why veterans commit suicide?

I have just read an article,written by a well known journalist who works for a well known news paper,it was titled "WHY DO VETERANS COMMIT SUICIDE" from my own personal perspective,i would say probably from frustration,frustration at a system that makes it so difficult to attain the services of a veterans hospital,a system in which the medical doctors and psychiatrist either dont want to rock the boat,dont care,or are afraid to render a proper diagnosis in order that the veteran dose recieve the compensation promised.
In my own case,i was a patient at tuskegee va hospital from 1980 untill 1990's i named incidencies,names and circumstances,was diagnosed in service and was still turned down when i submitted my claim,i was called a liar,a milingerer and even told that my wife was obese.
I recieved various diagnosis,among which was schitzo-affective,schitzophrenia,Bi-polar and babinski,it seemed that every time i checked into tuskegee i was given a different diagnosis and recieved different medication,all of which did no good.It was not untill i got lucky enough to get to the right psychiatrist at the right time that my condition was properly diagnosed and i recieved the right medication for my real problem which was post traumatic stress disorder,due to military trauma,this was in 1997 this was 17 years after my first admission to a va hospital,this despite the fact that by thier own requirements i had what is known as a presumptive condition.
Then there is the almost daily frustration of recieving the benefits promised both by the state code of alabama and the veterans administration,for instance,the code of alabama states that as a veteran,i am entitled to one free copy (certified) of any public record,however when you ask for your free copy,you are given any number of reasons why you must pay for them,and it is not only the county clerks and authorities that deny you what was and is promised,it is the county veterans service representatives as well and even that great bulwark of veterans called the american legion,it seems that if you are out spoken about your rights as a veteran that you are labeled a trouble maker and thus loose your status as a human being.If i seem bitter then i appologize,i am not really bitter,but i am concerned,i am concerned for all the veterans out there who need help and do not recieve it,i am concerned for all the service men and women that are now serving in the military and the almost insurmountable problems they will face in a few years when all that they are accomplishing will be forgotten and a new war will have taken precedence over thier benefits and needs,i am concerned for all the young people now contemplating a military career secure in the knowledge that thier government will take care of them if they become injured or have thier health ruined by service in the military of this great country only to find out too late that it is only lip service and empty promises.I do not mean to sound vitriolic,but i know how hard and long my struggle has been to recieve the benefits that i do recieve,i know how vindictive our elected public officials can be when pressed on the subject of veterans rights and unkept promises made to us by the state and country we served and protected,and how forgotten and alone we feel when those promises are not kept or just tossed aside like a worn out pair of combat boots.I would like to reiterate that these are solely my perceptions,but perceptions that have been forced upon me due to my long experience with the veterans administration and elected public officials.Thank you for reading these ramblings and above all "GOD BLESS AMERICA"

Story ID:	3312
Written by:	Bobby O'neill Mitchum (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Musings, Essays and Such
Location:	phenix city alabama u.s.a.
Year:	2007
Person:	self