By Steven B. Brooks
Since it opened in 2018, The American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation (VA&R) service office at the John H. Geiger Operations Center (GOC) in Indianapolis has successfully filed or appealed more than $195 million in Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation for veterans.
But those are just numbers, albeit staggering ones. Behind those numbers, though, are stories. And a small handful of them were shared Oct. 3 during a special event at GOC that brought together veterans who have been assisted by staff at the office for the opportunity to talk about the impact The American Legion has made on their lives.
Four Vietnam War veterans were in attendance, while a fifth veteran living in Alabama joined the event via ZOOM. There to hear their stories were American Legion National Commander Daniel J. Seehafer, VA&R Director Tiffany Ellett and national staff.
A photo was placed on the wall inside the service office of each veteran prior to their time to speak, which included stories of frustration and then gratitude after a Legion representative was able to help them get the benefits they’d earned.
The event was organized by Tony Cross, team lead for the Indy-based VA&R staff. “This office, we opened it up in 2018 with the idea that we would be a sister office to our Washington, D.C., office. I can’t begin to tell you the journey we’ve been on,” Cross said. “A lot of people that come here … they really need help. Today’s about them. Some of them weren’t going to file (claims). Some of them were hesitant to file. These stories are real. These stories are amazing.”
“I Thank God for The American Legion.” Mike Chastain joined the U.S. Army in 1966 and served in Vietnam until 1969. After some time in the Army Reserves, he rejoined active duty in the Army in 1977 before retiring in 1995. While in Vietnam, his landing zone received regular heavy fire from the enemy. He also narrowly missed being hit by a mortar while in bed, saying a voice told him to get out of the building – though he was the only man in it.
“When I came home, I didn’t know it, but I had things in my brain that I never did before,” said Chastain.
He was one of five brothers who served in the military, three of whom had tours in Vietnam. One of those was instrumental in connecting Chastain with American Legion Claims Specialist Steve Voller.
Chastain had first gone to the VA in Dayton before being referred to the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. It was at Roudebush he was told he needed to file a benefit claim and was given forms to fill out.
Chastain reached out to one of his brothers for advice and was told that, “The American Legion is the best place to go,” he said. “And you know what? The American Legion is the best place to go.”
Chastain came to the Indy office and met initially with Cross, who told him to gather up any documentation he had of his service. Chastain had kept track of his military service in Vietnam in a diary. Voller was able to get Chastain service-connected for post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I thank God that we’re here today, and I thank God for every one of you,” Chastain said. “I thank God for the USA, and I thank God for The American Legion (and) for Tony and Steve.”
“I Want to Thank The American Legion.” Though his service from 1966 to 1968 in the U.S. Army included time in Vietnam, Leland McDaniel never felt he was owed any kind of VA disability compensation. “For years, I had people tell me, ‘You should go file.’ And I didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I deserved it. During my tour in Vietnam, I came under minimal fire. Nothing drastic. Was not wounded. And thought I had come home scot-free.”
But he also admitted seeing things in Vietnam that stayed with him. “I didn’t realize what PTSD was, or what Agent Orange had done to people,” McDaniel said. “I have no idea where I came in contact with Agent Orange, but I did. And I’ve got physical problems because of it.”
McDaniel was able to connect with American Legion Claims Specialist and Team Trainer Ken Hagner in the Indy office. Hagner urged McDaniel to file, but it wasn’t until McDaniel’s wife, Janet, suggested it as well did he do so.
“I just didn’t feel worthy of what was trying to be told to me,” McDaniel said. “I finally did come in and see Kenny and Tony, and they filed the papers and everything, and I got rewarded in that respect. I feel if the veterans would only listen to the people that are trying to help them, if they would come forth, The American Legion is a great place to come. I want to thank Tony and Ken, and I want to thank The American Legion for all the help they’ve given me and my family. Thank you so very much.”
“It’s Changed Our Life.” Donald Ent served in the U.S. Army from 1967-1970, including a tour in Vietnam that exposed him to Agent Orange. His wife, Evelyn, said he filed a claim for the Agent Orange exposure in 1986, but the doctor said he couldn’t document it. Another time, she said, Donald was offered “a raise” from his disability rating of 10 percent.
“They just led us around one time after another,” she said. “I told him, ‘I am not going to give up.’ He kept saying, ‘They’re not going to do anything for me.’ But I drug him along with me.”
Evelyn said a friend recommended trying The American Legion, which is where they met Cross and American Legion Claims Specialist Landry Foley. The couple provided documentation and photos of Donald being in areas that would put him in direct exposure to Agent Orange.
