Diary of A Mad Sailor
My Swan Song
In 1994, I found my purpose: to create a community for veterans filing VA disability claims. In 1997, I made it a reality when I opened HadIt.com Veterans. 27 years later, the simple idea I had to help veterans help each through the VA claims process has reached over 14+ million visitors with 60+ million views. These stories are how I got there. The good, the bad and the ugly.
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The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Journey to My Bliss
This is my story. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
A Little Background
My name is Theresa M. Aldrich, also known as Tbird. I am the founder of HadIt.com, Veteran to Veteran. As HadIt.com entered its 27th year and I entered my 67th, I felt it was time I put my story on paper. I will consider it a success if it encourages or brings a smile to one person.
My Arrival Into the World
It was late afternoon, and Merial rushed home after work to check on my mother after a doctor’s appointment that the family thought for sure was cancer.
She rushed to the kitchen to find my mother in her rocking chair, chain-smoking, pale, and seemingly in shock. “Mom, Mom, what did the doctor say?” Merial asked; it took a few agonizing minutes, and then my mother said, “I’m pregnant.”
My Anxiety? Like Sitting Naked in the Middle of the Freeway.
It’s a metaphor. I was not naked in the middle of the freeway. However, it was the most descriptive way I could find to tell the doctors and therapists how I felt most of the time.
“So, you are feeling nervous all the time?” The doc asked, and I thought, “nervous?” I said, “Brother, this ain’t nervous, I’ve been nervous, and this ain’t it.”
Stories
The day after I left the Navy
My last day in the service was Dec 17, 1990. The next day, I was to experience what I can only describe as a Thunder Shook reentry into civilian life. It made the windows of my mind rattle.
The night I called the suicide hotline was a wild night
I left the U.S. Navy in December 1990 after eight years of service. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye. I had risen to Petty Officer First Class (E-6) rank as a Data Analyst. I’d had a perfect performance eval (4.0) from the time I made Petty Officer Third Class (E-4)
Interactions with Mother; All Tied Up Ironing
At 5, I had no impulse control
Mother was in the kitchen ironing, the smell of Niagara starch strong in the air. The smell of the starch, the back-and-forth of the iron, and the warmth of the kitchen were comforting.
The Night of Dreading
I stared at the ceiling, wondering how to escape a dangerous situation. When I was 13 or 14, I was allowed to go to the drive-in with a neighbor girl. My father letting me leave the house at night was a huge deal; he had never allowed that before. I asked for over a week, and he finally relented.
Darkness Descends
The living room picture window disappeared as my father pulled down the blackout shade and closed the heavy red drapes. Darkness enveloped us. The stove light was turned on, and all other lights were turned off. This signaled that 4:30 PM had come, and it was time to take our places.