Where are those support the troops protesters now?

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-10-18 01:32am

Sick, wounded U.S. troops held in squalor

By Mark Benjamin
UPI Investigations Editor
Published 10/17/2003 3:36 PM
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FORT STEWART, Ga., Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Hundreds of sick and wounded U.S. soldiers including many who served in the Iraq war are languishing in hot cement barracks here while they wait -- sometimes for months -- to see doctors.

The National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers' living conditions are so substandard, and the medical care so poor, that many of them believe the Army is trying push them out with reduced benefits for their ailments. One document shown to UPI states that no more doctor appointments are available from Oct. 14 through Nov. 11 -- Veterans Day.

"I have loved the Army. I have served the Army faithfully and I have done everything the Army has asked me to do," said Sgt. 1st Class Willie Buckels, a truck master with the 296th Transportation Company. Buckels served in the Army Reserves for 27 years, including Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Gulf War. "Now my whole idea about the U.S. Army has changed. I am treated like a third-class citizen."

Since getting back from Iraq in May, Buckels, 52, has been trying to get doctors to find out why he has intense pain in the side of his abdomen since doubling over in pain there.

After waiting since May for a diagnosis, Buckels has accepted 20 percent of his benefits for bad knees and is going home to his family in Mississippi. "They have not found out what my side is doing yet, but they are still trying," Buckels said.

One month after President Bush greeted soldiers at Fort Stewart -- home of the famed Third Infantry Division -- as heroes on their return from Iraq, approximately 600 sick or injured members of the Army Reserves and National Guard are warehoused in rows of spare, steamy and dark cement barracks in a sandy field, waiting for doctors to treat their wounds or illnesses.

The Reserve and National Guard soldiers are on what the Army calls "medical hold," while the Army decides how sick or disabled they are and what benefits -- if any -- they should get as a result.

Some of the soldiers said they have waited six hours a day for an appointment without seeing a doctor. Others described waiting weeks or months without getting a diagnosis or proper treatment.

The soldiers said professional active duty personnel are getting better treatment while troops who serve in the National Guard or Army Reserve are left to wallow in medical hold.

"It is not an Army of One. It is the Army of two -- Army and Reserves," said one soldier who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, during which she developed a serious heart condition and strange skin ailment.

A half-dozen calls by UPI seeking comment from Fort Stewart public affairs officials and U.S. Forces Command in Atlanta were not returned.

Soldiers here estimate that nearly 40 percent of the personnel now in medical hold were deployed to Iraq. Of those who went, many described clusters of strange ailments, like heart and lung problems, among previously healthy troops. They said the Army has tried to refuse them benefits, claiming the injuries and illnesses were due to a "pre-existing condition," prior to military service.

Most soldiers in medical hold at Fort Stewart stay in rows of rectangular, gray, single-story cinder block barracks without bathrooms or air conditioning. They are dark and sweltering in the southern Georgia heat and humidity. Around 60 soldiers cram in the bunk beds in each barrack.

Soldiers make their way by walking or using crutches through the sandy dirt to a communal bathroom, where they have propped office partitions between otherwise open toilets for privacy. A row of leaky sinks sits on an opposite wall. The latrine smells of urine and is full of bugs, because many windows have no screens. Showering is in a communal, cinder block room. Soldiers say they have to buy their own toilet paper.

They said the conditions are fine for training, but not for sick people.

"I think it is disgusting," said one Army Reserve member who went to Iraq and asked that his name not be used.

That soldier said that after being deployed in March he suffered a sudden onset of neurological symptoms in Baghdad that has gotten steadily worse. He shakes uncontrollably.

He said the Army has told him he has Parkinson's Disease and it was a pre-existing condition, but he thinks it was something in the anthrax shots the Army gave him.

"They say I have Parkinson's, but it is developing too rapidly," he said. "I did not have a problem until I got those shots."

First Sgt. Gerry Mosley crossed into Iraq from Kuwait on March 19 with the 296th Transportation Company, hauling fuel while under fire from the Iraqis as they traveled north alongside combat vehicles. Mosley said he was healthy before the war; he could run two miles in 17 minutes at 48 years old.

But he developed a series of symptoms: lung problems and shortness of breath; vertigo; migraines; and tinnitus. He also thinks the anthrax vaccine may have hurt him. Mosley also has a torn shoulder from an injury there.

Mosley says he has never been depressed before, but found himself looking at shotguns recently and thought about suicide.

Mosley is paying $300 a month to get better housing than the cinder block barracks. He has a notice from the base that appears to show that no more doctor appointments are available for reservists from Oct. 14 until Nov. 11. He said he has never been treated like this in his 30 years in the Army Reserves.

"Now, I would not go back to war for the Army," Mosley said.

