Call, write, send smoke signals, telegrams, whatever…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 12:54 PM Permalink

…to your elected representatives about the article below by the Sailor detailing how the bush administration is attempting to avoid its responsibilities to veterans returning from the Iraqi Oil War and the fight against terror in Afghanistan, please. My mind crawled into some of the holes still there and froze me into inaction at the thought that even bush would have the chutzpah to do this to our troops. Well, I've shaken that off and now I'm just pissed.

This I sent to Barbara Boxer, you may couch your contact more succinctly, diplomatically, pro forma, more eloquently, or whatever:

Dear Senator Boxer,

Thank you for your service to our nation, but the Bush Administration is once again in court fighting to stop money allocated to veteran's care for mental health issues (PTSD), something I understand myself.

Please read this excerpt:

Veterans not entitled to mental health care, U.S. lawyers argue

Veterans have no legal right to specific types of medical care, the Bush administration argues in a lawsuit accusing the government of illegally denying mental health treatment to some troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
[...]
A federal law providing five years of care for veterans from the date of their discharge establishes "veterans' eligibility for health care, but it does not create an entitlement to any particular medical service," government lawyers said.
[...]
In his Jan. 10 ruling that allowed the suit to proceed, Conti said federal law entitles veterans to health care for a specific period after leaving the service, rejecting the government's argument that it was required to provide only as much care as the VA's budget allowed in a given year. A law that President Bush signed last week extended the period from two to five years.

In its latest filing, however, the Justice Department reiterated that Congress had intended "to authorize, but not require, medical care for veterans."

"This court should not interfere with the political branches' design, oversight and modification of VA programs," the government lawyers argued.
[...]
"Nowhere do I see any explanation of what kind of systems they have in place that deal with suicidal veterans," [Erspamer, the plaintiffs' lawyer said]. "There's no excuse for not spending the money Congress told them to spend on mental health care and leaving $60 million on the table when people are going out and killing themselves." End excerpt.

This is outrageous, that Congress would authorize funds for veteran's care and Bush's Justice Department is arguing that the money being allocated doesn't mean that a veteran can get treatment for PTSD, by far one of the most common problems from which troops coming back from the Iraq Oil Wars and the terrorist fight in Afghanistan suffer.

I do not know why Bush and the Justice Department seem to hate veterans, but continuing this fight against veterans simply means that America will no longer have veterans someday, because they will feel that having given so much to their country and received this type of treatment afterwards, many veteran/parents will do just as I have done and discouraged their sons and daughters entering this "new military" that no longer takes care of the troops when they return home with severe problems.

If Congress didn't want to spend the $60 million mentioned in the article for the precise health problem most prevalent, why was the money allocated at all?

I am almost never objective when it comes to the treatment of our veterans. I personally waged a twelve year battle for the benefits I now receive and I had TWO CANCERS from Agent Orange exposure as well as severe mental difficulties with which aI am still dealing.

Call, write, send smoke signals, telegrams, whatever…it's important, and every citizen should speak, no, SHOUT OUT that this is NOT ACCEPTABLE TREATMENT OF OUR VETERANS.

And to everyone who does contact their representatives and senators I extend my personal thanks. IT'S IMPORTANT! HELP NOW!

And thank you, Sailor, for bringing attention to this as I had missed this somehow.

Labels: abuse of the wounded, Afghanistan war, Courts, hypocrisy, Iraq war, Justice Department, more Bush lies, US Attorneys, veteran health care

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Adding Heartbreak and Insult to Injury for Our Troops

posted by Bill Arnett @ 11:51 AM Permalink

There is a story being reported today (a slow news day, hmmm, wonder it that had anything to do with it?) that in addition to our troops being sent off to be killed to gain control of Iraqi oil, causing thousands of unnecessary deaths, the wounding of tens of thousands more, then giving troops care in a facility that is insufficient for their needs, substandard in almost every way, now the government has really added to the individual heartbreak of troops and their families by adding insult to injury and failing miserably at the centuries old task of delivering the mail.

That's right, the mail wasn't, in thousands of cases, being delivered to the patients at what used to be the premiere medical facility for wounded soldiers. See this from the Huffington Post:

Turns out the trouble at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the focus of a firestorm of criticism over poor treatment of wounded war veterans, reached into the mailroom.

The Army said Friday that it has opened an investigation into the recent discovery of 4,500 letters and parcels _ some dating to May 2006 _ at Walter Reed that were never delivered to soldiers.

And it fired the contract employee who ran the mailroom.

In an indication of the Army's sensitivity to problems at Walter Reed, whose reputation as the crown jewel in the Army medical system was tarnished by the disclosures of poor treatment of soldiers earlier this year, officials put out a written statement late Friday afternoon detailing the problem with the mail.

Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, commander of Walter Reed, said he ordered a team of 20 to 40 soldiers and civilians to launch an around-the-clock operation to screen, survey and forward all the letters and parcels. Items addressed to soldiers still at Walter Reed were being hand-delivered Friday night, he said.

"This delay is completely and absolutely unsatisfactory," Schoomaker said.

This isn't just unsatisfactory, it's a moral destroyer, and more than one head should roll, although I suppose it's a minor miracle that anyone got fired given bush's demonstrated predilection for crony appointments, tolerance of corruption and incompetence, and the GOP's usual nonsense of privatizing everything, even within the military. (I know the Postal Service delivers the mail, but once on site the local people take over for individual delivery to the addressees.)

