From serving in Iraq to being homeless for six months, Chattanooga native Thomas Ragland has experienced much in his 43 years of life.
At the age of 18, Ragland enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school graduation and scoring high on a standardized test examining aptitude for military service.
Since his parents could not afford college tuition, the military seemed optimal for aiding his education, he said in a phone interview.
Part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Ragland said he spent time working as a supply specialist and also ran the Chattanooga arms room, where weapons and military equipment are stored, for his unit.
He served from September 2000 until May of 2002, returning stateside around age 20.
"Serving in the military actually gave me a lot of discipline," Ragland said, "just helped me out as far as maturity. A lot of that discipline really helped me out as a person once I came back to the states."
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But the work and training also proved to be a lot for Ragland, and he said being deployed overseas can take a toll on people due to what they see and experience while away.
The transition to civilian life was extremely hard, he said. While he was deployed, Ragland's close friend and co-worker, who ran the arms room in the unit's Nashville detachment, died. His death increased duties for Ragland.
"It's a really hard situation to be working right next to someone one day, and the next day, they're not there anymore," he said.
Ragland also showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in combat, and depression prevented him from taking care of himself, he said.
Many of the things Ragland did before deployment became harder due to noise upon his return home. Everyday tasks others take for granted like paying bills, dressing and taking care of oneself were difficult due to constant stress, he said.
PTSD has a way of making someone feel alone, he said, and many people don't understand what veterans have been through.
"No matter how much you try to forget about what happened, you never can forget about it," he said. "It's something that you live with the rest of your life."
Ragland isolated himself from people, fishing more often to give himself time to evaluate how things were going in his life, he said.
Provided services
- Resume writing
- Vocational assessments and evaluations
- Mock interview preparation
- Transportation to and from work for some veterans
- Help people obtain bus passes
- Job coaching
- Creating jobs in the community for veterans in need
Source: Connie Gallon, vocational rehabilitation program manager for the Veteran Health Care Administration
HELP AT VA
Ragland now works at the Chattanooga National Cemetery, but eight years before he got the job, his grandparents died. He was living with his grandmother, and a subsequent family situation left him homeless.
Through the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ragland discovered the compensated work therapy progam, which helped him obtain an apartment and temporary work as a cemetery caretaker that became permanent.
The program's goal is to help veterans transition into employment, placing quality candidates with quality employers and helping them maintain work or return to school depending on their desire, said Connie Gallon, vocational rehabilitation program manager for the Veterans Health Administration.
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The transition from being a soldier to being a civilian is a drastic change, she said, one she knows well as a veteran herself.
The compensated work therapy program is for veterans with occupational barriers to employment, Gallon said. The person in need may have post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition or be an amputee.
"It could be a physical disability, a mental disability or just transition issues returning back to civilian sector," Gallon said by phone.
The program's positive effect on helping veterans secure and maintain employment for longer periods of time is supported by evidence and research, she said. There is a decrease in hospitalization or suicide among those who maintain jobs.
"Employment is one of those social determinants of health, and so we focus on that," she said. "The long-term benefits of work and the support of our program, it's been beneficial to veterans across this area for some time."
The work program is embedded within other services offered at Veterans Affairs, such as primary care and mental health to ensure comprehensive aid is provided.
The program operates on a medical consultation model, meaning those in need receive a consultation from a primary care provider before Gallon does a thorough review and an assessment, she said.
The latter focuses on the veterans' desires and goals and determines whether there are things the VA in its role as a medical facility can help them work on.
A vocational piece is also involved, Gallon said.
The case is then assigned to a vocational counselor at the Veterans Affairs location closest to the former service member, and the employees follow up with the veteran within three days to explain which services will be provided.
"We are a voluntary program," she said. "There's no fee to come and see us, to work with us. The goal is just for us to help you, and when you're ready for us to discharge, then we do."
Many veterans who work at Veterans Affairs have been placed in and maintained employment via the work therapy program, Gallon said.
Veterans are employed at warehouses, agencies, tool supply companies, hospitals and more through the program.
"We believe that veterans make the best employees," she said.
Gallon said more than 500 veterans have been served this fiscal year by the program, which is located on the Chattanooga, Nashville and Murfreesboro campuses.
Veterans within a 30-mile radius of each location qualify for the program's services, Gallon said, but the program also works with community partners to link veterans in outlying areas to services.
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Photo GalleryHow a VA program helps veterans in Tennessee gain work, compensation
'ULTIMATE SACRIFICE'
Ragland said the current state of Veterans Affairs is much better than it was in the early 2000s when he began seeking help through the department.
Back then, he didn't know about the benefits or that he could receive health care, and he felt he had to do everything on his own. Now, he said, more people know what the department has to offer.
Veterans can more easily access help by scheduling appointments and applying for disability claims online instead of waiting to do so in person at a Veterans Affairs hospital for hours, he said.
"It seems like they just help you out a lot more now than they did 20 years ago," he said. "They call and check up on you, and they call and let you know that you have appointments. They just really show that they're concerned about veterans."
Ragland is thankful for Veterans Affairs giving him the opportunity for employment at the Chattanooga National Cemetery, allowing him to work with fellow veterans and their families.
The job has helped with his PTSD and lifted his spirits, making him feel he is wanted somewhere, unlike other companies that made him feel like a liability, and didn't want to hire him due to his veteran status, he said.
Ragland wants people to know there's nothing wrong with veterans who have served in war, he said. They have seen and experienced more than the average person, but they are hard-working men and women, bringing something to the table at any job, he said.
It's hard being a veteran, Ragland said, but veterans are good people.
"Veterans, even though we go through a lot," he said, "vets are no different than anybody else."
Contact Leah Hunter at [email protected] or 423-757-6673.