how the navy has screwed me over (915 hits)
Category: PoliticsRating: 0.3 on 38 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by michael gonzales <gonzo79.at.gmail.com> (View user info) at 2005-01-11 02:27:24 EST
To all,
my name is Michael Gonzales and you have no clue who I am but I
am writing you cause my family has lived in Holland, Oh for over 50
yrs. I am currently Active Duty in the US Navy. I am stationed
overseas in Sigonella, Italy and I am currently awaiting a long
overdue return to the US for proper medical care. Here is my story, I
am sure you can appreciate this.
I joined the navy in December of 98 for a chance to make a "man"
out of myself after seeing my life headed down the wrong path. I went
to the local recruiter on Reynolds road and was promptly whisked away
into the US Military (a group who now I hold little faith and trust
in). I have served 6 years and 8 days in the military as of the
composition of this letter. Since the day I joined I thought what
could be better then a job with medical benefits, OK pay, and even the
chance to go to college. Unfortunately next to the pay, the other
issues (as I was soon to find out have fallen completely short of my
expectations) that were promised to me upon enlistment, would not pan
out with...
Last year while in Bahrain and working out I noticed I had severe
pain in my right groin area. I (being that I am a Navy
corpsman...similar to a combat medic) thought at first it was a
hernia. I went to the doctor and he ruled out hernia with the obvious
tests and ultrasound. His next thought was epididmytis. I went through
a one-month regimen of antibiotics to no avail. The pain was still
there. This was approximately January of this year I was on the
antibiotic regimen. After following up with the doctor he said I would
have to see the urologist, as the Doctor was dumbfounded as to what was
ailing me. I said OK so is the military going to fly me up to Spain to
see him? He said No! He immediately told me that I would have to wait
for 2 months until the urologist made his quarterly visit to our base.
So I sat in excruciating pain for 2 months. Imagine if someone put a
vice in your underwear but the vice was heated up in a stove for a few
days.... yes was and still is that bad. So Being that I am in the
military and at the mercy of Uncle Sam and his superior health care
system I sat in pain with no type of pain relief provided except my
daily duties had been lightened to a desk job that only helped
slightly.
In late April (yes APRIL) the urologist finally arrived. I was first
on the list to see him, as I was "a very important case". (I guess
important enough to get his first appt but not important enough to be
sent to see him which would have cost the govt next to nothing as
flights go to and from our base to Spain daily). He reviewed my case
and did a evaluation and tried a nerve block with little to no relief.
He gave me 2 options (take in to mind I am 25). Option A) have him
perform a removal of my right testicle and hope that it works. I asked
him what the likelihood of a good outcome was on the surgery and he
replied well somewhere between 30 and 50%. Unfortunately I haven't had
the opportunity to have children yet and asked what option B would be.
He said option B) would be a discharge on medical reasons and I could
follow up with the VA who has doctors who might be able to help me in
other ways as of long term pain management and other various
treatments or procedures. This sounded like the option I was going to
have to take as a removal with a 50/50 chance at best was not
sounding too fun. So he gave the recommendation for a PEB (physical
evaluation board) and on the story goes...
The guy in charge of the putting together the information to send to
Washington waited till approximately the end of June to even look at my
package. (Yep you read correctly) so another 2 months sitting pain.
After a long wait I was told it should be mailed out in august. Guess
what yeah you can do math!!!! 2 more months in pain. After noticing
nothing was going on or I hadn't been contacted by anyone regarding my
case I decided to follow up on it. I was told that it was being worked
on and was told this up until about just before thanksgiving. Keep in
mind a lot of the problems with having acute testicular pain as a 25 yr
old man. I was married but now separated due to this problem and my
decreased sex drive (it was very painful) and the emotional anguish as
to thinking "WHEN WILL I GET HELP"!
Around the end of November I decided to see my doctor and see if
there was anything he could do to get me back to the US and a full
treatment facility as soon as possible as this problem had gone on
long enough. He told me he filed my paperwork and wondered what had
happened. Unfortunately I found out he "forgot to file my paperwork"
and so everything had been at a standstill for months. So he once
again decided to send it through with a little coercion from myself
and it again went to the guy in charge of putting through the
paperwork (you know the guy who waited 2 months to send it off
before). So I followed up with him almost daily until recently when I
heard that my paperwork was going through and I should have orders
around the middle to end of JAN 05. Amazing I thought now I only have
to wait (in pain) till the end of Jan if I am lucky and then I can get
my orders which because of check out time and procedures will put me
in the US around the end of February. What a great medical system our
troops have huh? I remember the day I signed my name on the line
knowing that if anything happened to me medically while in I would be
more then taken care of. Wishful thinking I guess....
