how much of that was for essentials and how much was for the latest gadget they couldn't do without. I notice that they have a home security system. Those monitoring fees can get a bit pricey.

Mrs. Esparza cuts hair for a living. But she's had to cut back on her hours because of her difficult pregnancy. Guess that PTSD isn't all that bad! I have never understood why a family who is barely keeping their heads above water decides it's a good time to have another kid -- especially when the father is mentally unstable. Oh -- did I mention that their insurance had not kicked in when she became pregnant? 

I know there are veterans out there who truly suffer psychological effects from the horrors of war. Take Travis Miller, for instance. He stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan. It blew off both his legs and his right arm and mangled his left arm so badly they had to amputate it. Amazingly, he regained consciousness just seconds after the explosion. His concern for his men was so great that the medic had to say to him, "With all due respect, Sir, shut up." Through all that, he's kept a positive attitude and hasn't even mentioned PTSD. Don't you suppose that if anyone had a right to claim PTSD, it would be him? I know there are others out there like Travis. We owe them more than we can ever repay. But it just seems to me that the heroes of "the Greatest Generation" sucked it up a lot better than Sgt. Esparza's of this generation seem to be doing. Sgt. Esparza should be on his knees every day thanking God that he returned with all his limbs intact. It might help his PTSD if he'd stop the pity party and use some of that isolation time volunteering at a veteran's hospital helping those like Travis Miller who made a far greater sacrifice than he did.

"Weighed down by financial woes." The Dallas Morning News; May 7, 2012; p. 1A.