美国国家公共电台 NPR--One Native veteran's new mission: Fill in the gaps of VA care on his reservation

One Native veteran's new mission: Fill in the gaps of VA care on his reservation

Transcript²

POPLAR, Mont. — When Jestin Dupree got out of the Army in 2014 after 17 years, he was tired.

"I ended up doing five tours of duty overseas. I went to Bosnia in 2001, Afghanistan in 2003, Iraq in 2005, Iraq in 2007. And then [Iraq] again in 2010," he says, "My body was ... the 'check engine' light came on."

He moved home to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana, but things didn't calm down for him right away. He got on the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal³ Council there, and even went to Washington, D.C., to testify before the Senate about VA care for Native vets⁴. He was invited to serve as one of 15 vets on the first-ever VA Secretary's Advisory⁵ Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs. That was around the time he realized that he'd been trying to help his people without taking the time to help himself.

"I guess I've been so busy ... getting out of the military diagnosed with PTSD myself, I haven't been able to seek care," he recalls.

And when he tried to get the care, he says, it wasn't easy.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the military at proportional rates higher than any other group, but they often have trouble accessing care because VA facilities are far away or backlogged⁶. It took Dupree six months to get an appointment, he says, and when he did, the therapist wasn't a vet¹, he wasn't Native, and it didn't go well.

"My first time actually opening up with mental health. Being through these countries I've been through and being through these situations, a lot of my friends have killed themselves that I've deployed⁷ with," he says, "To hear a guy who's never been through what I've been through, tell me, you know, to me, it was like, he's brushing it off."

Studies show Native vets have higher incidence of PTSD — and Dupree says there's still a strong stigma⁸ around getting help with mental health. That first bad experience was enough to put him off.

"They had called me four days after, and I said, 'You know what? Do me a favor, lose my number. Don't ever call me again. I don't feel comfortable talking to you guys,' " he says.

What did make Dupree feel better was helping⁹ other veterans. He took a job with the tribal government checking on the vets who live all over the reservation, which stretches for 90 miles along U.S. Route 2 in northeastern Montana.

"Life's a little slower, but in turn, I enjoy going to meet these other veterans. A lot of 'em don't know the help that's available for them," says Dupree.

Some days Dupree is driving vets to their appointments at the VA in Billings, Mont., — about 10 hours round trip, and that's in the summer, when it's not snowing. Other days, he just makes his rounds, checking in on older vets who don't have cellphones or internet. And some vets he likes to visit because it's fun for him — like Kenneth Ryan, the former tribal chairman.

"You can't become a leader of your tribe until you've gone to war," Ryan said, explaining why Natives serve in such high numbers.

Ryan joined the Army in 1965, to be a paratrooper. Instead, the Army decided¹⁰ he was too good at typing and made him do clerical work. That was hard, because Ryan wasn't sure he was truly fulfilling the warrior¹¹ tradition. But his elders told him he had.

"They called you and you went, you didn't say no. And you would've done anything they had you do," he says.

Veterans are honored at tribal ceremonies and celebrations — and Ryan says he was welcomed home with a song.

"Well they sang that song for me. So that's how I'm — I'm a veteran. And I'm one of the most privileged men in the whole world," Ryan says.

Jestin Dupree says helping veterans access their VA benefits and filling in the gaps in VA care on the reservation is his new mission.

"Like, if I wasn't doing anything today, I would go check on every single one of 'em," he says.

1 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

5 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

6 backlogged   

（使）积压( backlog的过去式和过去分词 )； 储存； （为日后装运而）登账确认（订货）

参考例句：

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。