Religions > Atheism > This Is Betrayal: Personality Disorder Discharges Save Money, Sacrifice Soldiers
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Michelle Malkin" |
| Date: |
05 Oct 2007 07:06:46 PM |
| Object: |
This Is Betrayal: Personality Disorder Discharges Save Money, Sacrifice Soldiers |
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/9347496p-9262027c.html#
This is betrayal
Personality disorder discharges save money, sacrifice soldiers
Published: October 2, 2007
Last Modified: October 2, 2007 at 03:06 AM
Let's put ourselves in these shoes for a moment, if we can:
You've honorably served in the Army for seven years. You've won
commendations. You re-enlisted after your first hitch. You're in Ramadi,
Iraq, in 2004 when a rocket hits the building you're in and leaves you
unconscious in rubble. Eventually doctors pull shrapnel from your neck and
ear canals. You lose 75 percent of your hearing, suffer depression and
nightmares.
You try to kill yourself by dropping a hair dryer in your bath water. The
dryer short-circuits. You seek medical help at your Army post.
Eventually, the Army discharges you because you had a "pre-existing
personality disorder" before you joined the service.
And what does that mean?
.. You can't get disability pay. That requires a medical board evaluation,
and a soldier who signs a personality disorder discharge gets no medical
board.
.. You can't get VA medical care -- you can't be treated for post-traumatic
stress syndrome -- because the VA treats only those wounds and conditions
suffered in service. "Pre-existing condition" is the Pentagon's way of
saying the Ramadi rocket had nothing to do with the soldier's troubles.
.. You must pay back part of your re-enlistment bonus for the time you won't
serve because of the personality-disorder discharge.
All of this happened to former Spc. Jon Town of Findlay, Ohio. This spring
and summer, with reports in The Nation and ABC News, Mr. Town became a
symbol for veterans groups, because he's not alone.
The military has mustered out about 22,000 service people in the last six
years with personality-disorder discharges. It appears that a lot of them
were flat-out bogus, as in the case of Mr. Town, or at least contestable.
There's a gut-reaction word for what happened to Mr. Town, but we can't use
it in a family newspaper.
Why are the services doing this?
Money.
The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs save money if they don't
have to pay benefits.
God almighty, let us take a deep breath.
A bipartisan group of senators led by Barack Obama of Illinois and
Christopher Bond of Missouri has introduced a provision in the defense bill
to stop the personality-disorder discharges pending investigations by the
General Accountability Office (the GAO already is looking into the practice
at Fort Carson, Kan.) and impose tougher standards and limits on such
discharges.
Good for the senators.
Where's the commander in chief? A few words from the White House lawn --
strong words, Mr. President, leader's words -- would go far to end this kind
of nonsense.
Some personality-disorder discharges are no doubt valid, and those no longer
able to function in a theater of war shouldn't be there. But any soldier who
has served in Iraq or Afghanistan should get the benefit of the doubt.
Soldiers subject to personality-disorder discharges must be fully informed
of their rights and all the consequences of such a discharge before signing
one.
You don't have to be a psychiatrist or a soldier to understand that rockets,
IEDs and sniper rounds are not pre-existing conditions. One god-awful
argument to justify personality-disorder discharges was that dormant
pre-existing conditions surface under the stress of combat; hence such
soldiers don't qualify for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder.
In response, we refer to that word we can't print in a family newspaper.
The United States has a solemn obligation to those among us who were asked
to wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let's keep it.
BOTTOM LINE: Let's take care of our wounded troops -- not look for ways to
deny care.
.