User Reviews
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-01-17 01:43:13 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
The minute i read this it screamed alter, but i gave you the benefit of the doubt and just didn't rate it. Now that you have made further posts you have convinced me so -2 die.
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-14 09:40:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
not attached to a unit!
Submitted by scrumdown (user info) at 2005-01-14 09:13:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Yeah, dude, you can have my right nut, thats fine with me. I have been celebate for about a year and a half now with one minor slip up. Still, you don't answer my query about being attached to Marines or not.
Anyway, at drill this weekend (I recently re-enlisted in the Gaurd since the Marine Corps is not re-enlisting prior service),I plan on asking for a transfer from the infantry to combat medic school since the Army is so short on them, and I really enjoyed the extended combat lifesavers course I just completed this week.
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-14 06:54:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
+1 for being a corpsman, but, are not all corpsman attached to Marine units? What unit of Marines is stationed in Italy other than the embassy?? And maybe a few at the naval station, but not enough to warrent a corpsman? Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, why not just call a Captain's Mast or whatever to resolve your problem. Although I think I remember we used them a bit differently than the squids, anyway I don't really buy all of this. I want to believe you dude, but I have never experianced such disregard for my well being in the service, and when I saw others being treated like this, I was pretty sure they were faking or at least miking it out to be worse than it really was.
_ - _ _ - ----- ___ - __ _ _ __-------___ _---- -___ ---- ___ ___ --- ____ ---- _____ ---- ____
Ok just to make it clear this base has gotten huge over the last 10 yrs and there is 7000 people stationed here now in sicily alone thats not counting mainland! I work at the hospital which has about 250 staff mostly corpsman of course. As for Capts mast well thats my next step! As for faking like I said before I would gladly trade you my right testicle for yours. I am currently in touch with 5 other people whose healthcare has been compromised here and we are thinking and figuring what we should all do. I am not alone.
Submitted by scrumdown (user info) at 2005-01-13 13:59:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh, and the fuckstick who spoke up about the armor on the humvee's, that rat bastard would have been charged with treason or seditious activity if he spoke like that in WWII. That bastard should keep his mouth shut and adapt, improvise, and overcome, just like the great history of the American fighting men before him. They didn't complain in front of the global media so that all the badguys could hear them. I heard a Normandy veteran talknig about how when they were short on armor during the invasion, they stripped armor off the beach, the German tank traps, metal plates on the side of pill boxes, all that shit, turned in into armor for their trucks and tanks, and went on to win the fucking war without rotations home or anymore break in the fighting than we get today. All of our boys are doing a bang up job today, but we need to quit our bitching and be happy we have more today than they had 50 years ago, and practice a little ingenuity to win the war.
Submitted by scrumdown (user info) at 2005-01-13 13:52:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
+1 for being a corpsman, but, are not all corpsman attached to Marine units? What unit of Marines is stationed in Italy other than the embassy?? And maybe a few at the naval station, but not enough to warrent a corpsman? Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, why not just call a Captain's Mast or whatever to resolve your problem. Although I think I remember we used them a bit differently than the squids, anyway I don't really buy all of this. I want to believe you dude, but I have never experianced such disregard for my well being in the service, and when I saw others being treated like this, I was pretty sure they were faking or at least miking it out to be worse than it really was.
And if it really is that bad, just take some Motrin.
Submitted by BuckeyesTHEGAME (user info) at 2005-01-13 13:26:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Metal_Claw (user info) at 2005-01-12 00:01:14 (#)
Ranking: 2
fuck anyone who gave this man a bad rating and a pile of shit on account of "bad grammar" what is he going to do? go to school while serving in the navy overseas?
-------
Um, yea. I did.
Anyway, what fucking division were you in gonzales?
Submitted by Metal_Claw (user info) at 2005-01-12 00:20:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
http://dhaatcakbearsse.s5.com/FUCKITALL!!!.WMA
Submitted by Metal_Claw (user info) at 2005-01-12 00:01:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
fuck anyone who gave this man a bad rating and a pile of shit on account of "bad grammar" what is he going to do? go to school while serving in the navy overseas?
and to god chicken, why does it hurt him to post his story here? you gave him shit because he posted his story here and didnt send a grievence notice in. well maybe he did, but why is it bad for him to post it here?
fuck you all.
