You’re right the WTUs have lost focus and I agree with you about the cadre being marginal performers...you do know they get SDAP while assigned there, right? I think the WTBs were started with good intentions too, but as you pointed out, the units are sending some of their trash there and it has becoming a dumping ground for those types. My husband is getting medically retired at the end of the month. He’s a MSG. He was wounded in Iraq, literally nearly had his head blown off, and he has been treated like crap and with disrespect. The junior enlisted with serious injuries are treated even worse. At least my husband knows they can’t really do too much to him, the lower enlisted however...different story because they can be penalized heavily. The WTB here seems to have no idea what it’s doing when dealing with soldiers with TBI and/or legitimate PTSD, IMO.
Here’s the thing too, the WTBs overall (and General Cheek wrote about it in the Army Times), they only have 12-13 percent combat wounded soldiers. Here at Bragg, I think there are maybe,maybe around 100 Purple Heart recipients (that’s what my husband said because the local MOPH chapter where he’s the junior vice commander, has tried to recruit and were able to get that info) out of around 7-800 soldiers assigned there.
And then I know of cases where the cadre has gotten upset when the MOPH or a group that only wants to do something for combat wounded soldiers has come on to post to do things only for Purple Heart recipients or take them on trips...they don’t think it’s fair that the other soldiers don’t get the same service or opportunity. When the reality is most other non-profit groups will allow all soldiers assigned to WTB to have access to services whether combat wounded or not to include the Wounded Warrior Project. I think there’s a jealousy there, even amongst the cadre, between soldiers who were wounded in combat being treated like heroes and those who were not wounded in combat being treated like soldiers. I could go on and on, but I’ll stop now. :)
I wanted to add, I do know there are soldiers assigned to WTB with medical issues that are serious and were not due to war. One of my husband’s friends has a serious heart issue and obviously, he needed long term care, but there’s a lot there who don’t really need to be assigned there, IMO.