Jack contacts the VA Medical Center in the next town to schedule an appointment with a doctor to have his shoulder examined.  He is paired with Stan, a veterans' liaison who works at the VA, to assist him with the cumbersome paperwork required to determine benefits eligibility. Stan is certain that Jack will qualify given his recent deployment.  Although Jack is  still required to complete the prerequisite paperwork, Stan is able to immediately schedule  an appointment with one of the general practitioners based on his assessment.  

Stan is a veteran himself, and has first hand knowledge of the difficulties that soldiers face when they return home from deployment.  He asks Jack how he's been coping with things.  Jack gives him the falsely cheerful reply that he's perfected in the months since he's been home, but Stan sees through it.  He speaks with Sarah as a part of his normal intake process and his suspicions about Jack's struggles are confirmed. With the common ground of shared active duty service, Stan is able to gain Jack's trust and convince him to visit with one of the therapists at the VA the same day he's scheduled to see the GP for his shoulder.       

Within a week the general practitioner sees Jack.  She makes a referral to an orthopedic specialist and gets Jack started with a physical therapist to help with pain management.  Jack reluctantly meets with the therapist after his appointment with the doctor, and is pleasantly surprised with the rapport they develop in only an hour.  Stan helps him schedule his weekly physical therapy appointments to coincide with additional talk therapy sessions.
A month later, after Jack has met with the orthopedic specialist and received a more comprehensive treatment plan he is starting to feel better.  Physical therapy is helping with the pain and also increasing Jack's physical activity.  

The combination of pain reduction and the coping skills Jack's learning through his individual and family sessions with his therapist really makes a difference.  It's summer now, and everyday that Jack gets up with a healthy outlook is a small victory in the internal war he is waging.  The family is going on a picnic at the lake today.  Jack is going to teach his sons how to cast their new fishing rods while Sarah relaxes along the shore with a good book.  They are the apple of his eye. He is not just their hero, but a true American hero.