Punish the Wounded – Add Insult to Injury

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:31 PM Permalink

This has to be the saddest, most maddening, frustrating, going-screaming-crazy, and disgusting story I have read in a long time. I literally wept while reading it and still have tears in my eyes. I lack the words to adequately express my utter contempt for people who would punish and silence troops wounded in service to the nation.

This story illustrates for you how the bush maladministrations "support for the troops" is pure propaganda pap for the consumption of the 30% of the population that remain true believers. There won't be a peep about this in the MSM, for if this story received sufficient attention from television media, even the hardcore bush supporters might find their support of bush wavering, and if not, my contempt would extend to them as well.

From the Army Times:

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m.,and that they must not speak to the media.

“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.

Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.

They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel.…

It is crystal clear that these actions are in retaliation for these soldiers for reporting, quite honestly, the deplorable conditions in which they are living. It's despicable that any soldier would be so punished.

The article continues:

The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.

The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.

Could there be any more contemptuous way to treat wounded soldiers? Now those who have lost limbs, those now blind, those with devastating head wounds, those who have suffered all but death in service to America are going to be forced to arise by 6 a.m., be ready for inspection by 7a.m., and they have been specifically warned to not speak even the truth to the press. In fact, to not speak to the press at all.

How can our flag officers stand by silently and let heroes wounded in combat to be subjected to this additional stress on top of their conditions? Why does the military seemingly desire to hide problems, punish the wounded, and forbid contact with the press instead of doing the right thing and actually fixing the problems?

How can the MSM sit on their hands, fail to report this abuse of the wounded, and perpetuate the propaganda myth that the bush/cheney maladministration "supports the troops"?

What kind of piece of crap commander-in-chief and "Decider" decides that this is the way to punish those who served most honorably? And does congress know that this is happening?

I am so angry and once again disappointed and heartbroken for what we have become as a country. We can't, or won't, take care of our own, and bush wants to conquer the world for oil.

Damn these people. Damn them all to hell.