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Veteran's Day Special: Picking Up the Pieces
By Avishay Artsy on Tuesday, November 11, 2008.
Today on Word of Mouth, we visit with five families of veterans wounded by IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The families are coping with the aftermath of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post traumatic stress (PTSD). This special program breaks new ground by focusing on the parents, especially mothers, who have given up everything - their jobs, retirement savings, and plans for the future - to step in and care for their sons.
Click here to listen to this AARP Radio special about the hurdles families face when their wounded soldiers return home. A quick warning, some of the descriptions in this show are very graphic: they reveal the true nature and consequences of war.
(Army Spc. Rory Dunn hugs his mother, Cynthia Lefever. Photo by Erika Larsen/Redux)
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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.
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As I Read these stories, I sit here with a very heavy heart and tears streaming down my face. My son, My Hero is going through so much these days. Veterans day was really tough as I held my son as he cried on my shoulder and finished his sentence as he tried to tell me what he was thinking...with the words "your good friends." Aaron only responding with tears and shaking his head,"yes." I let him know it will be alright. But it isn't alright. I live with a heavy heart day after day, just as I did when he was in Iraq. I worry about him, I just worry about him. So young and so torn up inside.
God was good to Aaron and I,in retrospect, because I lost my job on April 3rd. This gave me the time to be with Aaron and figure out ways to get him to agree to get help. He is now living on his own, thanks to Easter Seals, but doesn't have any income because of the "Hurry up and wait" dis-service from the government/military taking their sweet time to get him his educational benefits and the disability benefits he deserves. He did get approved for 10% disability, but it is my understanding this is a norm for all combat vets. My son has had to appeal this by jumping through hoops to get those in command of this program the documentation needed just to be considered. Today, we still "hurry up and wait." I have had to be persistant and visit, Senator Gregg's office, Carl Hodes office and finally Mayor Lynch's office just to get him a deferrment to start his classes this past September. My life is all about my son, I can't even concentrate of finding a job for myself. Every second every day leaving my life topsey turvey with "fear" that won't subside. We have made it through November, bills paid, Aaron safe, but no food in Aaron's refrigerator. What will December bring? Aaron has a new apartment, new furniture I charged for him to have something to sit on, my kitchen table from my house and a great new resume I constructed for him, but.......I sit here in tears, hurrying up and waiting...what next?