Mr. Chairman, Committee members, and guests, thank you for the opportunity to speak and help my fellow soldiers and veterans by telling my story.

I am here to day to say that wearing the uniform for the U.S. Army is what defined me.  I was and still am very proud of the service that I gave to my country.  I entered the service on active duty training status in February of 1988. I served 5 months and then went on to 8 years of Honorable Reserve service.  I had a break in service and reentered the Reserves in 2003, and after serving 8 months honorably, I enlisted into the active duty Army in October 2004.  I was stationed at Fort Hood Texas.  I served as an admin specialist for three years and was given several awards for my leadership and service.  I then went to retrain to become a 19D cavalry scout, upon finishing school at Fort Knox, KY. I returned to Fort Hood and was assigned to Comanche Troop, 1-7 CAV, 1st Brigade, and 1st Cavalry Division.  I held the rank of specialist (E4) when we left for Taji, Iraq, for a 15 month combat deployment.

 We arrived in Iraq in November of 2006.  We found ourselves in a very violent area at the beginning of the surge.  On December 16, 2006, I was working in the company radio area monitoring the group that we had outside the FOB on an escort mission.  I remember that day very clearly.  The call came in from one of our Staff sergeants in that patrol that they had been attacked and one of our vehicles had been destroyed and that we had three killed-in-action and one wounded-in-action.  As we were receiving the information we could hear the small arms fire in the background as they tried to recover the dead and wounded soldiers.  I served as the training room noncommissioned officer, so I was asked to translate the combat numbers given over the radio to my commander and first sergeant for identity.  As the information came over, I instantly realized that the truck that had been destroyed contained one of my closest friends, SSG David Staats, and one of the soldiers that I had taken under my wing, PFC Joe Baines.  I focused on the mission at hand and that evening drove the first sergeant and the platoon sergeant of these soldiers, to the mortuary affairs and helped unload their bodies from the vehicles bringing them home.  I pushed through and the next morning we got word. as we were preparing to head to Baghdad to see the wounded soldier that he had died.  For the next 2 months, we lost several other soldiers from our squadron and two Iraq interpreters.

On February 16, 2007, I was a member of a convoy that drove out 4 boats and members of our troop to conduct a river recon/mosque monitoring mission.  After an uneventful drive out, unload boats, troops and soldiers, we headed back to FOB Taji.  As we pulled back on FOB Taji, the call came over the radio that the unit of soldiers had been ambushed mission.  We had to quickly gather up troops and head back to the drop off location to assist.  Upon arriving, we received small arms and large scale fire from the enemy, we found one of our SSG’s (SSG Thompson) lying in the middle of the beach bleeding from the legs, one of our Lieutenants had been shot in the arm, and two Iraq police officers  had been killed.  We quickly put together two boats of troops and ammo to retrieve our soldiers.  After heading up river we had received fire and our boat had capsized and we were stranded on an island for approximately 14 hours before being picked up.  We had limited ammunition and no radio communications. We all thought that we were going to die that day. 

Fourteen days to the day after that event, I was sent home for R and R leave.  I was very angry, had severe headaches, was depressed and would cry at times.  I fought with my wife and family while I was home.  I had an episode where I broke my hand punching walls.  After not being able to cope, I welcomed the trip back to Iraq.  Upon returning to Iraq, I was promoted to SGT and received my Combat Action Badge for my part in the river mission firefights.  After returning from R and R leave, several people in my unit said that something had changed in me.  I tried to pull it together but had trouble sleeping, had anger problems, severe headaches, nose bleeds and chronic chest pain.  I was living at the combat outpost x-ray.  While there I went to see the medics to get my inhaler for asthma filled.  I was sent back to the FOB, upon returning to the FOB aid station, the squadron aide station doctor, CPT Aaron Dewees was not present.  I was told he was busy preparing for his triathlon that he was going to be in after deployment.  I came back the next day and was seen.  I asked to see the chaplain because I was feeling very depressed and needed to talk.  After talking to the chaplain, I was sent to quarters for 2 days and then I was allowed to go back to the combat outpost.  Around the first of April I was in guard tower 1 alpha when a mortar landed between the tower and the wall around the combat outpost.  When it exploded it threw me down and I hit my right shoulder and head.  I had severe ringing in my right ear with clear fluid coming from it and had problems seeing out of my right eye.  After a few minutes, I went to the medics on the outpost and was given ibuprofen and water and sent back to duty.