Many soldiers in the hot barracks said regular Army soldiers get to see doctors, while National Guard and Army Reserve troops wait.

"The active duty guys that are coming in, they get treated first and they put us on hold," said another soldier who returned from Iraq six weeks ago with a serious back injury. He has gotten to see a doctor only two times since he got back, he said.

Another Army Reservist with the 149th Infantry Battalion said he has had real trouble seeing doctors about his crushed foot he suffered in Iraq. "There are not enough doctors. They are overcrowded and they can't perform the surgeries that have to be done," that soldier said. "Look at these mattresses. It hurts just to sit on them," he said, gesturing to the bunks. "There are people here who got back in April but did not get their surgeries until July. It is putting a lot on these families."

The Pentagon is reportedly drawing up plans to call up more reserves.

In an Oct. 9 speech to National Guard and reserve troops in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Bush said the soldiers had become part of the backbone of the military.

"Citizen-soldiers are serving in every front on the war on terror," Bush said. "And you're making your state and your country proud."

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-10-18 01:46am

Wow, the Army is fucked up.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-10-18 01:57am

I would be skeptical of some of the claims here unless verified elsewhere, but even if there is only a grain of truth to this, it's pretty fucking disgraceful.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-10-18 03:38am

The Reserve and Guard troops are getting the shaft in more ways than one. I think it should be mandatory that after 60 days of active duty you are fully benefited. Thats right, you are now a full time employee to put it in corporate terms. 100% the same coverage as active duty troops. After they are released from duty the benefits can go back to reserve levels.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-10-18 04:32am

That has me shocked speechless. I can't believe it.

Shameful.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-10-22 01:52am

I heard today that the Reservists and Guardsmen got visits today from medical staff. Sad.

You know, I have a good question. When is Bush gonna visit the troops he supposedly loves so much? I do expect him to visit the wounded from time to time. I have not heard or scene him visit any so far.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-10-22 02:08am

TrailerParkJawa wrote:I heard today that the Reservists and Guardsmen got visits today from medical staff. Sad.

You know, I have a good question. When is Bush gonna visit the troops he supposedly loves so much? I do expect him to visit the wounded from time to time. I have not heard or scene him visit any so far.

I thought he had? Or maybe I'm just think of what he did after September 11th. Though this point I doubt he'd do any visits because calling attention to US wounded would hurt him politically.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-10-22 02:14am

Sea Skimmer wrote: I thought he had? Or maybe I'm just think of what he did after September 11th. Though this point I doubt he'd do any visits because calling attention to US wounded would hurt him politically.

Im pretty sure he has not visited a single wounded soldier from Iraq. I dont understand why it would hurt him. Im totally against this war, but feel he should visit the troops. He is the commander in chief after all. It does not even need to be a photo op. Just go, show you care.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-10-22 02:23am

That's pretty damn fucked up.

How could this happen, doesn't the US military have doctors there or hospitals in the US bases nearby?

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-10-22 02:28am

Gandalf wrote:That's pretty damn fucked up.

How could this happen, doesn't the US military have doctors there or hospitals in the US bases nearby?

They do, however Reservists and Guardsmen dont get the same benefits that active duty do. Even after they have been called up for such a campaign. There is some time frame where they get full benefits, it seems all muddled and confused. Basically it is mainly a question of money. This isnt some "liberal media" issue either. The Marine Corps Times has had several articles on the how the Reservists/Guardsmen are being short changed in some ways.

Okay, I know this is going to sound cynical but taking care of troops medical needs and such do not get votes or jobs in your congressional district. I dont know if it is that simple, maybe they are just getting shafted cause of the way beauracracies work.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2003-10-22 12:31pm

Ok I have to call bullshit on this claim that one of the guys is making

Army Guy wrote:He said the Army has told him he has Parkinson's Disease and it was a pre-existing condition, but he thinks it was something in the anthrax shots the Army gave him.

"They say I have Parkinson's, but it is developing too rapidly," he said. "I did not have a problem until I got those shots."

Now if the anthrax gave him Parkinsons why didn't it give every other person Parkinsons who recieved anthrax shots for more than the last thirty years. I am sick of this crap about people complaining and being fearful of the anthrax vaccination. I realise it sucks for him to have parkinsons and all but he can't blame shit like that on the Army.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-10-22 12:37pm

You know, the more I read these things the more I feel such a fucking anger towards this adminstration. If they even DARE to trot out the Carrier landing during as a campiagn commercial I pray that the Democarts rip him a new one on these disgraceful conditions our troops are suffering under.

I also hear that troops marrying Iraqi women are getting treated like shit, forcefully seperated from their wives and transferred away from the areas where their new wives live.

