Army Doctors Tussle With Troops' Injuries

[Rose Siding]

snip>
Fort Stewart's 70-bed hospital is struggling with a backlog of patients, including more than 600 sick and injured reservists. Some have grumbled publicly of waiting weeks, even months, for treatment while living in barracks without air conditioning or indoor toilets.

The complaints prompted visits last month from the Army's surgeon general and its top civilian, acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee, who promised more staff for the hospital and an inquiry into conditions at other posts.

snip>

Even with help on the way, Winn hospital commander Col. Joe Barthel doesn't expect the pace to slacken any time soon -- not with National Guard and Army Reserve troops continuing to mobilize through Fort Stewart and the base's 3rd Infantry training for future deployments.

"The easy answer is, 'as long as the global war on terrorism is ongoing," Barthel said in speculating how long the crunch will last.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-army-doctors,0,7355425.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[flamingyouth]

1. I'm glad we're seeing more articles on the wounded

The total number of them has been (like many of the details of the occupation) swept under the rug. I cannot imagine what these soldiers and those who treat them have to endure. Their catastrophic physical injuries as well as their psychological wounds are overwhelming to even contemplate.

[TahitiNut]

2. Conservatives really do love socialized medical care?

"The Army, which has 4,187 doctors staffing 28 hospitals and 144 clinics nationwide, prides itself on delivering medical care comparable to the private sector.
Recruiters point out that young doctors can have their medical school paid for by the Army, don't have to worry about overhead or malpractice insurance and can advance more rapidly than at private hospitals."

Yes, that "overhead" is also called profiteering, against which the costs of tuition and fair compensation are but a drop in the bucket. And "malpractice" is taken care of by expelling the practitioner or discharging the patient. :shrug:

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. "backlog of patients, including more than 600 sick and injured "

. . DISGUSTING !!

. . the Murikkan government and the way it treats it's vets is just plain disgusting !

Guess the BFEE did not plan on that many casualties on their "cakewalk"

[yellowcanine]

4. Vietnam deja vu

This is just outrageous. Thousands of Vietnam vets were thrown back into U.S. society with inadequate treatment of their physical and psychological wounds. As a result, a large percentage of the homeless men today - well over 50% in some cities - are Vietnam vets. Now Bush and the Republicans are doing it again - and the Democrats are allowing it - all in the name of political expediency so that the American people don't see the true cost of the war. What percent of the wounded are amputees and how many of them will get the state of the art medical treatment to deal with the reality of being maimed in a society that still treats disabled people like second-class citizens? And too many so-called Christians are 100% behind Bush and his splendid little quagmire. How do they sleep at night? I never thought I would say this but I think it is time to get rid of the "volunteer" army and bring back the draft. Then maybe the American people would wake up to what is being done in their name by the neocon imperialists and put a stop to it.

[hayu_lol]

5. Hey, we are not allowing it...

We didnt want the troops to go over there in the first place...hundreds of thousands of us protested in the streets to try and prevent it. Don't ever say Dems are allowing it.

Forget the draft--you want another group of Conservative chickenhawks like Nam?

[DulceDecorum]

6. Got the message?

Personally, I find reprehensible the administration's policy of concealing our military dead. On the eve of the Iraq war, the Pentagon issued a directive forbidding "arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel."

Bush as nanny doesn't fit Bush as commander-in-chief. We're grown-ups out here.

As grown-ups, Americans can absorb the reality that the war against Iraq was both legitimate given Saddam's refusal to abide by U.N. resolutions and necessary as a response to Sept. 11, even absent a group hug between al-Qaida and the Saddamites.

We hit Saddam because we could, as Thomas Friedman of The New York Times wrote, "and because he deserved it and because he was right in the heart of that (Arab-Muslim terrorist) world. ... Every neighboring government — and 98 percent of terrorism is about what governments let happen — got the message."
http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc/opinion_columnists/article/0,1713,BDC_2490_2393174,00.html

What else did the government let happen?
Support the troops - don't kill them for nothing.
Support the troops - don't cut their pay, Senator Just-got-a-raise.
Support the troops - take care of the wounded.
Support the troops - don't force them into poverty.
Support the troops - BRING THEM HOME NOW!!

[yellowcanine]

9. Dem politicians supported the war also

That was my point...as for the chickenhawks and Nam - The problem was that the Nam draft was not implemented fairly....allowed too many deferments which let those with means to go to college out; also allowed those with political pull to get into Nat. Guard units. Draft should be fairly applied using a lottery; women should also be in it.....then only wars with broad political support could be fought. It would be the end of the imperial ambitions of the neocons because Americans would not let their sons and daughters die for imperialism.

[denverbill]

7. Blame the sailors on the Kitty Hawk. It was their idea.

This whole damned war was their idea. Bush had nothing to do with it.

[PapaClay]

8. Huh?

I thought it was the Mighty Clenis that was responsible.

:wtf:

[gratuitous]

10. "Even with help on the way . . ."

Oh please! Just because a couple of yeggs in this corrupt administration said something, that means absolutely nothing! These assclowns are experts in making the appropriate frownie face for the occasion, making one or two comments designed to fool you into thinking they are human beings with actual feelings and emotions, and then vanishing for the foreseeable future!

Col. Barthel is absolutely correct that these appalling conditions will continue as long as Lil George is chasing the wild chimera.

[clemencia2us]

11. civilian hosptitals

I don't understand why they don't send them to civilian hospitals. Here at this Air Force base most of our "real" appointments are handled by the doctors in the local community and billed to the Air Force.

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. ummm - maybe they don't want these GI's talking to the public ?

. . and maybe the Gov't is not so fussy what kind or quantity of drugs they put into these people?

ORRR

Maybe they give their troops better care than the public hospitals ???( ya - right )

Just a Couple of Canuk Ideas