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 23:34:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
To those who think im bullshitting well my hometown newspaper is getting ready to publish my story soon. Kind of like the guy who spoke up about the humvee armor! As for my spelling and grammar I guess I can work on it as I only have a sophmore yr of H.S. education. So gimme a break! As for printing the story for all to see well I am beyond disgruntled with the navy. To the guy who said I should take it to my chain of command well I have and there isnt much else to do besides have members of my family contact a congressman. To those who say I am bullshitting about my pain well I would surely trade you testicles if that would be possible. I think I got everyone =)
Submitted by kwame_johnson (user info) at 2005-01-11 12:40:20 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by QueenAshlee (user info) at 2005-01-11 11:17:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Actually, have a point for that response to apollo... that made me giggle.
Yeah, Apollo, go somewhere else, you commie sonofabitch! America doesn't want freedom haters! Let the man make his glaring mistakes in peace!
heh.
Submitted by QueenAshlee (user info) at 2005-01-11 11:15:19 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
Oy.
Submitted by BuckeyesTHEGAME (user info) at 2005-01-11 10:58:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
WHAT WHAT WHAT!?
Holy shit dude, our stories are quite similar indeed.
I also joined in December of 1998 (078 was my division) and my recruiting station was also on Reynolds Road, only in Toledo, Ohio.
wow
What division were you in?
Submitted by Hadooken (user info) at 2005-01-11 10:51:27 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
-2 and good day.
Submitted by Hadooken (user info) at 2005-01-11 10:51:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:51:08 (#)
Ranking: 0
ok please keep going so I can point out all of your punctation errors too! I am new here and I am very sorry if I dont spell well cause you see I joined the military after not graduating High School because my mom was in a car wreck and it was either get a job and have a place to live, or go to school and live on the street. Thanks for being such a warm welcome party to this site though. I totally apreciate the world has degenerates such as yourself to pick on everyone who you think is lesser than you by hiding behind your keyboard and and ranting about who cant spell or use correct punctuation! Do you think this is a goddamn term paper? Last time I check it wasnt and truthfully I can give a shit about spelling. In my line of work I do not have to worry about it. If anyone cares I am a combat medic. I have seen what others really dont care to and have lived to tell about it. This will be my final post about arguing with you as I dont see in having a "virtual fight" because it goes nowhere in a hurry if you get my drift! But if im ever near your part of town please get ahold of me as I will be sure to buy you a beer for your uber niceness....
DUMBEST RESPONSE EVAARRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i joined the military straight out of high school myself, and my ability to articulate the written word is nowhere near as bad as yours. That is a piss-poor excuse and saying just because you don't have to spell in your line of work, you don't worry about it is equally stupid. That would be like me saying just because I don't use numbers in my day to day job, math is unimportant. I'm sure come bill paying time I would change my tune. Point is, if you have a total (admitted) disregard for the english language, why the hell are you on a site where the emphasis is on words (or in my case, pictures, but I am special).
Submitted by theshrew (user info) at 2005-01-11 10:40:19 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
you like men
Submitted by ICO (user info) at 2005-01-11 10:36:08 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
"my name is Michael Gonzales and you have no clue who I am but I
am writing you cause my family has lived in Holland,"
What? What does this site have to do with Holland, except for me and one or two others?
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-01-11 10:03:41 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
I'm calling bullshit on this.
Why?
A)The formatting looks like it was pasted from outlook.
B)Compare the grammar in the post to that in the reviews.
C)What GodChicken said.
D)If this were true, you would most likely get a medical discharge...unless you're faking it.
Submitted by Feijuada (user info) at 2005-01-11 09:56:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
ROFLCOPTER
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-01-11 09:53:37 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
Weighing in as a superior in rank within the Navy, you should know that the proper channel for things of this nature is to file a redress/grievance against the people whose negligence put you in this position. If you are not sure what your rights are as a patient, I am sure there is a Legal office with a friendly Petty Officer who would be willing to help you discover them. Writing about it on Uber will do you no good, and will garner you no support.
Do not be afraid of "getting in trouble" with a commissioned officer simply because you are inconveniencing them. If you are in pain, do.something.about.it.
-1 "I've seen better" If you wish to write, please write properly. You will receive better reception. People don't want to read something that is poorly formatted, you know? You put time and effort into writing it, and people will put time and effort into reading it.
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2005-01-11 08:26:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
shitty writing, but an ok story
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 08:20:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
sure my mom is super nice a bit bossy but she has a bad leg now and can hardly walk it sucks..... now she has deal with stupid ass social security and trying to get her money from them because she is no longer eligible for employment. Sorry again for the 2 hour war but its all good. I will have some funny shit to write later everyday I come to work I have stories that would crack alot of people up!!! everyone on here is gonna laugh their ass off. just wait and see
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2005-01-11 08:05:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Precisely my point old boy, however, you started it. I rated your post a zero, left the rating so you would know I had read it and you went and -2'd my last post for no reason. That in itself doesn't bother me, I was merely pointing out that that isn't quite the done thing on Uber, was trying to help old horse.
