Chairman Mitchell, Ranking Member Brown- Waite and Members of the subcommittee, I am honored to be here today to speak on behalf of my experiences as a combat wounded veteran.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Elsie Moore, Ilene Greene, and other employees from the VA who have aided me in my transition out of the Marine Corps and continuing recovery from my injuries. 

I joined the United States Marine Corps on August 6, 2001.  I fought along side my fellow Marines in 1st Battalion 5th Marine Regiment as an Infantryman on three separate and distinct tours in Baghdad, Fallujah, and Al Ramadi.  While on my second tour, four of my fellow Marines and I were wounded by an IED attack on our HUMMVEE.  I wish I could speak of the incident in detail but I do not remember a great deal due to the shrapnel that imbedded itself in the back of my head and the loss of conciseness.  I quickly recovered from my immediate injury and returned back to the United States with my unit during that summer.  The following year I deployed to Al-Ramadi, Iraq with my unit in March of 2005. 

Upon returning from Iraq in the summer of 2005, I participated in the mandatory TAP class prior to my discharge, which made an attempt to explain all the benefits available to me.  However, it was difficult to fully understand what paperwork needed to be sent where, who needed to be contacted, while simultaneously preparing to move across the country.  On August 6, 2005, I finally said my farewells and started another chapter in my life.

The transition from the Marine Corps, to an academic environment was filled with frustration, miscommunication, and a sense of feeling out of place. To be honest, I felt more comfortable going to Iraq than stepping into a classroom.  Only a few short weeks after my discharge from active duty, I began my first college classes and quickly learned that there were going to be obstacles to face due to my head injury in Iraq.  It became clear as time went by, that my short-term memory loss had dramatic affects on my abilities to retain information and that I was going to need everyday assistance from professors and tutors.               

Although George Washington University and the majority of colleges and universities do not offer a transition program or direct assistance for veterans, I was lucky because my injuries qualified me for assistance from Disability Support Services (DSS).  With an infrastructure to provide services and provide information, it seems only obvious that the VA should take the opportunity to partner with schools to assist in educating veterans on benefits available to them.

There has also been many a time that I have learned of a benefit or other service available to me through word of mouth.  A great deal of my knowledge about my entitlements and disability benefits has come from listening to other veterans who have already gone through this process.  I would have been unable to afford the most expensive school in the country had I not heard about the VA Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation benefit from another Marine.  It was not easy to get approval, but Vocational Rehabilitation is the only reason I am able to attend George Washington University.  Two Marines from my platoon had moved to the Philippines because the VA there was quicker and really cooperative to deal with.  However, even over there they did not find out all that they were entitled to.  When I told a fellow Marine that he could qualify for the same Chapter 31 benefit to return to Pepperdine University and finish the degree he had started prior to his enlistment he was amazed. The word of mouth is a powerful thing.  I can only imagine if the VA were able to reach twice as many people, through a more sophisticated website or the use of e-mail, how many more veterans would be aware of the benefits to them.

Now that you have heard my experiences of transition out of the military and into an academic environment, I want to speak about the main reason I came here today.  As I am sure everyone is well aware, there is the strong brotherhood that is formed between men in combat.  It has been over three years since my platoon turned in our weapons, dropped our packs, and took off our body armor, yet we continue to suffer causalities.  On July 31 of this year, I received word from my best friend, Gunnery Sergeant Timothy Cyparski, that a member of our platoon had taken his life, that member was Corporal Timothy Nelson.  Cpl. Nelson was an ideal Marine; he took on adversity, followed orders, respected authority, and was a relief during trying times.  I had not spoken to Nelson since I got out, but the news took me back to fond memories with my fellow brother. 

That week I talked to Cyparski regularly for support and answers.  Nelson’s death had brought a lot of the guys from the platoon back together and persuaded me to call guys that I hadn’t talked to in years.  From talking to other Marines in the platoon I found out that he had been recalled and was prepared to honor his country’s call back to service.  Upon his medical inspection, the Doctor disqualified him from duty because he had been diagnosed with PTSD.  This, among other things was a factor in his tragic death.  Gunny Cyparski flew to Washington State to help Nelson’s newly wed wife and grieving family.  He wanted to show them that Nelson will always be a brother to our platoon and that we will keep him in our hearts. 