Working with Cross and Foley, the Ents were able to get a favorable response from VA resulting in a new disability rating, as well as getting medication to deal with the first stage of Alzheimer’s.
“I’m very thankful,” Evelyn said. “Without the help of Tony and Landry, I don’t think we still would be anywhere today. We consider them our close friends. We appreciate … I don’t know how to say it. It’s changed our life. We’re able to help our daughters if they need help. Whatever we want to do, we do have the funds to do it now. Before, it wasn’t as easy. I can’t say enough about these people. They both go to the most major thing they can do to help you.”
“I Love This Country, and I Love The American Legion.” Very early into his tour in Vietnam during his service in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 1971, Bill Clarke learned very early on the severity of his situation. Seconds after being dropped off via helicopter with his unit, he was running to a trench as enemy artillery fire whizzed past him.
His service took him from Khe Sanh to Da Nang and other locations. He was wounded and said around half of his company got wiped out during one operation. He also was exposed to Agent Orange.
When he returned home, he was awarded a 10-percent disability rating but started dealing with other medical issues, including heart problems. The 43-year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department was advised to meet with Cross by Clarke’s son Ryan, who Cross had assisted with a benefits claim. After talking, Cross asked Clarke to write a lay statement about his service in Vietnam. Clarke came back with 22 pages detailing various aspects of that service, including the mental health side.
Cross said seven of the 22 pages were “occasions of the worse, that I couldn’t even picture.” Cross asked if he could share it with the rest of his team; Clarke said yes.
“We all carry it at our desks,” Cross said. “When you think of having a bad day, you just read that. And this is what changed my whole (approach) to being a service officer.”
Cross was able to get Clarke’s rating upgraded. “He filed everything for me,” Clarke said. “I don’t know how to describe it. If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have ended up with any benefits. I love this country, and I love The American Legion.”
“The Best Advocate I Have Had.’ LaMargaret McArthur served in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1992 before she had to leave for medical reasons.
“It was my honor to serve in the Army for nine years,” she said virtually during the event at the GOC. “But I had reached the point on active duty where I had a number of physical issues … and I felt like I had reached a point where I could no longer effectively serve the Army as I wanted or I needed to.”
McArthur started her claims process using a service officer in rural Alabama that she said, “appeared to be very uncomfortable helping women veterans, especially with predominantly female issues.” Admitting she was very naïve when it came to navigating the VA benefits system, she followed the service officer’s advice in 1992. Two years later she got her initial rating and then spent the next 11 years developing more complex medical issues. VA medical staff couldn’t provide a diagnosis, so she eventually went to an outside medical provider and underwent surgery that revealed her conditions were directly related to her military service.
That started her down another path of filing with VA in 2006 that went on to 2020. “It was an extremely difficult journey because during all that period of time … I had denials, appeals, reprimands, notices of disagreements, more tests, more check-ups,” McArthur said. “I tried using my local VSO, calling around in my state. I even went to try to call my congressman to get help in that direction – all to no real avail. I really felt like I had been passed around.”
It was then she reached out to the Legion’s Washington, D.C., office, which connected her with American Legion Claims Specialist Landry Foley in the Indy office. McArthur admitted that at first, she felt she was being passed around again.
“I was extremely incorrect,” she said. “Landry suggested we look more intently at her medical records. She said, ‘You have some secondary conditions that truly needed to be looked at,’ and that while it was a complex case, it did require further attention and, quite frankly, some additional compensation. She really listened to all I had to say and was able to provide some precise direction for me.”
The end result: a favorable response, “more than I ever could have expected,” McArthur said. “I never would have reached that without Landry being right there with me, making recommendations and pointing me in the right direction. Landry invested herself into getting the absolute best outcome for me. And most importantly to me, Landry was willing to get in the ditch with me. I finally felt that I had someone who was willing to be in the thick of it and stick it out.
“Landry has been the best advocate I have had the entire time I have been involved with the VA system. Her help has been invaluable to me and my family. Because of the assistance she has provided me, I can now contribute financially and feel more valuable to my family.”
Not Just An Organization. After the stories were shared, Seehafer thanked the veterans while noting what the Indy VA&R office does every day falls directly into the Legion’s Be the One suicide-prevention initiative.
“When we say, ‘be the one,’ this is not just a fancy slogan or a campaign. It is a mission,” the national commander said. “That mission is to reach one (veteran) at a time. We are a family that changes lives and saves lives. That is the bottom line.
“We’re not just an organization. We’re a lifeline. We don’t charge. We do it because you earned it. Never forget that. You are our brothers, our sisters, our family.”