You will not I kept my rating at zero, you are lucky it was me and not one of the Fetish clones on this site, you would have had twenty minus two's by now.
Carry on.
Oh and about your mother etc, who cares? Mine is alive but she is a cunt, want her? We can swap.
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:51:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
ok please keep going so I can point out all of your punctation errors too! I am new here and I am very sorry if I dont spell well cause you see I joined the military after not graduating High School because my mom was in a car wreck and it was either get a job and have a place to live, or go to school and live on the street. Thanks for being such a warm welcome party to this site though. I totally apreciate the world has degenerates such as yourself to pick on everyone who you think is lesser than you by hiding behind your keyboard and and ranting about who cant spell or use correct punctuation! Do you think this is a goddamn term paper? Last time I check it wasnt and truthfully I can give a shit about spelling. In my line of work I do not have to worry about it. If anyone cares I am a combat medic. I have seen what others really dont care to and have lived to tell about it. This will be my final post about arguing with you as I dont see in having a "virtual fight" because it goes nowhere in a hurry if you get my drift! But if im ever near your part of town please get ahold of me as I will be sure to buy you a beer for your uber niceness....
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:31:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:06:33 (#)
Ranking: 0
ok well since some dick decided to bash my supposedly ill written open letter with bad punctuation and grammar im only posting this for others to see how the US MILITARY fucks people and to you you wet nose punk keep enjoying the freedom provided to you everyday by the men and women all over the world giving you the right and freedom to express whatever you want on the internet IN ENGLISH and not in RUSSIAN or CHINESE. So if you dont like your FREE life then go somewhere else you commie prick! oh yeah and can you please point out spelling errors? thanks ass """
This has to be ANOTHER lame arse alter.
Not even in the US military can someone that stupid get in, surely.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:29:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Since you asked :
my name is Michael Gonzales and you have no clue who I am but I
am writing you cause
Should be :
my name is Michael Gonzales and you have no clue who I am but I
am writing you BEcause
First sentence, you really want me to go through the rest? I am pretty bored at work, I do have the time.
Submitted by hairycoo (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:20:00 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
aaaaaaahahahahaha
nice one MacArthur
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 07:06:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
ok well since some dick decided to bash my supposedly ill written open letter with bad punctuation and grammar im only posting this for others to see how the US MILITARY fucks people and to you you wet nose punk keep enjoying the freedom provided to you everyday by the men and women all over the world giving you the right and freedom to express whatever you want on the internet IN ENGLISH and not in RUSSIAN or CHINESE. So if you dont like your FREE life then go somewhere else you commie prick! oh yeah and can you please point out spelling errors? thanks ass
Submitted by hairycoo (user info) at 2005-01-11 06:57:58 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
they dont believe you, thats why they threatened to cut your bollocks off to test you
i reckon your faking as well
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2005-01-11 06:46:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by gonzo79 (user info) at 2005-01-11 06:31:06 (#)
Ranking: -2
waste of time..... thanks for reading my post though """
We don't do that around here.
Learn quickly or fuck off.
A zero is 'worth reading' which is a fair result for an open letter with terrible grammar and spelling and no conlcusion.
In short, get your head together you immature little faggot.
How's that?
Submitted by FuckTheArmy (user info) at 2005-01-11 06:13:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
There is a reason men have fought and died for their freedom.
There is no reason to trust government unless you're a participant. Three minutes every four years does not count.
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2005-01-11 05:44:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
No Comment
Submitted by DeathJester (user info) at 2005-01-11 05:20:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
So... Do you actually know what it is yet?
Submitted by foodman (user info) at 2005-01-11 04:59:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I joind the army with the same thoughts, man. Now I hold little to no faith in anything they do. I'm afraid to go to sick call for the stress fracture in my foot because I don't want them butchering me. I know people they've fucked up...People who used to be healthy.
Submitted by Banga3386 (user info) at 2005-01-11 03:47:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Jesus christ man, I truly feel for you sir. I had extreme pain in my groin like what you described but only had to endure it for a little over 2 months while the urologist figured out what it was. He eventually fixed me right up but I can't imagine having that pain for half as long as you have had to deal with it. My heart goes out to you.
Submitted by Chroniclysm (user info) at 2005-01-11 03:09:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 because that sounds like a shitty ass illness that no man should have to deal with.
Submitted by ChronicMasturbator (user info) at 2005-01-11 02:58:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Shit man, I would avoid the military if possible. All those ads make it look good, but in reality they can be assholes.