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: This Is Betrayal: Personality Disorder Discharges Save Money, Sacrifice Soldiers |
07 Oct 2007 02:03:07 AM |
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In article <kqCdnU1GruMWTJvanZ2dnUVZ_sOrnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/9347496p-9262027c.html#
This is betrayal
Personality disorder discharges save money, sacrifice soldiers
Published: October 2, 2007
Last Modified: October 2, 2007 at 03:06 AM
Let's put ourselves in these shoes for a moment, if we can:
You've honorably served in the Army for seven years. You've won
commendations. You re-enlisted after your first hitch. You're in Ramadi,
Iraq, in 2004 when a rocket hits the building you're in and leaves you
unconscious in rubble. Eventually doctors pull shrapnel from your neck and
ear canals. You lose 75 percent of your hearing, suffer depression and
nightmares.
You try to kill yourself by dropping a hair dryer in your bath water. The
dryer short-circuits. You seek medical help at your Army post.
Eventually, the Army discharges you because you had a "pre-existing
personality disorder" before you joined the service.
And what does that mean?
. You can't get disability pay. That requires a medical board evaluation,
and a soldier who signs a personality disorder discharge gets no medical
board.
. You can't get VA medical care -- you can't be treated for post-traumatic
stress syndrome -- because the VA treats only those wounds and conditions
suffered in service. "Pre-existing condition" is the Pentagon's way of
saying the Ramadi rocket had nothing to do with the soldier's troubles.
. You must pay back part of your re-enlistment bonus for the time you won't
serve because of the personality-disorder discharge.
All of this happened to former Spc. Jon Town of Findlay, Ohio. This spring
and summer, with reports in The Nation and ABC News, Mr. Town became a
symbol for veterans groups, because he's not alone.
The military has mustered out about 22,000 service people in the last six
years with personality-disorder discharges. It appears that a lot of them
were flat-out bogus, as in the case of Mr. Town, or at least contestable.
There's a gut-reaction word for what happened to Mr. Town, but we can't use
it in a family newspaper.
Why are the services doing this?
Money.
The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs save money if they don't
have to pay benefits.
God almighty, let us take a deep breath.
That is just disgusting. And yet these chickenhawk superpatriots are
always praising ouur soldiers for their patriotism, heroism, bravery,
and self sacrifice. But let them get hurt, then it's "Your on your own
kid!"
Are the greedy health insurance companies running our military hospitals
now? The people responsible for this policy should be in jail.
--
John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
.
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| User: "Michelle Malkin" |
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| Title: Re: This Is Betrayal: Personality Disorder Discharges Save Money, Sacrifice Soldiers |
07 Oct 2007 03:01:38 AM |
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"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-B2D383.00030707102007@news.giganews.com...
In article <kqCdnU1GruMWTJvanZ2dnUVZ_sOrnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/9347496p-9262027c.html#
This is betrayal
Personality disorder discharges save money, sacrifice soldiers
Published: October 2, 2007
Last Modified: October 2, 2007 at 03:06 AM
Let's put ourselves in these shoes for a moment, if we can:
You've honorably served in the Army for seven years. You've won
commendations. You re-enlisted after your first hitch. You're in Ramadi,
Iraq, in 2004 when a rocket hits the building you're in and leaves you
unconscious in rubble. Eventually doctors pull shrapnel from your neck
and
ear canals. You lose 75 percent of your hearing, suffer depression and
nightmares.
You try to kill yourself by dropping a hair dryer in your bath water. The
dryer short-circuits. You seek medical help at your Army post.
Eventually, the Army discharges you because you had a "pre-existing
personality disorder" before you joined the service.
And what does that mean?
. You can't get disability pay. That requires a medical board evaluation,
and a soldier who signs a personality disorder discharge gets no medical
board.
. You can't get VA medical care -- you can't be treated for
post-traumatic
stress syndrome -- because the VA treats only those wounds and conditions
suffered in service. "Pre-existing condition" is the Pentagon's way of
saying the Ramadi rocket had nothing to do with the soldier's troubles.
. You must pay back part of your re-enlistment bonus for the time you
won't
serve because of the personality-disorder discharge.
All of this happened to former Spc. Jon Town of Findlay, Ohio. This
spring
and summer, with reports in The Nation and ABC News, Mr. Town became a
symbol for veterans groups, because he's not alone.
