The waiting game

I find it incongruous to be in the position of waiting for the BVA to make a decision on my claim. I have counseled many other Vets to be patient as the process is interminable. All the tired cliches such as a watched pot never boils seem horribly redundant to me in this predicament. It has been two months since my travel board hearing and I know I shouldn’t be expecting anything soon but I find myself at ebenefits every evening hoping to find that it has advanced to the next stage. No such luck. This is why I love gardening. Every morning in early spring a visit to the greenhouse is rewarded by the sight of something new coming up. Progress. The march of time. Visible proof that time is advancing. Where the BVA or the VA is concerned there is no corresponding news of advancement. I don’t suspect there will be anything meaningful before the 4th of July, but hope springs eternal in my breast. Sadly, advancement on the docket still does nothing to keep a Vet informed of the progress.

The informal military manual on combat arms and devices said that once the pin was pulled, Mr. Hand Grenade was no longer our friend. On paper, a prussic acid fuse in an M-26 lasted 5 seconds from actuation. Those can be the fastest 5 seconds of your life. I, for one, believe it’s 4 not 5. Not trusting Hollywood, I never held on to one any longer than I had to. I threw them spoon and all and worried about more important things. As most were dropped out the right window of our O-1, I didn’t have the luxury of counting anyway. It is my abiding hope that time will soon become compressed like this.