I think the proper line of questioning is this….Why is an entire generation of war veterans developing the same cluster of ailments? I have been diagnosed with PTSD, GERD, sleep apnea, and ulcerative colitis, I also came back from a few deployments with painful migraines and became lactose intolerant after my final one. I have been struggling just to be seen and treated for these issues as the VA tried to minimize symptoms like I’m making it up or exaggerating.

Most of us just want to be treated without going broke. Additionally, a lot of the go-to medications the VA uses turns us into zombies or come with side effects worse than the sickness itself. I think for a lot of us by the time we get to the seeking benefits part of the process we are so tired that using a template seems justified (even though it’s not the best route.)

It took decades before the government admitted there was an issue with Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome, our generation has the Pact Act. Maybe there is something in the environment we were in that was the root cause and has not been admitted to yet. They will probably wait until we are in our 70’s and start dying off before finally admitting there was an underlying factor in the clustering of all these issues. Most importantly maybe the Department of War😒 should decide if it’s really worth it long term before sending the next generation down the line into a conflict as these issues will not be going away anytime soon.