Justice Takes A Back Seat Again!

Hey, for all those politicians who wrap themselves in the flag, here’s something to think about:

The Army has gotten rid of over 40,000 troops since 2001.

Why?

They claim it’s due to pre-existing conditions or misconduct.

That’s government-speak for let’s dump the problems on society.

The fact is that these are troops who have exposed to road side mines, seen their friends killed in front of their eyes and other scenarios too horrible to repeat..

Most try to deny their feelings but find themselves coming down with all kinds of symptoms like sudden flashes, blinding headaches, bad nightmares, temper tantrums.

The military physicians see them and usually prescribe some pills….

But when that doesn’t work, their CO calls them cowards and uses other indignities.
And when they go to their Army physician again, they ask him/her to sign a “release” which automatically releases them from the service as they are sent home.

Only, they are returned to the States, tossed out of the Army they love and forced to pay back their bonuses.

They lose their benefits; they lose their pay; and they are denied the care they need.

This is the way we have treated 40,000 plus “heroes” who have given all they could to serve their country.

Nice work, folks!

To make things worse, they are said to have pre-existing conditions (in some cases, the military has stumbled over itself trying to explain how soldiers can be in the service for twelve years and pass each psychological test and then suffer from a pre-existing condition or misconduct).

The fact is that this is a mechanism for saving tons of money—estimated at 8 billion dollars throughout the Military.

A point of fact that these GI’s are suffering from PTSD and the government is denying it to save the Army from having to pay the cost of putting our young people in harm’s way.

It is short-term thinking to think that this problem will go away by itself.

It won’t.

It will come back to haunt us in many ways. From an increased incidence of crime to increased demands on the VA to provide essential services.

And in the end, it will mean higher taxes for all.

And that doesn’t even begin to consider the human costs.

The injured GI who returns home to a wife and family that no longer understands him. A GI who cannot adjust to society and takes his own life. A former Vet and mother who can’t seem to find contentment with her loved ones. All of these are the byproduct of a government that won’t fulfill its obligation to those who willingly forfeited their quality of life in service for their country.

It is the saddest of commentaries and unbefitting a great nation like America.

And it is a black mark against us all for ignoring the problem….

The Armchair Curmudgeon,

Les Aaron