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The first person that you see in the VA is not a grunt. It's somebody who knows what they are doing

Harold Bud Smith, US Air Force 1959 - 1962, talks about why he didn't ask for help with his PTSD right away.

Transcript

I went to the VA, I think it was back

when I lost my second Vietnam Veteran friend, Eddie.

He shot himself.

I went to the VA and it was a really bad experience.

This was back in, I think 1978 maybe '76 somewhere

around there.

And they had a GI, a grunt, at the reception desk.

He was not a professional and it was a really bad experience.

That's not like that today.

Your first person that you see in the VA is not a grunt.

It's somebody who knows what they are doing,

so that's a big improvement.

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