Organizing the troops

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Glenn Marshall spent his early years in Wissinoming, while Pauric Devine grew up in Ireland. Yet the two men have a great deal in common.
"Our boots have been in the same place," Marshall said.
That place was the Persian Gulf in the early ’90s. Both men were career soldiers.
Devine, a U.S. Army paratrooper, was a sergeant first class when he was medically discharged in 2005. In 1993, he had been injured twice in Somalia. The injury that led to his medical discharge occurred two years ago, while he was in Iraq.
Marshall, in his 23 years with the U.S. Navy, attained the ranks of chief gunner’s mate, enlisted surface warfare specialist, Seabee combat stevedore and command chief.
He retired in 1996 after being injured in a helicopter mishap. Marshall has endured five spinal surgeries and walks with the aid of a cane.
Both men are now disabled because of painful service-related injuries, along with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It was Devine and Marshall’s psychologist at the Veterans Administration who brought the men together. The doctor suggested that Devine consider starting a Philadelphia chapter of the Veterans of Modern Warfare.
Veterans of modern wars are considered to be those men and women who served between Aug. 2, 1990 — the date that the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, leading to America’s intervention with Operation Desert Storm — to the present day invasion of Iraq. Participants in the organization may have been either active or reserve military personnel.
After much thought and discussions with his wife, Devine decided to undertake formation of the chapter. The VA psychologist urged Marshall to get in touch with Devine, and the two men have been working together for five months now getting the organization up and running.
To date, VMW Chapter No. 6 has 26 members. Nationally, the organization has about 400 members.
The mission of Veterans of Modern Warfare is to provide education, advocacy and support for military personnel affected by the complexities of today’s warfare.
"It just clicked with me," said Marshall, who now lives in the Far Northeast. "I saw the opportunity to help other veterans, to be there in whatever way I could."
While the men concede that war is war, regardless of the era, they’ve walked the same streets and the same deserts, an experience that makes it easy for them to relate to each other.
As ambassadors for VMW, the men make frequent visits to the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, at 3900 Woodland Ave., to help fellow veterans navigate the system, making sure they get the attention and service they deserve.
Devine inevitably asks younger veterans how recently they returned home. When they ask how he knew, he tells them, "Dude, it’s written all over your face."
The South Philly resident recently helped one young Marine who had been prescribed the pain-relief medication Motrin after complaining of back pain. The doctor, however, never gave the young veteran a full medical evaluation. Devine hooked him up with a social worker who made sure that the soldier got the evaluation and appropriate treatment.
Devine and Marshall also deal with a common problem faced by combat veterans — post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health’s Web site, PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of such harm to a person or loved one, or after witnessing a traumatic incident.
"You’re seeing and involved in really horrendous things," Marshall said.
Most people with PTSD relive the trauma over and over in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These flashbacks are often triggered by everyday occurrences, such as a slamming door or a car backfiring on the street.
For veterans back from Iraq and Afghanistan, even a drive down Roosevelt Boulevard can be a source of anxiety — pieces of debris on the roadway may be regarded as possible Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, that were encountered during patrols of war-zone streets, the men said.
According to Devine, one common trait of PTSD is a lack of emotion.
"When you start to rediscover it, it’s overwhelming, especially on top of being injured. There is a definite correlation between PTSD and pain, and the other way around. Bodies remember with PTSD," Devine said, explaining that when the disorder flares, the pain does as well, and vice versa.
Marshall said he was always proud of serving his country and couldn’t believe it when his own PTSD symptoms began to surface so many years after his initial involvement in combat situations.
Devine agreed.
"When it comes to being involved in training or actual combat, you put the whole PTSD issue on the back burner," he said. "Your emotional abilities are stagnated and you withdraw from others not involved in the military."
Marshall recalled the pressures of trying to ensure the safety of those fighting next to him.
"When in war, you’re not fighting for God, country and apple pie. You’re fighting for your buddy standing next to you," Marshall said.
In his combat days, Devine was guided by the same philosophy.
"Make sure you bring your people home," he said. "But once you get them home, all of a sudden it’s over and done with."
While the emotional disorder is extremely difficult on vets, it’s even more so for their families.
"My fiancee had to wake me up when I was sitting on the edge of the bed or the sofa screaming, ‘Kill him, kill him. Open fire,’" Marshall said.
PTSD isn’t the only service-related illness experienced by Gulf War veterans. They have demonstrated a greater presence of multiple sclerosis and ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), compared to the general population.
Anthony Hardie, the legislative chairman and national treasurer of Veterans of Modern Warfare, testified last week before a health subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
In his testimony before lawmakers, Hardie said the troops were "exposed to a host of toxic exposures," including multiple low-level exposures to chemical warfare agents. The source of those exposures, he said, often was bombed munitions factories, and he added that other health problems were posed by the inhalation of particulates from burning Kuwaiti oil wells, a variety of pesticides and smoke generated by the daily burning of trash and feces.
While the focus of the national organization is on veterans’ issues, it remains non-political and is composed of members who are on both sides of the war debate.
The local chapter is extending membership to former service members — active, Reserve or Guard members — who served after Aug. 2, 1990 and would like to make life better for all veterans. Membership is free for the first year.
"You’re among brothers and sisters who have been there and done it with you," Marshall said. ••
An open house for veterans will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3, at 1517 E. Luzerne St. It is the post home of the Vietnam Veterans of America/Liberty Bell Post No. 266 and also the American Legion, Juniata Park Memorial Post No. 738, which have offered its use to the Veterans of Modern Warfare, Philadelphia Chapter No. 6.
The next VMW meeting also will be held there at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 13. For more information about the VMW, visit www.vmwphilly.4t.com
To learn more about veterans’ issues being discussed in Washington, visit http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/index.html
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com