Iraq Veteran Battles Through Injuries, Nightmares
By Walter Grogan
Belleville, Ill.—Christopher Moore had a few jobs after high school in Columbus, Ohio, but he decided to join the military. His father, a former Air Force air-traffic controller, suggested Christopher follow in his footsteps. But his older brother, David, was a member of the Air Force security forces and Mr. Moore thought his job sounded more interesting. “It seemed like I’d be helping more people that way than controlling the flow of traffic in the air,” he said.
Mr. Moore, now 31, served in the security forces from September 2001 until September 2007. While stationed for a year and a half at Kirkuk Air Force Base in Iraq, he injured both ankles—his left ankle six times. It would swell until he couldn’t wear a boot. “My buddies would have to carry me to where we were going to sleep that night,” he said.
The injury should have sent him home, but “instead of leaving my buddies short, I just pressed on through the pain,” he said. “They knew I was hurting, but they understood why I stayed. I believed I was a vital person.”
Mr. Moore was injured in a two-story fall from an observation tower during a mortar attack. He landed on his feet and injured his left knee and ankle.
He had surgery on his left knee in 2009 at John Cochran Hospital in St. Louis. The knee and left ankle required more surgery. Mr. Moore said his left ankle hurts more than the right, but the right is stiff and aches. He can’t stand for more than 20 minutes. “I wish things would get better and different, but they’re not and that’s what stinks.”
While on tower duty, he witnessed daily mortar attacks and firefights. “It seemed like every other night there was a memorial service,” he continued. “You see one of your buddies roll over an IED [improvised explosive device] and see his Hummer blow completely apart, and you wonder if he made it. You’re in shock because that could have been it.
“I can say I’ve done some stuff that people shouldn’t have to do or want to do. You see things and have to do things that will haunt you to the end. It never gets better; you just try to tolerate it. There’s no cure,” Mr. Moore said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of anxiety disorder that can occur after a person has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death.
His wife insisted he get help. She also served in security forces in Iraq, and they met while they were stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. “If she hadn’t done that, I’d be in a real bad place,” he said. “We take it one day at a time. There’s no quick fix.”
He also struggles with irritable bowel syndrome, which interrupts his daily routine every 20 minutes.
The Moores have two children. They live on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and the income from the part-time job of his wife. SSDI is a payroll tax-funded, federal insurance program that provides monthly income if a person is unable to work because of a severe disability.
He applied for
SSDI on his own late in 2008 and was denied about three months later. He learned about Allsup on the Internet, after his psychiatrist suggested that he needed help to get through the disability application and appeals process.
Mr. Moore chose Allsup to help with his claim. Allsup received his request in June 2009 and the decision in March 2010.
“Allsup sounded more reliable than some of the other companies out there,” Mr. Moore said. He added that he appreciated Allsup’s service. “I was more than pleased,” he said. "They called to check on me. If I had questions, I could call them. They were eager to help.”
Founded in 1984 by a former Social Security Administration field representative, Allsup, happens to be based near Mr. Moore’s home in Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis. Recognized as the nation’s leading SSDI representation company, Allsup employs nearly 800 professionals who have helped more than 150,000 people with disabilities secure their SSDI and Medicare benefits.
Crediting his experiences in Iraq, Mr. Moore said he has daily occurrences of nightmares and flashbacks. “Things that people take for granted, I have trouble doing. I have a rough time being around people,” he said. “Why subject myself to those situations? I feel like a prisoner in my own house.”
Sometimes when he can’t sleep, he does pencil sketches and acrylic paintings. “I use it to relieve stress and escape reality,” Mr. Moore said. “I’m zoned and nothing else matters.”
He said that people with PTSD can cope with the disorder with a good support system. “If you have a good family and good support, and you seek help from a therapist or religion or the church, you can get through it,” Mr. Moore advised. “But don’t succumb to alcohol and drugs; get medication. You can’t leave it untreated. It’s a battle you’ll lose.”