100% Permanently & Totally Disabled
Plus, Hope's Corner
Howdy,
I got some great news today! The VA found me 100% permanently & totally (P&T) disabled! It’s the “holy grail” of disability rating.
WOOHOO!
I must admit, at time it’s quite odd to celebrate such a thing. But, alas, for those who know — well, they know. It’s a mix of happiness, relief, and sadness.
I’m obviously relieved financially. $4k a month is nothing to sneeze at. That plus my pension allows me to write for a living, something I find immensely rewarding.
I’m also overcome with joy for all the benefits. In short, my daughter will never have to pay for college. I have my 9-11 GI Bill lined up for her, but many states have state level systems, like Texas’ Hazelwood Act, that provide even more free college for you and your dependents—if you’re 100% permanently disabled.
However, there’s also a sense of relief. There will be something for my little girl to hold onto should something happen to me. Between burn pits, TBIs, PTSD, Moral Injury, etc. the war will probably kill me eventually. Now, with this in my pocket, I can really start focusing my energy on building some financial security for her.
I’m also happy for the lovely Charity. She gets some great educational benefits too. Plus, now we get free Dental Care for life. Military families deserve it because they serve right alongside us. My wife endured a year long deployment while pregnant in the midst of a once in a century pandemic. Who wants to sign up?
LOL
This money allows me to breathe again. And I’m really living again for the first time in a long time. I can do whatever I want and it’s the most liberating feeling imaginable. Nobody can tell me what to do (other than the lovely Charity and my daughter . . . and
).Along with the happiness and relief, I’m also a bit sad. It’s sad that this is something to celebrate. It shouldn’t be. There’s something profoundly wrong with American combat veterans celebrating getting their deserved disability rating. I’m not sure if it’s an indictment of our society, the VA, the DoD, or the 9-11 wars themselves, but the bureaucratic contortions one has to go through to make this happen is surreal.
Happy. Relieved. And Sad.
But also eternally grateful. There are thousands of our Afghan allies who are disabled and they receive no compensation. None. I try to remind myself of that when the VA drives me bonkers!
I’m also grateful that I can focus my energy on building this blog/substack/website (whatever). We’re offering Moral Injury support group for free to American servicemembers and veterans. We only have a few slots available. It feels great to offer that to some of my brothers-and-sisters in arms.
Most importantly, I’m grateful that I can spend time with the lovely Charity and my little girl. They’re the real treasure at the end of my military career. And I get to enjoy my life with them.
That’s priceless.
Hope’s Corner
Helai returns with another piece of beautiful writing.
Then suddenly the door knocked, and my little sister went and opened the door–there were two strange women were standing there. At first glance, no one of us could understand what tough days they will bring on us. As our usual culture, we welcomed the women, and they came in, by serving them a cup of tea with cookies, they started talking, they were talking about their lives, and my mom asked them why and how did they come to our house. The words that they said shocked my mom, they said: we are proposing your young daughter to our son. My mom said she is still 18, and she is planning to study so we kindly tell you not to repeat this again, but no, they said: do you know who is my son? He is Talib and he liked your girl. You have to give her to us; my mom was afraid but still trying to show no fear.
Read the whole thing.
Bill Roggio Joins the Dark Side
The GOAT, Bill Roggio has joined the dark side: he has his own substack. And of course, he’s out with a banger.
Yesterday, reports revealed that the US government agreed to a deal with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al Hawsawi that will give them life in prison for their roles in the planning and execution of Al Qaeda’s horrific attack on September 11, 2001. The shameful plea agreement is merely the latest data point revealing that we’ve lost the War on Terror.
Read the whole thing.
Until Next Time
I know how much 100% military disability can mean to a family. My daughter-in-law finally earned that rating after several years of jumping through hoops, submitting medical records repeatedly for the autoimmune disorders she deals with. (She, too, spent a month in the same Salt Lake City facility in a program specifically for female vets whose PTSD came from reasons other than war. Enough said.)
Given how few of us serve in the ranks of our five armed forces, it's the least we can do as a nation to ensure our vets get the care -- mental health as well as medical -- they deserve.
Congratulations! Hope your disability(ies) don’t compromise your life too much. I wanted to let you know, though, that the Hazelwood Act does not require a disability at all. If you are a veteran who entered the military from Texas, and have exhausted the GI Bill, Texas will extend another 150 hours in a state university (or community college) to you or a dependent. My step-daughter got her BA at tu that way.