Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Disabled veteran owned businesses

I think some of you guys are getting caught up the weeds and missing the point of the OP as I understood it at least. Nobody is questioning or denigrating the levels of disability or whether it’s earned or not or anything of the kind.

It’s pretty common out here to meet a 30something year old with a disability rating for falling off a supply truck or rolling an ankle fugking around on a loading dock. It sure seems like a scam for many folks.

Almost like the Gov is pushing socialized medicine......

Just quit it huh? I guess you didn’t really want us combat vets’ opinions then.

Do you think that VA disability should only apply to combat wounded then? I think that opinion has merit, but that’s not what you asked.

I’ve met a few that I call bullschit on.

Are you really arguing that working swing shifts/long hours should grant disabled veteran status? JFC……. You’re delusional.

Yep, I am a Veteran, and agree with all of that. Matter of fact, when I see a website with some front & center proclamation "Owned by a disabled vet" I subconsciously, or maybe consciously, begin an eye-roll.

A big thank you to every man that left a part of his physical or mental self on the battlefield. If you’re riding the paper cut injury in the clerks office, Fugk off.

I work with one that is on 100% disability but still “functions” in a job that if it were true would be impossible. Not debating that lol. Just that some folks get awful touchy when that gets brought up.

As I understood the OP, it was the over use of the “disabled vet” sympathy card to drum up business or donations. As someone who never served I understand his awkwardness is posing the question. As a descendant, relative , and friend of many who did serve and never used it as a crutch I have formed my own opinion.

That’s not what I said. I said that constantly changing shifts can screw with you sleep cycle… I left the notion that whether or not that constitutes a disability is open to mixed opinion.

It’s obvious to me that you didn’t start this thread to get the opinions of combat vets. You started this thread to opine on the disability system. At least be honest.

I’m a vet, and yes, I volunteered. However, during my 32 years in the service, there were things I had to do that resulted in accelerated wear and tear on my body that were unlikely to happen in a civilian job. Whether I had to do them because I was ordered to, or I had to do them to lead those I was privileged and entrusted to lead by example, or to not let the team down, it really doesn’t matter. It’s part of the culture. When I joined, I signed a contract. The other signatory to that contract committed to taking care of me if they broke me. While I am not combat wounded, I have issues caused by my service and have no shame in receiving the benefits they committed to. Some may accuse me of milking the system. I disagree. I held up my end of the contract and they are holding up theirs. However, I rarely speak of it, and would not use it to my advantage in dealing with others.

Old70

If you say so. It's obvious you've never spent years in 40 foot seas pulling guys from sinking crab boats.

Coastguard Scott Steelhead?

I know a guy that lost his foot pulling out guys on a sinking ship, no combat, just typical Coast Guard rescue stuff. Is that enough for those that never served?

I should stay out of this, but I’ve been drinking a bit, so here it goes lol!

In the early 2000’s I was a crew chief in the Army in UH-60’s. One evening at 6 or 7pm, while just washing a helicopter, I was called to ask if we had a bird ready…. We did…. The Air Force Rescue guys had a call, but all of their birds were down for maintenance. We called in a couple pilots, and the 3 of us flew over to the AF base to pick up a couple of Pararescuemen. We picked them up and flew about 45 minutes to the scene of an airplane accident- a Cessna hit a river bank on landing. The PJ’s stabilized one of the adults that had severe back injuries. Another adult just had a broken arm. There was a 4 year old boy who appeared uninjured. As the PJ’s worked on the injured adult, (and took up all the room in the back of the helicopter), I strapped the kid into my seat at the gunner’s window, and I rode back in my harness hanging mostly outside the helicopter.

We dropped the patients and the PJ’s off at the hospital, and we flew back to our Army airfield. Once we landed and shut down, I took all of the PJ’s gear, loaded it up into a pickup truck, and drive it back to the hospital to return it to them.

When I got there, one of the PJ’s was out in the parking lot crying. It turns out the 4 year old boy had a severe brain injury and died. The PJ blamed himself for not seeing the signs, and concentrating on the adult with the back injury. That PJ later won the Silver Star in Afghanistan. He now is 100% disabled for PTSD. He told me that that little boy still haunts his dreams, and THAT is why he has PTSD.

Does he deserve it? I see both sides of the argument- civilian medics deal with that kind of stuff all the time. Yet, this Silver Star winning combat vet is still really messed up from it. I don’t know.

[bleep] an a he deserves it.

I tend to agree, but jackmountain seems to think that unless your injuries were in combat, then you’re not a veteran.

I read that there are quite a few claiming injuries in basic training, then they're a disabled vet for life. Huge uptick in this in the past decade according to what I read.

Went to neighbors in Fl. for Christmas dinner, everybody in the family is a government worker of some type.
Lad 23 years old is saying he's out of the army ''disabled'' after 2 1/2 years, just waiting for the paperwork to get through the system.

I asked him what happened? He said ''back'' and nothing more, 10 minutes later he's in the backyard swinging his 40lbs. son. Wide leg stance swinging the boy then up high and tossing him into the air 6-8 inches, boy laughing a lot. I said be careful you'll hurt your back , he didn't say anything nor even look at me. Just a POS out to get anything he can the easiest way he can.

Sleep apnea is only 50% max.. he has other disability ratings to go with that..

That’s a job related injury.

There is a difference between a disabled veteran and a combat wounded veteran. To me they both deserve benefits.

I do hate to see anyone wrapping themselves in the flag to thump their chest or for business benefits/ gains