INVERNESS, Fla. (WFLA) — A stroke forced combat veteran Mike Duplisea into a wheelchair and cut his vocabulary down to only a few words, but his family has made sure he is not silenced.
Duplisea, 52, of Inverness, and his family say they have heard only silence from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since his disability claim was filed in October 2021.
Duplisea, who served five years in the Army including front line duty in the Gulf War, was active and loved to help other veterans before the stroke.
Jason Bucy, his brother-in-law who helped him file his claim, said Duplisea is down to three words – yes, no and an expletive that comes out when he gets frustrated.
“Yes,” Duplisea said when asked if he was angry about the lack of response from the VA.
His vocabulary options are limited by his memory remains sharp, especially about incidents soldiers do not forget.
“Yes, yes, yes,” he said to a question about being in the middle of gun battles on a regular basis during the Gulf War.
He had the same answer to a question about where he experienced close calls with death.
“Yes,” he said with a nod.
Duplisea was barely 20 when he enlisted and gunfire was not the only hazard. There were also burn pits that sent dangerous fumes toward him and many others.
Questions about breathing in the toxins brought out the expletive.
“Oh yes,” he answered about smelling the smoke and feeling the heat of the pits. “Yes. Oh, yes.”
His emotions took over when he asked if he felt forgotten by the VA.
“Yes,” he said through tears. “Yes.”
Duplisea’s 2021 claim with the VA listed nearly a dozen medical issues he claims are service related, including the stroke, shortness of breath and high blood pressure.
“No,” he said bluntly, when asked if he had any doubt the issues are connected to his service.
Bucy said he has been told by a congressional staff worker that Duplisea’s paperwork was lost, but there has been no response about that from the VA.
8 on Your Side brought the case to the attention of Veterans Benefits Administration Management Analyst Bruce Clisby.
“I will ask a subject matter expert to review VA systems for any associated claims,” Clisby said in an email.
As the nation celebrated the 4th of July, Duplisea expressed mixed emotions about the country he volunteered to serve.
“Yes, yes, yes,” he said when asked if he still loves his country. “Oh, yes.”
But his answer about whether he would serve again had a different tone.
No,” he said. “No.”
