N.S. veteran fed up with bureaucracy

A Nova Scotia veteran of the war in Afghanistan says he's fed up with the delays and bureaucracy at Veterans Affairs Canada.

Danny MacIntyre of Fall River served two tours in Bosnia and one in Afghanistan. Heheld the rank ofmaster corporal when he was released from the Canadian Forces in 2006.

"I don't like to go to the dark places," said MacIntyre, 38,as he recounted his time in Afghanistan.

As a member of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, MacIntyre was one of the first Canadian soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. He spent seven months under nearly constant stress.

He said that after he came home, he was angry, violent and eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"My son came to me, he was young at the time," MacIntyre told CBC News.

"He said, 'Dad, how come you're so different?' It's emotional for me because I go right back to that time and I go, 'What do you mean?' and he goes, 'Well, you're not the same person.'"

MacIntyre said he finds it difficult to sleep and he is physically only able to work part time. He said he is also suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, nerve damage to his right knee, andskin rashes.

He said Veterans Affairs has turned him down for each of his medical claims. MacIntyre is appealing the decisions.

"You have to go through so many things and jump through so many hoops and see so many specialists, if you want to do that, you're not going to be able to work," MacIntyre told CBC News.

"It takes so long and you need so much documentation. It's almost like they want to disprove you."

A spokesperson for Veterans Affairs Canada said the department has clinics and other services to support veterans as they deal withthe paperwork.

MacIntyre said he considers himself one of the lucky ones because he gets a monthly pension from the government. He said many soldiers returning home will not be as fortunate, and will instead have to settle for a lump-sum payment.

"I loved serving my country and wearing the uniform," he said. "It's when you got hurt, when you needed the help, they weren't there to help you."