Army is ordering injured troops to go to Iraq

[Indecent]

"This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

Source


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So, one of my biggest problems with this, is that the government and pro-warites have been howling "false" when others say we dont have the people to expend on a troop surge.
So why are injured troops going back? Why isn't the Army responding to this?
WHY does it take a national outcry to get our government to take care of the troops. I don't want another Walter Reed; I dont want another abomination aganist our troops to go uncared for, unmonitored, until people have been hurt.
We don't give them proper equipment, or proper care. Now, instead of letting them stay home with their injuries, we're sending injured troops - even those so injured they can't wear armor - back to Iraq.

I bet this will really get recruitment levels up.

 

[Just Me 2]

Hmmmm I searched this in the news and found nothing. I'll wait till I read it from a non-partisan site.

Also from what I read in the article you posted that most had "back" problems very convenient that is the one medical problem that is the hardest to prove or disprove.

 

[Indecent]

It's one thing when its a vague back problem.
But someone with their vertebrae fused together? Spine separation? Ruptured disks? Pretty sure these aren't just mere "back problems". And they aren't the "hardest to prove" - an x-ray will quickly show if the soldier has a severe spine problem or not.
We shouldn't be risking it, period. What good are they when doctor's are saying are not fit to wear the heavy equipment, or cannot shoot a gun? Head and back/spine issues are the most common trauma in a combat - its not really a surprise to see that the article featured mostly this type of injury.

If they truly aren't under pressure to find troops to deploy, then there should be no reason for this.

You may also wish to peruse this article, from the ArmyTimes, since you want something non-partisan, that talks about the the lies with disability. The Walter-Reed scandal was only on partisan sites for the longest time too - time to wait for this one to also get picked up by the MSM. The treatment to our soldiers is disgusting and disrepectful.

 

[Navy Pride]

I could not find anything on it either......I think its more of a guy trying to get out of doing his duty.........

 

[Jerry]

"This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

Source


---------------------------------------------------------------
So, one of my biggest problems with this, is that the government and pro-warites have been howling "false" when others say we dont have the people to expend on a troop surge.
So why are injured troops going back? Why isn't the Army responding to this?
WHY does it take a national outcry to get our government to take care of the troops. I don't want another Walter Reed; I dont want another abomination aganist our troops to go uncared for, unmonitored, until people have been hurt.
We don't give them proper equipment, or proper care. Now, instead of letting them stay home with their injuries, we're sending injured troops - even those so injured they can't wear armor - back to Iraq.

I bet this will really get recruitment levels up.

Are they being deployed in a combat MOS. How do we know that an injured infantryman isn't being sent back to push a pencil?

 

[Indecent]

Are they being deployed in a combat MOS. How do we know that an injured infantryman isn't being sent back to push a pencil?

Would they need armor and helmets in a pencil pusher position? Why would they be changing their physical profiles in order to deploy them, then?

.I think its more of a guy trying to get out of doing his duty.........

Did you even read the article? Its not "a guy". They interviewed at least six people in the article. These, let me repeat again, are many soldiers with spine problems. You can't just fuse your vertebrae to try to get out of duty.

Also, for those who don't know and don't care, Mark Bennington has been following soldiers for the last two years, is partly responsible for breaking the Walter Reed story, the Operation Helmet story, and several others. He's not exactly known for writing fluff pieces that entail only a few select soldiers that are lying. There's also this story from last May about those mentally unfit to fight being sent back as well, but its not "current" news, it's just related.

 

[jfuh]

Very disheartening. This is going to backfire big time.
The army is having problems meeting their recruiting quotas, but I didn't think it'd have to go to such extents.

 

[RightOfCenter]

Its not "a guy". They interviewed at least six people in the article. These, let me repeat again, are many soldiers with spine problems.

Since when is has six qualified as many?

 

[Indecent]

Since when is has six qualified as many?

Yes, lets all play semantics and ignore the issue.

 

[RightOfCenter]

Yes, lets all play semantics and ignore the issue.

They interviewed 6 people and you act as if every maimed soldier is being sent back to Iraq. I'm not playing semantics, I'm exposing an attempt to smear Bush's idea.

 

[cherokee]

"This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

Source


---------------------------------------------------------------
So, one of my biggest problems with this, is that the government and pro-warites have been howling "false" when others say we dont have the people to expend on a troop surge.
So why are injured troops going back? Why isn't the Army responding to this?
WHY does it take a national outcry to get our government to take care of the troops. I don't want another Walter Reed; I dont want another abomination aganist our troops to go uncared for, unmonitored, until people have been hurt.
We don't give them proper equipment, or proper care. Now, instead of letting them stay home with their injuries, we're sending injured troops - even those so injured they can't wear armor - back to Iraq.

I bet this will really get recruitment levels up.

I for one didn’t believe anything from your first source
But the story in the Army Times was disturbing.