And that fucker is off in California cracklng jokes with Ahnold. There are really no more excuses for this behavior towards the men and women he praised so stridently.

(Alarm bells went off in my head many months ago when he announced "Major Comabt Operations are now over." It had a Vietnam stink to the wording)

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-10-22 12:57pm

This is absolutely intolerable. This needs to be changed and it is yet another reason I'm very disappointed the way this has been handled. This is shameful and unnecessary.

I only wish either side would do more to address this rather than spending so much time on lobbing accusations back and forth.

theski · Post by **theski** » 2003-10-22 01:29pm

Here is what is going on to address the problem.... I should have been done quicker..

Doctors, dollars rushed to Fort Stewart

By Mark Benjamin
UPI Investigations Editor

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The Army said Monday it is sending doctors to Fort Stewart, Ga., to help hundreds of sick and injured soldiers, including Iraq veterans, who say they are waiting weeks and months for proper medical help.

Many of the Army Reserve and National Guard personnel in "medical hold" at the base are living in steamy cement training barracks that they say are unacceptable for sick and injured soldiers.

The Army said in its statement that it would spend money to improve those living conditions and is dispatching a team to look into the soldiers' complaints.

"The Army does acknowledge that medical hold challenges exist -- across the Army as well as Fort Stewart," according to the statement. The Army "is absolutely committed to taking care of our people."

At the Pentagon, Army Public Affairs Specialist Steven Stover said officials would try to use findings about the problems at Fort Stewart to improve conditions in the future.

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Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-10-22 02:37pm

Yes, AFTER it comes to light that soldiers are being mistreated, the Army does something about it. *slow, sarcastic applause*

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-10-22 02:43pm

Stravo wrote: I also hear that troops marrying Iraqi women are getting treated like shit, forcefully seperated from their wives and transferred away from the areas where their new wives live.

That's a whole different complicated can of worms that they in part opened on themselves and it doesn't have anything to do with the current administration. If anything it is a conflict with whichever service the men happen to be serving in and it might come down to a particular superior officer.

As for the rest. I am not especially thrilled with how this administation is treating our service men. IMO, Glad handing and schmoozing with them for the cameras and then screwing them at nearly every other turn.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2003-10-22 10:42pm

Death from the Sea wrote:Ok I have to call bullshit on this claim that one of the guys is making

Army Guy wrote:He said the Army has told him he has Parkinson's Disease and it was a pre-existing condition, but he thinks it was something in the anthrax shots the Army gave him.

"They say I have Parkinson's, but it is developing too rapidly," he said. "I did not have a problem until I got those shots."
Now if the anthrax gave him Parkinsons why didn't it give every other person Parkinsons who recieved anthrax shots for more than the last thirty years. I am sick of this crap about people complaining and being fearful of the anthrax vaccination. I realise it sucks for him to have parkinsons and all but he can't blame shit like that on the Army.

I don't believe he was saying the vaccine gave him Parkinson's. He was saying it wasn't Parkinson's, but something similar caused by a reaction to the vaccine. And trust me, vaccines do act differently on some people than others. Most people can receive the meningitis vaccine perfectly well (has something like a 95% success rate). I got mildly ill from it (nauseous for a couple days, slept much heavier than normal, arm was numb for two days). A friend of mine ended up in the hospital for three weeks with a potentially lethal allergic reaction. It's a vaccine that's been around for decades, but there are still a handful of people who die from the vaccine, even though the vast majority of people have no reaction to it at all.

Solid Snake · Post by **Solid Snake** » 2003-10-23 12:00am

Great....Just fucking great....

Post by **Steve** » 2003-10-23 02:12am

Heads should roll. I don't care who's. This is simply inexcusable.

Worlds Spanner · Post by **Worlds Spanner** » 2003-10-23 06:04pm

Death from the Sea wrote:Now if the anthrax gave him Parkinsons why didn't it give every other person Parkinsons who recieved anthrax shots for more than the last thirty years. I am sick of this crap about people complaining and being fearful of the anthrax vaccination. I realise it sucks for him to have parkinsons and all but he can't blame shit like that on the Army.

Because different people have different reactions to drugs/vaccines/etc?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-10-23 06:11pm

Stravo wrote:
I also hear that troops marrying Iraqi women are getting treated like shit, forcefully seperated from their wives and transferred away from the areas where their new wives live.

The US military has always been strongly against serving personal getting involved with local women in a war zone; this is not new to this or the past century. It's considered to be a major distraction to the job and a security issue.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2003-10-23 06:17pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:The US military has always been strongly against serving personal getting involved with local women in a war zone; this is not new to this or the past century. It's considered to be a major distraction to the job and a security issue.

Yep the bedchamber way is one of the oldest spying methods in existence.

Just smart policy to discourage fratinazing.