Only a week after Cyparski flew out to Washington, I received the most devastating call imaginable.  My best friend and my mentor, Gunnery Sergeant Timothy Cyparski, had taken his life—leaving behind his wife and two beautiful young children.  The news hit us hard within the company, and many Marines came together in search of answers to why we just lost two brothers in two weeks.  To me, Cyparski was the greatest Marine infantryman and a role model for us all.  During his years of service he received two bronze stars for valor and one Purple Heart, which he got when we were injured in the HUMVEE from the IED explosion.  However, those awards do little justice to a man who was admired and respected by the whole battalion.  To me he was a great influence, and I base much of my success in school to his encouragement.  We constantly talked and I asked him for advice and guidance.  This being said, Tim did suffer from the effects of war and he had difficulties in dealing with his experience in Iraq and recovering from his injuries.  However, he was proactive in seeking treatment and hoped to one-day finish an academic degree to better provide for his family.        

I consider Cpl. Nelson and GySgt. Cyparski to be combat causalities. Their deaths were a result of their combat duty and this great nation lost two outstanding heroes that can never be replaced.  Our country is a little weaker now because of this.

The past month and a half I have spent a great deal of my time reflecting on these incidents and what could have been done to save these two young Marines who had so much to look forward to.  Through this reflection, I found that there is no single absolute correct answer—because each individual needs a different approach and different solutions.  However, there are clear signs and similarities in the majority of these cases.  For Cpl. Nelson and GySgt. Cyparski their similarities began with their diagnosis of PTSD and orders by medical staff to no longer carry the duties of a Marine infantryman.  Being an infantryman was what they had signed up to be in the Marines and it was their passion.  In addition, both had been given controversial medicine as treatment for their medical issues and were actively seeking help from medical professionals following their doctors’ advice.    

Through my observations and experience, I have come to the conclusion that there needs to be a strong network of friends and family that are educated on the signs and symptoms.  Obviously, families are more easily accessible than friends.  However, this is not the case if you consider friends being members of their respective military unit.  Others in the military and those who have served are more likely to be accessible by the VA outreach and more likely to recognize a problem and relate to the issue.  Another aspect that needs to addressed is that those seeking treatment will not have the cases disclosed to anyone or threaten future job employment opportunities.  I know the stigma associated with PTSD is not easily changed but there are steps that can be done to educate the veteran and our society as a whole about it.

The process of rehabilitation and seamless transition out of the Armed Services begins with education.  Therefore accessibility to the VA’s resources should reflect the emerging demographic of veterans. Problems need to be addressed and new outlets to address them need to be explored.  We are considered a young and technologically savvy generation.  We depend on online mediums for information as much as television, or other media types.  Great effort should be made to have the VA to come to me; I should not have to spend the day calling numbers and extensions to receive information on my benefits. A case manger to coordinate appointments and discuss benefits with the veteran would be ideal.  The small details and obscure programs that the VA offers need to be divulged to the veteran rather then him relying on word of mouth and his own investigating skills.  The VA website needs to make its listed programs easier to understand, as it stands now I still have trouble understanding what I’m entitled to under the various programs. Email is a great option and should be examined further.  The best way I have found to connect myself with the Marines I fought alongside with is social networks like MySpace and Facebook.  If the VA would simply put a paid advertisement on the screen I think either a veteran having trouble or someone close to one would be inclined to at least see what the VA had to offer.

I have great hope that the VA will be able to carry its message to a larger scope of audience.  It needs to employ the very best that America has to offer in media and public awareness.  If the Army and Marine Corps can sponsor commercials and half-time shows I believe that the VA can do an equally good job at putting the word out during those same time slots and to those same viewers.  My demographic watches professional sporting events, MTV, The History, Military, and Discovery channels—we are a fairly easy to target audience.

America is generous and grateful to its veterans.  This fact is shown by the many organizations and individual Americans who have donated time and money to assisting us.  However the problem lays in connecting the veteran to these services.  A veteran cannot ask for something if he does not know it exists or where to go to receive it.

I came here today for action.  I know being here today will not change the fact that my two friends will never return.  However, if speaking before you in this room can do anything to prevent another one of my fellow brothers in arms from going down that same path, then it will be a success.  I know that the VA knows that media outreach is a necessity in order to inform veterans about their resources, it must happen now.  This is a situation where over-saturation of the message is not possible.  I ask America’s elected leaders to stand up, unite under a solid commitment to do what ever it takes to put an end to these unnecessary losses.  Corporal Nelson and Gunnery Sergeant Cyparski made a solemn oath to our nation, please make one on their behalves.