The military has mustered out about 22,000 service people in the last six
years with personality-disorder discharges. It appears that a lot of them
were flat-out bogus, as in the case of Mr. Town, or at least contestable.
There's a gut-reaction word for what happened to Mr. Town, but we can't
use
it in a family newspaper.
Why are the services doing this?
Money.
The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs save money if they don't
have to pay benefits.
God almighty, let us take a deep breath.
That is just disgusting. And yet these chickenhawk superpatriots are
always praising ouur soldiers for their patriotism, heroism, bravery,
and self sacrifice. But let them get hurt, then it's "Your on your own
kid!"
Are the greedy health insurance companies running our military hospitals
now? The people responsible for this policy should be in jail.
Maybe they will be a couple years from now - when what's
really going on finally comes out. We can only hope.
--
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
Michelle Malkin (Mickey) aa list#1
BAAWA Knight & Bible Thumper Thumper
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
When fascism comes to America, it will be
wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross -
Sinclair Lewis
--
John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
.
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| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: This Is Betrayal: Personality Disorder Discharges Save Money, Sacrifice Soldiers |
07 Oct 2007 11:51:47 PM |
|
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In article <KoOdnWmq3KLOD5XanZ2dnUVZ_rWtnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@remove.sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-B2D383.00030707102007@news.giganews.com...
In article <kqCdnU1GruMWTJvanZ2dnUVZ_sOrnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/9347496p-9262027c.html#
This is betrayal
Personality disorder discharges save money, sacrifice soldiers
Published: October 2, 2007
Last Modified: October 2, 2007 at 03:06 AM
Let's put ourselves in these shoes for a moment, if we can:
You've honorably served in the Army for seven years. You've won
commendations. You re-enlisted after your first hitch. You're in Ramadi,
Iraq, in 2004 when a rocket hits the building you're in and leaves you
unconscious in rubble. Eventually doctors pull shrapnel from your neck
and
ear canals. You lose 75 percent of your hearing, suffer depression and
nightmares.
You try to kill yourself by dropping a hair dryer in your bath water. The
dryer short-circuits. You seek medical help at your Army post.
Eventually, the Army discharges you because you had a "pre-existing
personality disorder" before you joined the service.
And what does that mean?
. You can't get disability pay. That requires a medical board evaluation,
and a soldier who signs a personality disorder discharge gets no medical
board.
. You can't get VA medical care -- you can't be treated for
post-traumatic
stress syndrome -- because the VA treats only those wounds and conditions
suffered in service. "Pre-existing condition" is the Pentagon's way of
saying the Ramadi rocket had nothing to do with the soldier's troubles.
. You must pay back part of your re-enlistment bonus for the time you
won't
serve because of the personality-disorder discharge.
All of this happened to former Spc. Jon Town of Findlay, Ohio. This
spring
and summer, with reports in The Nation and ABC News, Mr. Town became a
symbol for veterans groups, because he's not alone.
The military has mustered out about 22,000 service people in the last six
years with personality-disorder discharges. It appears that a lot of them
were flat-out bogus, as in the case of Mr. Town, or at least contestable.
There's a gut-reaction word for what happened to Mr. Town, but we can't
use
it in a family newspaper.
Why are the services doing this?
Money.
The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs save money if they don't
have to pay benefits.
God almighty, let us take a deep breath.
That is just disgusting. And yet these chickenhawk superpatriots are
always praising ouur soldiers for their patriotism, heroism, bravery,
and self sacrifice. But let them get hurt, then it's "Your on your own
kid!"
Are the greedy health insurance companies running our military hospitals
now? The people responsible for this policy should be in jail.
Maybe they will be a couple years from now - when what's
really going on finally comes out. We can only hope.
There's enough material from this administration to keep investigative
committees going for the next fifty years.
--
John #1782
"We should always be disposed to believe that which appears to us to be
white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides."
- Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) Founder of the Jesuit Order.
.
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