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I think it depends on what VA you go to. The one here in the Puget Sound has been nothing but excellent to me... better, even, than an expensive civilian hospital that misdiagnosed a broken leg (that I correctly self-diagnosed when it happened) years back.

My wife's experiences with the military healthcare have been pretty poor, generally. He used to cry all the time when he was 4, to the point she took him to a (military) doctor 3 different times.

The diagnoses were: the flu, an ear infection, and finally, bad parenting.

She finally took him to a civilian doctor, who immediately found his brain cancer. He wouldn't be alive today if she hadn't taken him outside the system.

 Ouze wrote:
My wife's experiences with the military healthcare have been pretty poor, generally. He used to cry all the time when he was 4, to the point she took him to a (military) doctor 3 different times.

The diagnoses were: the flu, an ear infection, and finally, bad parenting.

She finally took him to a civilian doctor, who immediately found his brain cancer. He wouldn't be alive today if she hadn't taken him outside the system.

Well... unfortunately, there are a lot of Dr's out there who got C's and D's, not A's and B's. The military doesn't really allow for the gold mine of pay that the civilian sector can, so this isn't exactly the first choice for the best and brightest.

That being said, I've had a lot of great Dr's in the 30 years I've been involved in the military medical system. At the same time, I've had some bad ones.

Sometimes it isn't the doc, but the system. When my wife (active duty) shattered her pelvis, once released from the hospital getting a wheelchair was through Tri-Care. Took 4 days. I wheeled her around on an office chair until we got it. I should have just stolen one from the hospital when we signed her out.

 CptJake wrote:
Sometimes it isn't the doc, but the system. When my wife (active duty) shattered her pelvis, once released from the hospital getting a wheelchair was through Tri-Care. Took 4 days. I wheeled her around on an office chair until we got it. I should have just acquired one from the hospital when we signed her out.

Second correction I made with someone from the military. We are not thieves dammit. We re-purpose lost/abandon/unsecure items fer gawdsake

 Jihadin wrote:

 CptJake wrote:
Sometimes it isn't the doc, but the system. When my wife (active duty) shattered her pelvis, once released from the hospital getting a wheelchair was through Tri-Care. Took 4 days. I wheeled her around on an office chair until we got it. I should have just acquired one from the hospital when we signed her out.

Second correction I made with someone from the military. We are not thieves dammit. We re-purpose lost/abandon/unsecure items fer gawdsake

There is only one thief in the Army. Everyone else is just trying to get their stuff back.

 djones520 wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
My wife's experiences with the military healthcare have been pretty poor, generally. He used to cry all the time when he was 4, to the point she took him to a (military) doctor 3 different times.

The diagnoses were: the flu, an ear infection, and finally, bad parenting.

She finally took him to a civilian doctor, who immediately found his brain cancer. He wouldn't be alive today if she hadn't taken him outside the system.

Well... unfortunately, there are a lot of Dr's out there who got C's and D's, not A's and B's. The military doesn't really allow for the gold mine of pay that the civilian sector can, so this isn't exactly the first choice for the best and brightest.

That being said, I've had a lot of great Dr's in the 30 years I've been involved in the military medical system. At the same time, I've had some bad ones.

I'm pretty sure you'd be kicked out of med school if you got C's and D's rather than A's and B's. When I was in grad school, getting a B was seen as not good, and getting multiple C's would get you kicked out. That was in a program where most of my classes were not in my native language.

Obviously, that doesn't explain why some doctors are good and some are bad, but I can pretty much guarantee that there aren't any doctors who got C's and D's and still finished med school.

"Feth this does not portend well" basically sums up my entire experience with the VA. In every capacity.

 Jihadin wrote:

 CptJake wrote:
Sometimes it isn't the doc, but the system. When my wife (active duty) shattered her pelvis, once released from the hospital getting a wheelchair was through Tri-Care. Took 4 days. I wheeled her around on an office chair until we got it. I should have just acquired one from the hospital when we signed her out.

Second correction I made with someone from the military. We are not thieves dammit. We re-purpose lost/abandon/unsecure items fer gawdsake

No, in the frame of mind I was in, I was gonna steal the damned thing. Even if it meant dumping some other poor slob out of it to grab it for my wife.

One thing that really took the cake, when we were done with the one from Tri-Care we tried to return it, and they refused. They had bought it for us, not loaned it to us. I ended up giving to a charity.

Talk about efficient use of tax payer funds.

 CptJake wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:

 CptJake wrote:
Sometimes it isn't the doc, but the system. When my wife (active duty) shattered her pelvis, once released from the hospital getting a wheelchair was through Tri-Care. Took 4 days. I wheeled her around on an office chair until we got it. I should have just acquired one from the hospital when we signed her out.

Second correction I made with someone from the military. We are not thieves dammit. We re-purpose lost/abandon/unsecure items fer gawdsake

No, in the frame of mind I was in, I was gonna steal the damned thing. Even if it meant dumping some other poor slob out of it to grab it for my wife.

One thing that really took the cake, when we were done with the one from Tri-Care we tried to return it, and they refused. They had bought it for us, not loaned it to us. I ended up giving to a charity.

Talk about efficient use of tax payer funds.

Yeah, I've got a couple hundred dollars of ice water compression machines sitting in my garage following my surgery... I've been considering Ebaying them.

On a off beat path
FDA approval test for TBI. Since there's a few Jumpers here and some other who has seen the "Elephant" you might want to take the test for CYA and disability rating..


Edit

DANA test

 djones520 wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:

 CptJake wrote:
Sometimes it isn't the doc, but the system. When my wife (active duty) shattered her pelvis, once released from the hospital getting a wheelchair was through Tri-Care. Took 4 days. I wheeled her around on an office chair until we got it. I should have just acquired one from the hospital when we signed her out.

Second correction I made with someone from the military. We are not thieves dammit. We re-purpose lost/abandon/unsecure items fer gawdsake

There is only one thief in the Army. Everyone else is just trying to get their stuff back.

Gear drift is gear gift.

You know what they call the guy that graduated bottom of his class in medical school?



Doctor.

 marv335 wrote:
You know what they call the guy that graduated bottom of his class in medical school?



Doctor.

And even that guy likely wouldn't be allowed to graduate with a GPA lower than 3.0

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3968083731001/veteran-claims-he-was-recruited-to-fight-isis-overseas/?#sp=show-clips

Its not WORTH IT

There is a lot to read between the lines in both these articles highlighting experience of veterans travels.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/05/ex-british-soldier-fighting-isis-motivated-alan-henning-murder

First some comparisons.

- "John" found it difficult to leave the unit he joined, Read & Hughes did not.
- Both found only very limited resources available.
- Both met several other western volunteers.
- Read & Hughes didn't attempt to conceal their identities and did no receive any personal threats.


http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-killer-jamie-read-raging-heathrow-authorities-after-six-hour-interrogation-1479138

Have to add this. The guy is a bit naive, he should expect to be debriefed by officials on his return.
I don't think he has done himself any favours being so unsubtle about his experiences. "John" seems far more sensible IMHO.


I have to wonder if John got more hassle because he had a no buddy partner. Though its also likely they met different Kurdish groups.


Addendum: It appears from searches that Red and Hughes joined the Lions of Rojava. I haven't found links which say which group "John" joined.