This is truly more than just shameful. When I enlisted back in the early Seventies, one of the highlights of the day was mail call, with everyone anxious and excited at the prospect of hearing from home, family, friends, and/or anyone really, just to get the outside news and keep up with everyone. To not have your name called and receive mail was a always a bit of a let down. Hell, even the receipt of junk mail was better than nothing.

I have seen troops who, for whatever reason, didn't ever get any mail. Many were so depressed, angry, or frustrated from not hearing from home that they would act out inappropriately, getting into trouble sometimes leading to punishment, discharge, or in very rare cases attempted suicide.

And that's with a "healthy" soldier at boot camp.

I cannot imagine being tragically and seriously wounded, perhaps missing limbs, burned, struck blind, permanently disfigured, perhaps facing months of reconstructive surgery or the fitting of a prosthetic device, training in its use, and a very long hospital stay. And on top of all that, the one thing that is almost certain to bring some small measure of happiness, a brief respite from the pain and depression, and a valuable source of inner strength, the mail, through incredible incompetence, was not being delivered to those who would benefit the most from receiving it.

Only in the bush/cheney maladministration could such incompetency go on for so long, unnoticed, and only the bush/cheney maladministration would fire the lowest guy they could find on the totem pole and not the superiors who should have made sure everyone was sufficiently trained and were actually doing the job they trained for, so the blame rightfully goes up the chain of command to the top.

At the top? Our Fearful leader, commander-in-chief and bottom line the man with the responsibility to make sure the military runs smoothly. The Decider. What a guy. What a way to support the troops, eh?

Any rethuglican in congress claiming to support the troops, but who stands by silently after revelation after revelation of abuse, misuse, mistreatment of our troops through extended and repeated assignments in Iraq, failure to have a plan for success in Iraq, failure to provide adequate medical care, or who filibusters every attempt to change course in this Iraq debacle is a bald-faced LIAR, doesn't really care about the troops, and does not deserve to hold public office after having mislead and lied this country into a war of aggression that has made America much less safe, just to get control of all that Iraq oil.

How does it feel to have denied the troops the basic amenity extended to every America, the delivery of the mail? How could they screw up something so easy to do?

Heckuva job, bushy.

Labels: abuse of the wounded, Bush, corruption, GOP, Iraq war, scandal

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Top Brass Knew and Did Nothing for the Troops

posted by Bill Arnett @ 9:49 AM Permalink

Yesterday I posted my take on the mistreatment and abuse, yes abuse, of our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital. By now most bloggers at least and some MSM press, such as the WaPo, know several things that are disheartening at best, criminally negligent at worst, and the exposing of military leadership that not only allowed our wounded heroes to languish in squalor in Building 18, but when the troops, in desperation, turned to the press to attempt prodding action from their superiors they found themselves in trouble instead.

Now the wounded will be required to arise at 6 a.m. and stand inspection at 7 a.m., something even healthy soldiers are not usually required to do after basic training – unless it is for purposes of punishment. Their platoon leaders have been reassigned, the army is bring in new staff, and the troops have been ordered not to speak to the press.

Today, in this article from the WaPo written by Anne Hull and Dana Priest we learn that Building 18 has been the subject of complaints for years, that top army brass were advised many times of the deplorable conditions in Building 18, that they did absolutely nothing but try to keep the situation covered-up, and that at least one U.S. Representative and his wife knew of this, also complained about it to top brass, and when nothing was done the congressman and his spouse quit visiting the wounded in Building 18 in favor of visiting wounded housed in better conditions.

How sick, twisted, and perverted can army brass and congressmen be to not bring this to the attention of the full congress, both bodies, and press for solutions? How sick is it that the squalid conditions would so disgust a congressman and his wife that after their meager, ineffectual, and un-pursued complaints failed to effectuate a change, they would simply change which facility in which they visit the wounded so that their delicate sensibilities would not be offended? How sick have we become as a society when this is not only known, but allowed to exist? How sick? How twisted? How perverse?

I don't want this post to go on forever, so now it is time to name names. From the article:

…Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who is now the Army's top medical officer, was told.…Retired Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer Jr., who commanded Walter Reed for two years until last August, said that he was aware of outpatient problems…he turned over command to Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman…In 2004, Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and his wife stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration…Beverly Young said she complained to Kiley several times.…Chief Warrant Officer Jayson Kendrick, an outpatient, attended a sensing session, the Army's version of a town hall meeting where concerns are raised in front of the chain of command.…An inspector general attending the meeting "chuckled and said, 'What do you want, pool tables and Ping-Pong tables in there?' " Kendrick recalled… Joyce Rumsfeld, the wife of then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, was taken to Walter Reed by a friend concerned about outpatient treatment.… Rumsfeld asked one of the staff members whether she thought that the soldiers her husband was meeting on his visits had been handpicked to paint a rosy picture of their time there. The answer was yes.…

So there it is in all its ugliness and standing as proof that even top army brass, as well as a Republican congressman, and the former Secretary of Defense do not and have not "support[ed] the troops" for years now. Please read the full article, it is so rich in detail and really highlights the depth of the immorality displayed here.

If this does not abolish forever the myth that Republicans care about the troops then our society has degenerated to the point where as a people we may never again regain what used to be the best traits of Americans.

Mothers, don't let your children grow up to be military men and women, for they will be used, abused, pushed past the breaking point and then, if wounded, provided substandard care in conditions that would embarrass a third-world banana republic.

They knew. They knew and did nothing. They knew and betrayed and abused the troops anyway. They knew and cannot deny it. They knew.

Labels: abuse of the wounded, neglect, veteran health care

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