IF
IF YOU
IF YOU HAVEN'T ACTIVATED THEM, THAT WILL COST YOU ANOTHER $2
PER TRIP.
PER TRIP.
PER TRIP. >>> THIS VETERANS DAY, THIS IS
THE FIRST YEAR ONE KITSAP
COUNTY VETERAN IS FEELING OUR
NATION'S PRIDE.
NATION'S PRIDE. >> GEORGE AQUINAK WENT TO WAR.
HE WAS SHAMED AND FORGOTTEN.
>> Reporter: THAT'S GEORGE AT
HIS MOM'S HOUSE, SITTING NEXT
TO HIS WIFE, WHO SET UP THE
CAMERA.
CAMERA.
CAMERA. YOU CAN HEAR THEIR DAUGHTER,
AND NIECE IN THE BACKGROUND.
THAT SIGH SAYS A LOT.
THIS 37-YEAR-OLD ARMY VETERAN
FROM BREMERTON IS ABOUT TO OPEN
A LETTER THAT HOLDS A LIFE
ALTERING DECISION.
ALTERING DECISION. >> I WAS KIND OF DREADING
OPENING UP THE LETTER, BECAUSE
I HAD THIS FEELING THAT IT WAS
GOING TO BE BAD.
>> Reporter: SO WHY WERE THOSE
PAPERS IN THE ENVELOPE SO
IMPORTANT?
IMPORTANT? TO UNDERSTAND, YOU NEED TO HEAR
SOME OF HIS BACKGROUND.
>> THERE WAS A PRETTY INTENSE
COMBAT DEPLOYMENT.
COMBAT DEPLOYMENT. >> HE WAS JUST 21 YEARS OLD,
WHEN HE DEPLOYED TO IRAQ AT THE
START OF THE INVASION.
HE WAS AN INTRIMAN.
THERE HE IS IN 2003, POSING IN
FRONT OF THE HOME WHERE THE
U.S. MILITARY KILLED SADDAM
HUSSEIN'S SONS.
HUSSEIN'S SONS. >> I HAD A COUNSELOR ONE TIME
ASK ME HOW MUCH DO I THINK
ABOUT IRAQ.
ABOUT IRAQ. I TOLD HIM I PROBABLY THINK
ABOUT IRAQ 70% OF THE DAY,
EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE.
>> Reporter: BACK IN AMERICA,
TWO YEARS LATER, HE WAS LEAVING
MILITARY SERVICE AND RECEIVED
HIS DISCHARGE PAPERWORK.
BUT SOMETHING WAS DESPERATELY
AMISS.
AMISS.
AMISS. >>
AMISS. >> YOU LOOKED AT YOUR PAPER.
THAT SHOWED YOUR MILITARY
HISTORY, AND IT SAID YOU DID
NOT GO TO IRAQ.
>> DID NOT GO TO IRAQ.
DID NOT EARN ALL OF THESE
AWARDS.
AWARDS.
AWARDS. IT WAS PRETTY EMPTY.
>> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT.
THERE WAS A MISTAKE ON AN
IMPORTANT FORM.
IMPORTANT FORM. THE PAPER VETERANS NEED WHEN
THEY GO OUT IN THE CIVILIAN
WORLD TO PROVE THAT THEY
SERVED.
SERVED.
SERVED. INSTEAD OF SHOWING NEARLY 7
MONTHS OF FOREIGN SERVICE, HIS
RECORDS SHOWED HE DIDN'T SERVE
OVERSEAS AT ALL.
>> THEY JUST PROBABLY NEVER
UPDATED THE FILES FOR ME.
>> Reporter: THAT WASN'T ALL.
AFTER COMBAT, SUFFERING FROM
PTSD AND BIPOLAR DISORDER, HE
SAYS HE TURNED TO SMOKING POT
TO HELP HIM COPE.
SO THAT LED TO THE ARMY KICKING
HIM OUT.
HIM OUT.
HIM OUT. WITHOUT AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE,
HE HAD DOORS SLAMMED IN HIS
FACE WHEN HE TURNED TO THE
COMMUNITY FOR HELP.
>> THEY THOUGHT I WAS
FALSIFYING THE DOCUMENTATION.
THAT I WAS LYING ABOUT ALL OF
OF THESE COMBAT EXPERIENCES,
AND THAT BASICALLY, THAT I WAS
DEFRAUDING THE VA TO GET
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS. >> Reporter: THE POOR TREATMENT
LASTED 15 YEARS.
AT ONE POINT, HE EVEN GOT A
LETTER FROM A LOCAL VETERAN'S
NONPROFIT, DENYING HIM A
SERVICE DOG.
SERVICE DOG. >> I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS
DISCRIMINATION.
DISCRIMINATION. YOU KNOW, MY BUDDY, HE SAID YOU
WORE A NECKLACE OF SHAME FOR 15
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. >>
YEARS. >> Reporter: FED UP WITH THAT
SHAME, HE APPEALED TO AN ARMY
BOARD, TO FIX HIS RECORDS, AND
GIVE HIS ENTIRE UNIT THE MEDALS
THEY DESERVED.
THEY DESERVED. THE BOARD'S DECISION TWO ENTIRE
YEARS AFTER HIS APPEAL.
>> DOES THAT MEAN YOU GOT
EVERYTHING?
EVERYTHING? >> DID YOU GET EVERYTHING?
>> Reporter: EVERYTHING AND
MORE.
MORE.
MORE. UPGRADED TO AN HONORABLE
DISCHARGE, AND GIVEN NOT ONE,
BUT SIX NEW AWARDS, PLUS THE
CREDIT FOR THE MONTHS HE SERVED
IN IRAQ, AND HE HAD HIS MOM
THERE TO SHARE IN THE
CELEBRATION.
CELEBRATION. >> DID YOU GET IT, GEORGE?
>> YEAH, THEY GAVE ME
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. >> CONGRATULATIONS, BABY.
YOU GOT IT FOR EVERYBODY,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >>
RIGHT? >> ISN'T THAT AMAZING?
ON A VETERANS DAY, GETTING YOUR
HONOR BACK.
HONOR BACK. HOW COOL IS THAT?
HOW COULD THAT EVEN HAPPEN
THOUGH?
THOUGH?
THOUGH? >> THAT'S THE THING, WE DON'T
KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
HE SAY IT IS COULD HAVE BEEN A
PAPERWORK ERROR.
PAPERWORK ERROR. HE SAYS AFTER IT HAPPENED TO
HIM, HE DECIDED HE WANTS TO BE
A VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER.
NOW HE IS VOLUNTEERING AT THE
VFW.
VFW.
VFW. HE
VFW. HE WANTS TO GIVE BACK TO PEOPLE
AFTER EXPERIENCING WHAT HE DID,
AND SEEING HOW REWARDING IT WAS
TO GET THAT HONOR BACK.
>> AND TO HAVE IT RESTORED.
>> WISHING HIM A HAPPY VETERANS
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. >>
DAY. >> IT SEEMS LIKE THE LARGER THE
BUREAUCRACY, IT'S HARDER,
PEOPLE COULD FALL THREW YOU THE
CRACKS EASIER.
CRACKS EASIER. >> HE SAYS HIS UNIT WAS STILL
OVER IN IRAQ WHEN THEY CAME
BACK.
BACK.
BACK. THERE COULD HAVE BEEN REALLY
JUST A MISCOMMUNICATION, WE
DON'T KNOW.
DON'T KNOW. BUT SO GOOD THAT HE HAS IT
BACK.
BACK.
BACK. >>
BACK. >> THE RED TAPE, LOOK AT HOW