Veterans' Health
Vietnam Vet Hopeful New Pentagon Guidelines Help Him And Others Gain Benefits
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Conley Monk, a Vietnam War veteran who has been fighting for decades to have his military discharge status upgraded, expressed hope Friday that new Pentagon guidelines will help him and other Vietnam Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder finally get federal benefits. PTSD was not designated as a medical condition until 1980. Some 70,000 Vietnam veterans who suffered from undiagnosed PTSD were given less-than-honorable discharges for their behaviors and many were denied medical, educational and other federal benefits and had trouble securing employment. “I’m a fighter. I won’t quit,” said Monk, who left the military in 1971.