Disabled veterans worker has 'been there'

Published Nov. 4, 2010
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Naomi Kraima empathizes with the veterans she assists daily. She's "been there."

Ms. Kraima, Disabled American Veterans transition services officer, meets with veterans at the office she shares with the Airman and Family Readiness Center at the Sablich Center. The "vets" she works with have served in the military from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan.

She explained, "I brief and counsel them and prepare VA claims for transitioning service members seeking VA entitlements." She noted that veterans frequently become frustrated when dealing with the VA system. "Some have combat-related issues and most have disabilities acquired during their service. I see all members undergoing medical evaluation boards."

She sees veterans on an appointment-only basis for 45 minutes per session.

"We go through their entire medical record. Disabilities run the gamut from arthritic knees to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), traumatic brain injury and sometimes to death-bed situations.In those instances, I make house calls."

An Air Force veteran herself, Ms. Kraima has been in her current position since 2007.

Because she has suffered PTSD herself she sometimes is affected emotionally when dealing with her clients.

"When someone says, 'You don't understand,' I tell them, 'Yes, I do.'"

Medically retired in 2007 as a staff sergeant, Ms. Kraima was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., as an aerospace control and warning system specialist involved in ground-control intercept when she deployed in April 2003.

"We deployed to Iraq via Kuwait," she recounts. "We had to convoy up to Baghdad after we got our equipment off a ship. It was May 13 and our scout got lost. The commander had us pull over so he could locate her. There was an explosion; my friend, Staff Sgt. Patrick Griffin, was killed. That was one of the biggest traumatic events I experienced."

But it wasn't the last. Several mortar rounds and gunfire hit the site where she was located.

"One mortar round hit a 'gas cow' (a tank placed on four legs that looked like a cow) about 100 feet from the tent I was working in."

She was in the seventh month of a year-long deployment when she received orders for Keesler. Here she served as an instructor before going through a MEB in 2007 and medically-retired, becoming the first "Air Force Wounded Warrior" at Keesler.

Discussing her own battle with PTSD, Ms. Kraima said she sought mental health help when she began hearing "booms" that weren't there, was having trouble sleeping, found herself being constantly angry and becoming emotionally detached from her two children.

"Tastes and smells would remind me of the desert and I would be back there," she said. "I felt like I was coming out of my skin. Loud noises would 'set me off,' and I was hyper-vigilant. I had no clue what was going on. I sought treatment as soon as I realized something was wrong. I went to mental health and asked them to 'fix it.' I've been seeing the same mental health provider - Carolyn Lamb - for six years. Stabilization is very important. With treatment, I am coping with it. Finding God and becoming involved in church has grounded me."

Ms. Kraima said one of her most valuable "resources" is Donna Anderson, 81st Medical Group Active Duty Wounded Warrior Program Manager. They work closely to ensure the "troops" receive all available assistance. Ms. Kraima observed that some older veterans believe filing a claim equates to receiving a handout but "we encourage them to file for the benefit of their families." In addition, "Some veterans are afraid they'll lose their benefits if they seek treatment."

Acknowledging the frustration veterans develop with the claim process, Ms. Kraima stressed that if a claim is completed properly initially, there usually would be no need for appeals. Ironically, she is in the third year of her own appeal.

Discussing veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, Ms. Kraima said, "Young men and women go over there and are exposed to things they had never seen or experienced before. This is hard on them. They return home and find it difficult to readjust." She continued, "It's hard for some to identify with someone who is struggling mentally; it's not always obvious. The major factor is how to cope. Will this (PTSD) be with you forever? Yes. How do you handle these things? If you don't handle something, it's going to handle you."

Commenting on the relationship she and Ms. Kraima have with the veterans, Ms. Anderson remarked, "They have to feel they can trust you". Ms. Anderson mentioned that Mississippi Army National Guard officials at Camp Shelby recently contacted her because they want to present a commemorative quilt to a Wounded Warrior. It was created by a base organization that works with families of deployed soldiers. She immediately knew who should be recognized: Naomi Kraima. The event is planned for Nov. 9 to coincide with Warrior Recognition Month.

Summing up her work with the nation's war heroes Ms. Kraima said, "I enjoy my work. It's very rewarding although there are some trying times emotionally. My primary goal is to take care of 'my vets' and get them the entitlements they deserve."

Originally from Queens, N.Y., Ms. Kraima resides in Gulfport with her three children.

Disabled veterans worker has ‘been there’