Craig Theodore Steele

1412 Chapel Hill Lane SW

Marietta Georgia 30008

 

To Who this may concern;

I would like to submit a request for compensation from the US government for an incident I suffered while on active duty in the US Marine Corps.

26 Jan 1976 I was accepted into United States Marine Corps Reserves as an Enlisted man. I graduated high school with a 3.4 GPA with honors and I got a 92 percent on the military entrance exam. In the reserves we were required to be at the military base I weekend a month and 2 weeks active duty every year for 6 years.

23 Jul – 6 Aug 1997 I was on active duty was 4th Marine Division, FMF, USMCR at Mountain Warfare Training Center, in Bridgeport, California. This training consisted of rock climbing with no safety nets, water rafting in the pacific ocean, and force marching. Force marching is very difficult and physically taxing. We were in a sunny hot desert and the average temperature was 115 degrees! Force marching is very fast walking and keeping in step with whom ever is in front and behind you. While walking along I suddenly passed out. I don’t remember passing out. However, the next thing I knew I was sitting under a tree or something, a bunch of other Marines pouring canteens of water on my head and asking me was I OK. People told me I dropped like a sack of potatoes and didn’t move. They said they thought that I was dead. Once I got my wits just about straightened I jumped right back marching with everyone else. I felt fine and didn’t think I had any internal damages. I was 23 years old at that time.

At 32 years old I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I was put on Norvasc a calcium channel blocking medication. This made my blood vessels stay open which caused me to feel like as was cold constantly even in the summertime. It also caused some major mood swings.

I had a heat stroke in the summer in 2013. Damn near died. Was in the hospital for about 6 days. I was flying back and forth from Marietta GA to Renton Washington. This is about a 6 hour plane ride through temperature zones, time zones and disrupted sleeping schedules. Very stressful on the mind and body. I flew back to Washington all screwed up. I was working at Providence Health and Services Organization. I was falling asleep off and on all day, would mess up and miss training sessions and could not be on time for just about everything. I forced quit and went back to Georgia for good.

I had a second stroke in 2022. My speech was slurred, could barely see, could not make simple decisions, thought that I was OK but just about completely lost all physical control of muscles and thought processes. I was very confused and scared. This put me in the hospital for 6 days. I now can not be out in direct sun light for long, can not do strenuous outside work,  and I move much slower.

I believe all of my physical and mental problems started with that initial falling out in the California desert way back in 1977. I do have my dd214, I do have my Honorable Discharge, I do have my Mountain Warfare Certificate and USMC Certificate of Acceptance.

I request to file a compensation claim to the US government based on all of the pain suffering I have endured since from 1977 until now.

Sincerely,

Craig T. Steele