Please Help The Soldiers Go Home

A desire to help our country; a pride for their jobs and careers in the military; Men and women leaving their jobs, their families, their normal lives to go and fight for our country. They get hurt...they look for our help, America's help...they only find out that they are denied medical treatment. They only come back to find they are alone and their lives are their medical case are determined by a folder, which is one of thousands of folders piled high to the ceiling. Is there anyone who can tell me when I can get medical treatment? No...is there anyone who can tell me when I can go home? No...is there anyone out there who cares about me? Yes.

Red tape and bureaucracy are holding up essential needs for our soldiers when they come back from war. The army is trying to give these solders the lowest amount possible for their work in the war. Some soldiers get a small settlement and no medical. Post traumatic stress disorders plaque so many soldiers that had been in bad blow ups that can't get care for up to a year, because the wait for medical treatment can take that long to get. The medical Board determines whether the soldier will stay in the Army; get medical benefits and one lump sum with separation papers or nothing. The absurdity of a soldier who gave their life to fight, to get nothing at all is unacceptable to me.

Disability rating of 30 or better gets disability retirement check and medical benefits for themselves and their family based on years in serve and rank...my question is, what do those kids who have the least amount of time in the service, who get their limps blown off get? They are in the front line, they are inexperienced and they are most susceptible to getting tragically hurt. Those who get a rating below 30 get a one-time severance check and no medical payments. Too many Soldiers in the below 30 ranking don't belong there. They sustained brain trauma, mental disorders along with physical disfigurements. The Medical Board and Defense department have skewed judgments towards the level of help our soldiers should get because ...there's too many of them coming in wounded, they didn't make the necessary provisions for the war. There hasn't been this many wounded since 1972. You think that times have changed? You think that we have a full blown war going on and you needed to gear up 7 years ago for all the wounded soldiers? This doesn't take brain surgery, or does it?

Both the Medical Board and Evaluation Board average 9 to over 15 months to process each soldier. The disparity also lies in whether the soldier is still in recovery mode or is he/she in medical evaluation mode? Soldiers want to get medical help and get out, while some Army officials say they are not ready for evaluation, they are still recovery. All the soldiers can't be wrong, can they?

Does the Evaluation Board say this to buy time? Well before the war they were asked to process about 7,200 cases. A year after the war began, they were asked to process almost 14,000 cases and 5,000 are still waiting to get processed. I would say it was a staffing issue. What President would go to war, and put our brave men and women in harms way without preparing and gearing up all the Vet Hospitals for the high demand for medical treatment first? Where are the priorities?

It's a little too late to firing the two top dogs heading up this circus Maj. Gen. George Weightman and Army Secretary, Francis Harvey. Plus some shifting of defense secretaries replacing those that got the boot. Some big salaries went into running a sad example of the pain our American soldieries endured for almost 7 years. A disgrace...We have to fight for justice and we have to make sure our soldiers are given the best medical and psychological care possible on and off the battlefield.

These soldiers loved the Army but after facing the hardship when they got back, they have only bitter thoughts of a once proud career. Many of them have injuries that prohibit them from holding down a regular job and if their ranking is below 30, they have no medical benefits. Their future with their wives and husbands and children are stained
Because they have been away so long, or their injuries inhibit the way they can engage with them again. Their whole lives are lost down the toilet when they come back from the war. They are used in the war, but abused by the same country that put them out in the war.

The solution has to continue with the release of these two men from the Reed Medical Center. Staffing needs to increase. The increase should be determined and aided by caseworkers. There should be enough caseworkers for a proper ratio between caseworker and solder in order to help with the paperwork and processing of cases. There should be increased jobs for doctors and nurses and medical assistance. We are in a crisis here, and these soldiers have had to endure this wait, this pain, and this loneliness for too long.

If everyone who reads my article could send a message to someone else and keep the chain going, we can be the voice that our soldiers are looking for. It starts with you and me...tell everyone to read this article and go online and read the sad details of some of the soldiers. It will make you cry just like it did to me. We can be their voice...