By Deanna Gorzynski
O.K. lets face it”my
articles for World Can’t Wait are not meant to be objective news reports.
Admittedly everything I write is colored by disdain, distrust and disgust for
the present Administration. It is deeply stored in every pore and feels as
though it resides in my very DNA.
Feeling as though you fairly
warned of this, be assured I do everything in my power to be honest with my
facts. When moved by anything anyone
says or writes it is our duty to check the facts and ultimately let them speak
for themselves.
It is my firm belief that
George Bush and Dick Cheney not only don’t care about our troops, but they have
dehumanized them to the point of treating them as pawns in a game.
They are for Bush/Cheneys”
use and abuse only.
Such is the pattern of sociopaths.
This week has only provided
more facts to back up such thoughts:
The past 2 weeks have brought
many very ugly examples of the Military Leaderships” disdain for its own.
Allegations of shockingly poor care, astoundingly horrible infrastructure,
evasive mold problems and many other serious situations were coming to light in
regard to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The out patient care is even worse. (Please be sure to read the blog
entry at the end of this article!)
Defense Secretary Robert M.
Gates fired the Secretary of the Army and President Bush vowed to investigate
allegations of systemic substandard treatment of wounded soldiers. The
administration scrambled to contain fallout from the scandal over squalid
housing and bureaucratic delays in outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
During this quick dismissal of the Secretary
of the Army, the Commander of the hospital was looked at. Due to his unconscionable incompetence and a complete
moral failure of the Ex-Commander to give soldiers proper care, he, too was
also forced to resign.
Bush has often promised to give our soldiers
everything they would need to fight and care for them during and after combat
under his command. Bush claims to be
very upset. Under Bush’s watch, Lt. General Kevin C. Kiley was appointed as the
temporary chief. On its face, Kiley seemed to be a reasonable choice. After all, Kiley had previously overseen this
important Medical Center in time of need. This appointment
lasted less than 2 days. Maj. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker was then named as the new
commander of Walter Reed only a day after the picking of Lt. Gen. Kevin C.
Kiley.
WHY?!
What a shame for our Military and our country
that the
replacement who would be taking over was Kiley, the same “man” who reportedly let
a soldier sleep in his own urine, and refused to lift a finger when he was
notified by the wife of a GOP congressman who had witnessed the horrifying
scene.
AM I
IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE?!!!!
Kiley’s selection has angered soldiers and
family groups because of their belief that he had been aware of problems at the
hospital and done little to address them. Kiley is the current Army surgeon general.
Surprisingly, in my research I found many
Veterans groups to remain among the few strong supporters of the war and have
been an important part of the president’s political base, yet even they, along
with military families, have been outraged since SHOCKING problems with care
given at Walter Reed Hospital became clear.
Joe Davis, a spokesman for
the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said that the reports have enraged members across
the country and the group hopes Vice President Cheney will address the issue
when he speaks to its legislative conference on Monday.
“Nobody would believe
the military would do this to their wounded,” Davis said. “We want accountability.”
I”ll leave you with a piece
of a blog from someone who knows Walter Reed hospital all too well. Consider that it was written weeks before the
unmasking of this horror to all:
“BATTLING THE SYSTEM AT
WALTER REED, WOUNDED SOLDIERS FACE NEGLECT, FRUSTRATION AT THE ARMY’S TOP
MEDICAL FACILITY. BEHIND THE DOOR OF ARMY SPECIALIST JEREMY DUNCANS ROOM, PART OF THE WALL IS TORN AND HANGS IN THE AIR,
WEIGHTED DOWN WITH BLACK MOLD. WHEN THE WOUNDED COMBAT ENGINEER STANDS IN THE
SHOWER AND LOOKS UP, HE CAN SEE THE BATH TUB ON THE FLOOR ABOVE. THIS IS THE WORLD OF
BUILDING 18 NOT THE KIND OF PLACE DUNCAN EXPECTED TO RECOVER WHEN HE WAS EVACUATED TO WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER FROM IRAQ LAST FEB. WITH A BROKEN NECK AND A SHREDDED LEFT
EAR. BUT THE OLD LODGE OUTSIDE THE GATES AND 5 MILES UP THE ROAD FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE, HAS HOUSED HUNDREDS MAIMED SOLDIERS RECUPERATING FROM INJURIES SUFFERED
IN WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.THE COMMON PERCEPTION OF
WALTER REED IS OF A SURGICAL CENTER THAT SHINES AS THE CROWN JEWEL OF MILITARY
MEDICANE, BUT 5 YEARS OF SUBSTAINED COMBAT HAS TRANFORMED THE VENERABLE 113
ACRE INSTUTION INTO SOMETHING ELSE—-A HOLDING GROUND FOR PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY
DAMAGED OUTPATIENTS, ALMOST 700 HUNDRED OF THEM, MOSTLY SOLDIERS, WITH SOME
MARINES–HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL BEDS BUT STILL NEED TREATMENT OR ARE
AWAITING DECISIONS BEFORE BEING DISCHARGED OR RETURNED TO ACTIVE DUTY..THEY
SUFFER FROM BRAIN INJURIES, SEVERED ARMS AND LEGS, ORGAN AND BACK DAMAGE AND
VERIOUS DEGREES OF POST TRAUMATIC STRESS…THEY OUTNUMBER THE HOSPITAL PATIENTS
17 TO 1 THAT THEY TAKE UP EVERY AVAILABLE BED AND ON POST AND SPILL INTO DOZEN
OF NEARBY HOTELS AND APTS, LEASED BY THE ARMY. THE AVERAGE STAY IS 10
MONTHS.WHILE MUCH OF THE HOSPITAL IS A PLACE OF SCRUBBED–DOWN ORDER AND DAILY MIRACLES, WITH MEDICAL ADVANCES SAVING MORE SOLDIERS
THAN EVER, THE OUT PATIENTS IN THE OTHER WALTER REED ENCOUNTER A MESSY
BUREAUCRATIC BATTLEFIELD NEARLY AS CHAOTIC AS THE REAL BATTLEFIELDS THEY FACE
OVERSEAS.ON THE WORST DAYS, SOLDIERS
SAY THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE LIVING A CHAPTER OF CATCH 22. THE WOUNDED MANAGE
OTHER WOUNDED; SOLDIERS DEALING WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS OF THEIR OWN HAVE
BEEN PUT IN CHARGE OF OTHERS AT RISK OF SUICIDE. DISENGAGED CLERKS,UNQUALIFIED
PLATOON SERGEANTS AND OVER WORKED CASE MANAGERS FUMBLE WITH SIMPLE NEEDS: FEEDING
SOLDIERS,THEIR FAMILIES WHO ARE CLOSE TO POVERTY,THE SIMPLE ACT OF REPLACING
UNIFORMS RIPPED OFF BY MEDICS IN THE DESERT SAND, OR HELPING BRAIN DAMAGED SOLDIER
REMEMBER HIS APPOINTMENT.THIS INFORMATION WAS ON
MSNBC THIS MORNING. I AM WONDERING HOW MUCH OF THIS IS TRUE,, IS THERE IS ANY TRUTH
TO THIS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD DEMAND CHANGES, WE SAY WE SUPPORT ARE TROOPS
WHILE THEY OVERSEAS ,, WHAT ABOUT THE TROOPS THAT HAVE COME BACK HURT,,, IT WAS
THE SAME WAY DURING VIET NAM, KOREA, AND WORLD WAR 2..THEY USE ARE MEN AND
WOMEN AND AFTER IS ALL SAID AND DONE,, THEY ARE FORGOTTEN. O WELL SOME THINGS
NEVER CHANGE.