My name is [_____].

My husband is currently being chaptered out under a personality order.

He was home for R&R leave and we got into an argument and he threatened to kill himself... [which] landed him in a hospital for a week and then the military psychologist diagnosed him with personality disorder.

He went to seek help with some PTSD issues before and they diagnosed him with "bipolar disorder", "OCD", and depression.  [My own comment: Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, as specified in the AMA standard DSM IV, are lifelong conditions.  AMA says Personality Disorders must not be diagnosed without a thorough social history w/evidence of long-term problems, and also are not valid when the person is in under unusual stress. Like war or serious medical conditions.  Like war, friends' death, PTSD, ...  ]  

Even as a psychology student I can assure you he has none of these things to include personality disorder. He may have gone through some depression after his first deployment but he was also going through a divorce to his wife of 10 years and just coming home from war and that is also when we met. He drank alot. He no longer drinks and hasn't for 2 years now. This latest incident I feel was just the pent up emotion of being gone and coming home and having to leave again.

The psychologist that diagnosed him only talk to him for about 20 minutes and blew everything he said out of proportion. She said he was hostile.   [My comment: This happens often, and will get worse as the military has even more trouble hiring psych/counselors who don't know the military.  Shifting from "war" mode to "nice tidy shopping mall"  will mess with anyone's head.  Add some high adrenaline, indescribably awful memories, and natural frustration with our bureaucratic HMO military health-care--not to mention a clinician who seems to be speaking a different language-- and you'd practically have to be crazy to *not* show a little hostility]

If you could meet my husband you would know he is the most gentle person in the world.The dr also said that his diagnosis changes from visit to visit. She also discounted his first diagnosis and stated he posed no harm to himself.

 We of course are trying to fight the chapter. He has been in 10 years so he is entitled to a review board..

Of course we live in military housing so not only too.  We loose our sole source of income we also loose our home. We have five children between us, He has 2 from a previous marriage and I have 3. All of which depend on his income. I am willing to do what ever I can to make this right but I don't know where to go from here.

 We are very scared as to what our future holds at this point. I really don't know how to live a civilian life. My dad was Army my grandfather my great grandfather and as far back as we can trace. The funny part is my husband is an orphan born in Honduras and brought to the United States when he was 14. He still choose to join and serve he went to Kosovo and Iraq twice.  [Thank God for people like your husband and you!!!]

The deployment to Kosovo and the first time to Iraq he never even blinked at. When he got home from Iraq is when his problems started. When it came time for him to go back to Iraq this last time you could tell it was killing him to go.

Now he is devastated that he just wanted a little help in dealing with all he had seen and been through and the army has turned their back on him. He is doing very well now hasn't had any problems since April... Most of the guys in his Rear Detachment are shocked when they find out what is being done to him and that he has a so called "personality disorder". He goes to work every day and still gives it his all he gets all the new troops ready to ship off to Iraq he is there every time one of his troops leaves. He is an excellent NCO he goes above and beyond for every single soldier that he is in charge of and alot that he isn't in charge of.    [This would explain why his leadership in Iraq had recommended him for the Warrant Officer Course, which is a huge honor & promotion, saying about his soldiership than I could]

We went through the review board and one of the Dr's admitted on the stand that if they had know everything that was happening with my husband at those times that he would have gotten a different diagnosis. [--Precisely why any Personality Disorder is never to be diagnosed without a social history, never during stressors like war, and never after one short appointment ]  The ...suspended [his chaptering] for one year so my husband could go get a proper diagnosis and clear his name. [as required by Army regulations!]

We just found out today that the colonel has decided to disregard the review boards decision and that we have 10 days to be out of the army to include today. [my comment: There is NO precedent for this.  DOD regulations say this is not right] 

Any advice or guidance you could give me would be greatly appreciated. I know it is a little crazy to have a complete stranger dump all this information on you like this but we are desperate right now.   [No, "crazy" would be standing by & letting your family get torn apart. Especially when the driving force is one vindictive officer who is wrong on all possible levels.]

Thank you so much for your time

xxxxxxx

Hang in there, we are with you ~

I cannot know how it must feel to be singled out, against Army regulations, to be forced out of home and job, with no reason to even give your kids why you have no home for Christmas.

I do know how helpless it feels to be doing the right thing and serving honorably, only to get screwed over by a higher-up who is not interested in leadership.  But with 18 combined years of wearing the Army uniform between my own spouse and me, we have NEVER heard of anything like this.   

 We don't yet know how to help, but somebody must --

ALL: Please send ANY ideas to //    
//  raginranger [at] gmail [dot] com // 

We care.  Your fellow vets & military wives care.  America cares. 

We must support you ~ as your family has selflessly stood up for us.