The Broken Soldier

Last week I received an email from someone near the top of the MI Guard totem pole.  A response to my begging for medical care.  In it the same distortions and exaggerations and threats and provocations and everything else I’ve come to expect from those who ‘go above and beyond’ for me.  The usual fare punctuated with some sort of washing their hands of me.  At first I was angry.  In anger I began writing a nasty letter of response restating for ten thousandth time the obscenity of all of this.  But after discussing the matter with my wife, my anchor and truly my better half, I decided against it.  Why give my opponent ammunition when he’s running out?

I was upset for a few days afterwards.  I really couldn’t believe what I was reading.  On the heels of receiving that email I got another nonsense filled email.  This one from some coward who seemed to confuse anonymously insulting me and those with whom I associate from a fake email address with putting forth a compelling counterargument.  I actually did write about it here, but later deleted the post.  If after the numerous links to the stories of other soldiers in similar situations one isn’t convinced there really is a problem, and that problem isn’t just me, the result of my failings, or my creation, I’m not sure how to reach that sort of person.  I’m not sure I need to reach that sort of person.

I was still pretty angry.  I was hating the MIARNG, and ruing the day I joined it.  But then it occurred to me that this email may be a blessing in disguise.  God does work in mysterious ways.  By washing its hands of me, and leaving my wife, my doctors and I to our own devices, as it were, in seeking medical care they’ve actually done me a great favor.  They’ve removed several layers of unhelpful, unconcerned, ineffective, and progressively more belligerent layers of impenetrable bureaucracy standing in the way of me and the medical care I need.  The rest of the stuff, incap pay, VA compensation, etc., I really don’t care about relative to possibly restoring my health.  Perhaps thanks are in order.  Thank you for getting out of my way.