Military spouse gone, but family refusing to be forgotten!

[Brandi]

Just passing along an email I received:

Greetings, I have sent this to several people including a few attorneys, all of which ignore or deny they can help. Please do something, please help me. I have spoken to several VA representatives. This is a widow's worst nightmare. I have exhausted every alternative legally given to me prior to a lawyer. In one system they have my husband rated 100% Permanent and total. The other branches can not or will not acknowledge it.I have run myself into the ground trying to make the government recognize his service and now his death and that we his family live on. I am losing faith in the US military and in turn the government. Please, please do not ignore me also. Anastasia Spruill I am Anastasia Spruill, I am contacting you for possible representation in my pursuit to hold the government accountable and receive compensation for the devastating and unnecessary loss of my husband David Neal Spruill. I can be reached at the contact information below. My husband passed away June 7th 2008. He died in a preventable vehicle accident. He was discharged from Fort carson Colorado under an odd and disgenuine code that was honorable. He was forced off of psychiatric medicine to ship to Iraq, and was sent against a MD's orders for asthma. He was put out with no resources given, we had to return to Texas and were left uncontacted unguided with no apparent recourse. Government had him one system (deers) still in reserve and in teh other system(VA) 100% service connected disabled due to unemployability. He attempted vocational rehabilitation and was turned down due to both physical and mental limitations due to service. He had in the processing phase a 100% permanent and total determination. He had 100% unemployability and a prior 80% service connected. He had TBI, PTSD, multiple physical injuries, and extreme depression and weight gain due to improper medications. I have in my possession the records to prove most of this. While serving in Korea he came down with what appeared to be asthma upon later inspection he had served most of his duty in an asbestos filled facility, where of which there were posted signs to wear a mask-one of course was not provided even after multiple requests. He was sent back to the states then not even one year later sent to Iraq AGAINST his dr's orders. When he was sent to Iraq he was forced through several physical tests (so his dr's orders could be over ruled) and taken off of several psychiatric medications by way of confiscation. He was in the process of taking them with him and had prescription and labeled bottles in his possession and they were confiscated. In theatre (in Iraq) he was told they were unable to get his psychiatric medications and so he was un-medicated then exposed to multiple explosions, one of which he lost consciousness for over two minutes, all of which he hit an injured his face, spine,hips,elbows, and wrists, lost a befriended comrade/local to shrapnel in which the guy's face peeled off in his hands and lost his close friend to a gun shot while taking his friend took his place on a convoy for supplies. When he returned from he suffered from extreme paranoia, fatigue, insomnia and lack of interest in anything and lack of appetite. He slept armed and woke startled and ready to shoot. He barely slept. I suggested he go back to the army shrink and get something to sleep. They mis-diagnosed him with bipolar disorder. Then the army found him unfit to continue his job (aircraft repair) and wanted to have him put out or at a desk. He not having graduated school and wanting to continue his job did not want a desk job. The army put him out under the same code they use to put out navy guys who get sea sick. They forced him out, refused him the medical discharge they owed him and any help there of. His father being the wonderful dad he is got him a job working for him. My husband unable to recall things and extremely anxiety ridden got into physical altercations and multiple verbal ones as well and was deemed no longer a necessity and not re-hirable for that company. He had several injuries while in service. He and his platoon where assisting a fork lift in lifting a shop because their superiors where behind schedule in shipping out, and were ordered to do so. He gained a calcium deficiency and the normal feet and knee issues from ruck sack runs and jumping from moving vehicles in military issued boots. He was prescribed multiple insoles and ankle supports which did not alleviate pain or solve the problem and after multiple reports to the orthopedic specialist settled that he was stuck with the problems. He had two torn rotator cuffs. Injury to his eye lid from work, multiple problems with his wrists and elbows, degenerative arthritis in most of his body including his spine, hip dysphasia, asthma (how they diagnosed it incorrectly), high blood pressure, extreme weight gain due to improper medications for bipolar (instead of TBI) and his knees were ruined. He could pull up his whole knee cap and move it around. He also suffered extreme anxiety attacks. After years of fighting with the VA and thousands of pages of paperwork, four or five interviews, and physicals we had gotten the VA to pay him at the 100% unemployability rate. In the mean time his health had steadily deteriorated. He had no pain relief. The VA clinic said they did not carry name brand