Posted on 09/01/2004 1:47:37 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
FORT LEWIS -- About a dozen Oregon National Guard soldiers say they languished for months at Fort Lewis because the Army lacked a protocol to allow them to return to Oregon to convalesce.
The wounded soldiers also waited hours for doctor appointments, were forced to fill out confusing paperwork and faced months of delays regarding their benefits, they told Brig. Gen. Raymond Byrne, acting adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard, yesterday.
"I feel that the system is lacking all common guidance," Sgt. William Harris of Bend said.
"I don't have anything to fall back on. There's nothing for me here on the inside, and nothing on the outside."
Guard officials concede the soldiers, some of whom had only slight injuries, could have returned to their families, perhaps commuting to a base or a clinic for care.
The problem arose from an oversight in the Army's war planning, which failed to anticipate the large number of wounded soldiers returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Col. Douglas Eliason, chief medical officer with the Oregon Guard.
He said a new program introduced in Oregon two weeks ago will send more Guard members home to heal. Under the program, soldiers will be provided with a job suited to their injuries at a National Guard armory and given treatment options at a Veterans Affairs clinic or with private doctors.
Around the country, close to 5,000 reserve and Guard soldiers are receiving medical care at active-duty bases because of the military's reliance on reserve soldiers for the occupation of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.
From Oregon, 49 National Guard soldiers are convalescing from wounds at Army bases around the country -- some because they need specialized care for severe injuries, but many because the Army had no system to allow them to return home. Twenty-six of them are at Fort Lewis.
"Nobody really anticipated we would have a demand like this," Eliason said.
"They're on a remote post, with people they don't know, and far from their support system of friends and family," he said. "There's certainly some anger with these soldiers."
The soldiers discussed their problems yesterday at the meeting with Byrne, who shook their hands and thanked them for their service.
The soldiers, in turn, loosed an angry tirade about Army red tape and, some said, inferior medical care.
"If you guys expect us to just sit here and suck it all in, I'm sorry, sir," Harris said. "With all due respect, I've lost my respect for the uniform."
Away from their families, the soldiers said they had little to do but languish in the barracks between doctor visits.
Sgt. Rick Hardy of Milton-Freewater ruptured a spinal disc in a rollover accident in northern Iraq eight months ago.
He has medical appointments about twice a week at Fort Lewis, but no other duties.
He said he spends his days walking in a forest and photographing Mount Rainier, which is visible from the base.
"I just want to go home," he said. "I want to be demobilized."
Byrne said the Guard would investigate the soldiers' concerns and try to untangle the skein of Army policies, VA rules and state laws that kept the soldiers at base unnecessarily.
Some want to cast blame. For me our returning wounded are beyond political parties. We did not do our best in WW1 WW2 and the Vietnam war, we should have learned lessons so that these troops are getting the care they deserve and earned serving our country. imho
Amen!
I suppose I should have expected this reply. I did not want to have this turn into a discussion of blame but rather what can be done for our heros.
By the way, my favorite saying when I worked for the Naval Aviation Depot was: "Efficiency is the ENEMY of Bureaucracy"
Welcome to the Army, whiner.
I don't know what Army he thought he was joining, but that's the way it's been since time immemorial....
I am sure the military folks would appreciate your AMEN I know that I do, thank you.
Government health care anyone?
I blame Clinton era military restructuring. WHen I was at Ft Bliss the wait lines were long and you had to go through a specific case worker and the military insurance provider Tri-Care, a ridiculous thing when you consider the fact the non-war injured active duty soldiers did not have to go through the same process.
To try and place blame fully on the President is ridiculous, obviously the administration should accept partial blame but the fact is these rules were set in place by Clinton not Bush when he did his slight of hand by firing all those civilian workers and he removed the old medical system.
Yeah, that's a good point. If Hillary and Kerry get their way, this is how health care will look for all of us.
I think the Kerry campaign just found their next "military" spokespeople.
Why isn't he asked what he attempted to do to correct the identified problems.
Looks to me like he might be part of the problem.
"AHA! -This- must certainly be Bush's fault. Perhaps Rummy. I dunno. Er. Fire Colin and Karen Hughes!"
Well, seeing how somebody said it.......... Yes, in a way it is there fault. You utilize Gaurdsman for combat but no plan to handle wounded? Thats just poor leadership from G.W. on down to the Generals who didnt have the guts to bring it up. And the real pisser is that its more about budgets then neglect of thought.
SHUT UP
Let's see.....our soldiers are left to languish for weeks and months because of fedgov incompetency but illegals (who probably despise this country) can count on prompt medical attention paid for by the taxpayers....isn't there something desperately wrong with this picture?
oh Thank You!!!!!
But thery're "undocumented workers"
Well, that makes me feel a lot better about seeing my tax $ go to feeding, housing, medicating & educating them. I guess if they're undocumented it also allows all those employers who hire them to ignore all those messy time consuming payroll reports.....I thought that was evading taxes but if you hire someone who's "not there" there's no need for paying taxes. I've often wondered what it was like to live in a banana republic.
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