 I started to have worse headaches and could not sleep.  They sent me back to the FOB and I was seen by the aid station doctors and medics and then sent to the mental health center.  I spoke with a LTC there who was a licensed clinical social worker. He had a 15-minute talk with me and they gave me celexia and ambien.  I was sent back to my quarters.  The next 2 days I began to get angry and hostile (due to the meds) and was sent back to the LTC.  He informed me that if I did not stop acting like this that they were going to chapter me out under a 5-13.  I tried and went back to the aid station.  After several days on suicide watch for making the comment that “if I had to live like this I would rather be dead,” I asked to be sent somewhere where I could get help and to be able to understand what was wrong with me.  I was told I could not go and I then demanded that I be taken to the Inspector General of the FOB.  I was told by CPT Dewees that I was not going anywhere and he called for all the medics, roughly 6 to 10. I was assaulted, held down, and had my pants ripped off my left thigh and given an injection of something that put me to sleep.  When I awoke, I was strapped down to a combat litter and had a black eye and cuts on my wrists from the zip ties. I eventually was untied and from that point forward for 5 weeks I was held in a room that was 6 feet by 8 feet that had bed pans, old blankets and other old supplies. I had to sleep on a combat litter and had a wool blanket.  I was under guard 24/7 and on several occasions was told I was not allowed to use the phone or internet, and when I would take my meds and fall asleep I was not awakened to get food. On one occasion, I had slept through chow and asked to be taken to the chow hall or PX to get some food. I was told no and given a fuel soaked MRE to eat.  I was constantly called a piece of crap, a faker, and other derogatory things.  They kept the lights on and played all sorts of music from rap to heavy metal very loud all night, the medics worked in shifts, therefore, they didn’t sleep; they rotated. These are some of the same tactics that we would use on insurgents that we captured to break them to get information or confessions.  I went through this for 4 weeks and the HHC Commander, CPT Wehri told me to sign this discharge and that if I didn’t that they would keep me there for 6 more months and then kick me out when we got back to Fort Hood anyway, I said I didn’t have a personality disorder and he told me that if I signed the paperwork that I would get back home and get help and I would have all my benefits.  After the endless nights of sleep deprivation, harassment and abuse I finally signed just to get out of there. I was broken.

It took 2 more weeks before I was flown out and brought to Fort Hood.  Upon returning I was told by the rear detachment acting 1SG and Commander to stay out of trouble and they would get me out of there.  I was sent out to wait on my wife in the rain with 2 duffle bags and another carry bag. This was my welcome home from war.  I went home and went to sleep only to be awakened by three sergeants at my door saying I had to go back to mental health due to me being suicidal and they hadn’t had me checked out.  I went to the R and R center at Fort Hood and was seen by LTC Baker, who was a psychologist.  He asked why I was brought back from Iraq, I explained they said I had a personality disorder and he disagreed, he shook his head and said that I had severe PTSD and combat exhaustion. He told me to get some sleep and rest and follow up in a week with him. I was never allowed to go back to see him.  The ironic thing is that in my military records I held 3 Army jobs and had a total of 8 mental health screenings that all found me fit for duty. Also, I had never had a negative counseling or negative incident in my 12 years of Reserve and active duty career.  Two weeks after getting back, I was discharged from the Army, I had my pay held and they took my saved up leave from me for repayment of my unearned reenlistment bonus.  I received a notice in the mail 3 week after my discharge from the department of finance that I owed the Army $1501.  Three months later, I went to the VA and was told they could not see me for mental health due to my preexisting disorder. I went back the next week and was seen by a psychologist, after an hour with her she scheduled me an appointment with a caseworker and then I had several follow-up mental health appointments.  I was given my VA rating a year later in 2008 of 70 percent for PTSD, knee injury, headaches, right shoulder and asthma.  Six months later after several emergency room visits and neurology appointments, my rating was upgraded to 90 percent and I was given service-connection for Traumatic Brian Injury. In June of this year, after 2 years from the date that I filed a request with the Military Boards of Correction to have my discharge changed from a Chapter 5-13 to a medical retirement, i was denied, even after the 3 years of VA medical documents and evidence from people who know me.  I demand that my discharge be changed and that I receive the proper discharge for my service.

 I have since founded Disposable Warriors and have assisted many veterans and soldiers in a range of issues from Personality Disorder diagnosis to soldiers on active duty with diagnosed PTSD that are not being treated or being discharged for misconduct under other than honorable or bad conduct discharge (which does not entitle them to VA benefits either).  I want to say that it has been hell to just get my mind somewhat back on track and to exist; I have bouts of memory loss, agitation, flashbacks, paranoia, problems sleeping and depression.  I get angry every time I look at my DD-214 with the fraudulent personality disorder discharge.  It cost me contract jobs for private security after my exit from the Army.  I had to get a job 3 days after I was kicked out of the Army to feed my wife and three children.  I was taught for years in the Army the definition of Integrity, Honor, Respect and Selfless Service, all of which I did I have given to the Army, but did not get in return.

 I hold two things very dear to me to this day.  It comes from the NCO Creed, the accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers.  I am on a new battlefield, with a new mission, and I will at all cost take care of soldiers and their families.  I love my country, I love my Army but we cannot stand by and watch this continue to happen.  At the very same time that this Committee was having SPC Jon Town testify in front of them in July of 2007, I was abused, broken and discharged for the very same thing that he testified about. Please do not let us be here in 3 years again with another story of shame.  The lack of care and concern, coupled with the stigma of weakness for asking for help that we have allowed to be put on us, has to be totally removed.  Then, and only then, will we see the veterans homelessness rate drop, the active duty and veteran suicide rate drop, and the skyrocketing rate of divorce decrease.  The senior level of the armed forces gets it, but they can talk about it, design plans for it, make PowerPoints of it, but if it is not being enforced at the soldier’s level, it is worthless.

In closing I would like to state that I do not have, nor have I ever had, a personality disorder. I suffer from PTSD and Traumatic Brian Injury from my service to my country while at war in Iraq.  I raised my right hand on several occasions and swore to protect the Constitution at all cost.  I did my part and now it is time for the military to keep its part of the agreement that if I were injured they would help me get back on my feet. Please help stop these wrongful discharges and help get our wounded servicemen and women back to service or back home to their families. 

Thank you for your time.