pain relievers and so described him unhealthy doses of a tylenol based medication that caused his liver enzymes to raise to dangerously high levels. They were aware and said they could take him off of them but had nothing else to prescribe. They also instead of putting him on name brand pain relievers put him on muscle relaxers. This interacted with the psychiatric medications he was on and caused extreme black outs even while driving and walking and unfortunately gave him no recollection of the event. He lost all control of his bowels while sleeping both on and off his medications. He was embarrassed as most men would be at age 27 to not be able to control his bowels. He was told that if his sleeping medicines did not cause it they did not know why and could do nothing at the VA clinic. He was mortified. So at his death at age 29 my husband was barely able to keep from pooping his pants and had on many occasions in public. He both pooped and peed himself in his sleep. He had uncontrollable, unbearable pain and weight gain. He was ineligible for work between his many mental, physical problems and blackouts. He could not remember anything and was progressively getting worse. He had the consequence acceptance level of a six year old child. My husband had to take over 20 pills just to start to function, to even get out of bed in the morning and required medication up to four times a day. He had trouble breathing, holding his bowels, sleeping, waking, staying awake, functioning,walking, remembering and many other things. He stuttered and lost his train of thought. He was broken in both spirit and body. I fought for him and by his side. I rooted him on even when I could not understand what was going on. It was not until late in the year of 2007 that I even discovered the TBI or that the military knew all along. I was very upset. They broke him. He was a good solider, father, and husband. He deserved better. Even at his physical worst he was still a wonderful man. June 7th 2008 he died in a vehicle rollover. His truck was on a straight road no apparent cause for the wreck. It was a bright sunny saturday morning at 8am. There was no other traffic and no obstacles. He simply blacked out once again and drove off the road flipped his truck five times and died upon impact. In the coroner's report his internal organs showed all of the things we knew already existed. He could have been alive so many ways had the doctors providing care for him just done their job.. After his death I contacted the VA to see what I had to do, originally they would not speak with me. After much persistence I finally got someone to listen. They told me their services were over and I could try and get DIC, but shouldn't bother because I would not qualify. Tricare says we are ineligible for coverage because he died before the final determination of 100% permanent and total. GI bill says none of our family is eligible for coverage or benefits. They would not pay on my husband's large insurance. They did pay on his va disability insurance, which covered barely the funeral. My son has asthma, and cannot be insured. He was hospitalized several times. I finally got state insurance for him. I am not eligible for coverage and had to wait almost a year to get in to see a counselor. Now I need them for grief counseling, and I have been diagnosed with secondary ptsd and extreme anxiety and depression. I almost lost my other son to rsv, had the military given us proper coverage this would not have occurred. We should qualify for tricare. We have been patient and tried to do things the way the military has said, but either they can not or will not do as they said and take care of our family. It is now too late for my husband and their negligence ahs cost us our bread winner, father, husband, soldier, son, uncle, and friend, my sweet husband. It has worn on our hearts and minds and physical personages as well. It has taken a toll on our family and to know it was all avoidable is infuriating. I have spent all of my time caring for my husband. I had to quit a job while pregnant to care for him. I have devoted myself to his care and military paperwork for some time. I can not believe they are saying that we, his family are no longer their problem now. He served this country. Gave his last strength and now they say "oh well"? What about us? We lost a great father/dad and provider too. We lost him because they failed to care for him on multiple occasions and during many avoidable circumstances put him in harms way. Please help us. He served for us, and his country. I am Anastasia Spruill, I am contacting you for possible representation in my pursuit to hold the government accountable and receive compensation for the devastating and unnecessary loss of my husband David Neal Spruill. I can be reached at the contact information below. Anastasia Spruill (phone numbers and address edited out for security purposes) stasia29@hotmail.com

[TaraB]

Wow. This makes me sad and mad at the same time. I hope she finds someone who will help her.

[laurel]

[leanne]

i feel really horrible for her i know what she means about the military abusing the soldier and my dh has had several problems with his meds and the treatments they have given him both while he was active and while he has been retired. the system that is supposed to be there for him and for us, really is not doing their job in many cases.

very sad i wish there was something i could do or say.