Todd Millikan of Philomath wanted nothing more than to serve his community and his country as an Oregon Army National Guardsman. He assumed that if he was injured in the line of duty, they would stand by him.

But for more than two years after seriously injuring his back during a deployment to assist with the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina, Millikan said he's received no help from any government agency. As his bills have mounted, so has his frustration.

"The process was just so confusing, and my family was suffering while my medical claim went nowhere," Millikan said.

In June 2005, Millikan was a loss prevention manager at Sears in Corvallis. He had been in the Oregon National Guard for more than one year. In September 2005, while working in a hurricane-stricken area, Millikan was lifting heavy equipment when he said he felt like he pulled a muscle in his back. The injury was documented, and he returned to Oregon.

Millikan saw his doctor, using his own medical insurance. He needed back surgery in December 2005 to remove bone splinters from two herniated disks.

On his doctor's advice, Millikan quit working at Sears in December 2006, due to the physical demands of his job. Millikan took advantage of a short-term

disability policy from his job. He thought the military would sort out his injury claim by then. But six months later, there still was no word from the military.

Millikan and his wife, Theresa, have five children to support, and they were falling behind on their various bills.

Loans from family members, an understanding landlord and the fact that Theresa works up to seven days a week to support the family are the only reasons that his family isn't homeless now, Millikan said.

Millikan turned to U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith for help, and Smith sent an inquiry letter to the Oregon Military Department. Brigadier Gen. J. Michael Caldwell of the OMD replied to Smith that Millikan's injury did not happen in the line of duty, but offered no explanation.

Millikan believes that Smith apparently took the letter as the final word on the matter, since Smith's office has not notified him of further inquiries.

R.C. Hammond, a spokesperson for Sen. Smith, said the senator's staff was looking into Millikan's claim, but he refused further comment for this story.

Gen. Caldwell was not available for comment Friday, and his assistant, Dan Persson, also refused to comment.

Don Johnson of Benton County Veterans' Services said that Millikan's problem was that he listened to the military when they said they would help.

"The military will confuse you if you're not familiar with the (Veterans' Administration) and how the military works," Johnson said.

Seven months ago, Millikan found Johnson while searching the phone book for help. Johnson began the medical claims process with the VA but he said that Millikan probably won't be seen for another six months. Johnson estimated that the Portland VA has a backlog of 8,000 claims.

"The (VA) stipulates that they treat Iraq vets first," Johnson said. "That means people can't get help with something that would take minutes."

Last week, just as he was becoming desperate, Millikan received some good news at last: A security company that contracts with Hewlett-Packard hired him to work in a less physically demanding job.

"I'm thankful that something came through," Millikan said. "But what concerns me is that this could happen to someone else."

By Michael Booth. He can be reached at michael.booth@lee.net.