
Decades after returning home from Vietnam, a Marine Corps veteran was honored for his service and pinned by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Veteran Service Officer who helped him secure full disability benefits for his mental health wounds.
George Bowen Jr. was a Marine from 1971 to 1975 during the Vietnam War, and shortly after his separation from the military began suffering from a severe substance use disorder that would end up consuming most of his life.
“No one really knew what George did while in the service,” Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency Veteran Service Officer Eric Martin said. “His family said that it was never talked about.”
Due to his ongoing addiction and mental health struggles, Bowen had been working with numerous local Veteran Service Officers (VSO) since 2012 to get disability benefits. But it became a regular occurrence for him to miss appointments and disappear for days.
It was not until he moved into the Michigan Veteran Homes (MVH) D.J Jacobetti in October 2024 that his challenge of receiving recognition for his service-connected conditions would be acknowledged.
Following his move, Martin was contacted by a social worker to assist Bowen and shortly after, he was able to locate information that had previously been overlooked to support Bowen’s claim for disability benefits.
As a result, Martin filed an appeal and the VA granted Bowen a 100% disability rating for post-traumatic stress disorder with back pay totaling more than $14,000.
“George’s story is a prime example of that not all cases are going to be easy,” Martin said. “His rating has helped his family and all of those who were impacted by his severe substance use disorder to have a better understanding on why he suffered for so many years.”
Due to Martin’s help, Bowen’s family plans to start a yearly college scholarship in Bowen’s name and also plan to have event sponsorships and donations to support groups for others in recovery. The family’s goal is to share Bowen’s story to help decrease the stigma around mental health and addiction.
Almost three-quarters of veterans with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) struggle with alcohol use, and around 1.1 million veterans have both an SUD and mental illness, according to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Following the successful appeal, Martin had the honor of pinning Bowen with a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin and thanked him for his service.
“He was so proud of his pin that he told multiple staff members that he couldn’t wait to show his father,” Martin recalled. “He doesn’t remember that his father passed away many years ago, but this pin had filled him with so much excitement to how his dad.”
As a veteran himself, Martin said he is passionate about serving others and ensuring fellow veterans get the recognition and help they deserve.
“I find my job as a VSO extremely rewarding because I can see the impact that my work has on an individual,” Martin said. “To have the ability to change someone’s life for the better is an amazing feeling.”