How denied VA mental health care led to the Church of Scientology

L. Ron Hubbard, a Navy veteran, filed for disability claims and was denied—something he attributes to his going off the deep end and eventually founding the most balls crazy religion west of the Mississippi (my words, not his). But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Our story begins during World War II, when military brat (used here as a term of endearment) Lafayette Ronald Hubbard served in the Navy. What did he do in the Navy? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Also Read: The Church of Scientology has its own paramilitary Navy If you ask Hubbard , he was a “top-flight naval officer who commanded a squadron of fighting ships and was wounded in combat and highly decorated. ” If you ask the Department of Defense via a Freedom of Information Act request, the story is a little bit different. Hubbard, it turns out, was relieved of command not once but twice.

Here’s how the Los Angeles Times summarized one incident from official Navy documents: “Just hours after motoring the PC 815 into the Pacific for a test cruise, Hubbard said he encountered two Japanese submarines. He dropped 37 depth charges during the 55 consecutive hours he said he monitored the subs, and summoned additional ships and aircraft into the fight. ” He claimed to have so severely crippled the submarines that the only trace remaining of either was a thin carpet of oil on the ocean’s surface.

“This vessel wishes no credit for itself,” Hubbard stated in a report of the incident. “It was built to hunt submarines. Its people were trained to hunt submarines.

” And no credit is what Hubbard got. “An analysis of all reports convinces me that there was no submarine in the area,” wrote the commander of the Northwest Sea Frontier after an investigation. The Navy determined that Hubbard’s dramatic multiday combat operation was against an underwater magnetic deposit .

More documents describe Hubbard as a man who “tries to give impressions of his importance” and lacks “in the essential qualities of judgment, leadership, and cooperation. He acts without forethought as to probable results. ” Feature How denied VA mental health care led to the Church of Scientology By Shannon Corbeil Entertainment The best 8 TV shows streaming right now Start now.

Pretty soon your weekends will be consumed by lawn care. By Shannon Corbeil Mighty MilSpouse It’s time for the VA to recognize spouse proxy for catastrophic veteran illnesses Veterans need spouses to interact with the VA when they can’t move or speak. By Jessica Evans After his “encounter” with the “Japanese submarines,” Hubbard continued south along the western coast of the United States and ordered target practice against uninhabited Mexican islands in direct violation of orders.

The strange behavior only increased from there. Hubbard lied about his service, claiming in a 1984 Scientology lawsuit to have been blinded by the flash of a large-caliber gun, but later disputed his own claim during a lecture, saying his eyes were injured when a bomb went off in his face. Scientology has published documents saying his eye damage was from “wounds sustained in combat on the island of Java and aboard a corvette in the North Atlantic.

” Except Hubbard was never stationed near Java, nor was he ever aboard a corvette. But the controversy doesn’t end there. In his military records, he attributed his eye problems to conjunctivitis ( read: pink eye ) due to tropical sunlight.

For all this and more, Hubbard also claimed he was the recipient of the Purple Heart—an honor bestowed in recognition of injuries received during combat against the enemy (dear reader: he wasn’t). And then later came the real twist when Hubbard asserted to have healed these “injuries” through techniques that would later form the foundation of Scientology and Dianetics. According to Business Insider , there are quite a few discrepancies in official Navy records and what would become the Church of Scientology records: Date of entry into active service Service schools completed Service (vessels and stations served on) Service schools completed Discharge payment amount Awards Signature (by direction of commanding officer) College graduate Fingerprint Here is what we do know: Hubbard spent time in a military hospital in Oakland receiving treatment for a duodenal ulcer and he was given a disability rating from the government after his military service—and monetary checks that he collected long after he claimed to have cured himself with the techniques of his “religion.

” But let us, shall we, take a look at a letter Hubbard wrote to the VA on Oct. 15, 1947, wherein he wrote, “This is a request for treatment…after trying and failing for two years to regain my equilibrium in civil life, I am utterly unable to approach anything like my own competence. My last physician informed me that it might be very helpful if I were to be examined and perhaps treated psychiatrically or even by a psycho-analyst [sic].

” The letter goes on to describe his depression and suicidal ideations. It also just goes to show you can found an entire religion and the VA will still ignore you. (Christies) Who knows what might have happened if Hubbard had received the mental health support that he needed?

Instead, here is what did happen. The sci-fi author who once claimed , “Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion,” went on to invent “a totally new science called Dianetics” and released what would become a best selling novel (“Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health”) and the foundation of his multi-million multi-billion dollar cult, Scientology.

Now I get it. Trying to get health care through Veterans Affairs often makes me wish for magical solutions, too. But damn, talk about a butterfly effect.

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