DoD: 43,000 unfit troops sent to war

[unhappycamper]

Source: Marine Corps Times

DoD: 43,000 unfit troops sent to war
By Gregg Zoroya - USA Today
Posted : Thursday May 8, 2008 7:45:22 EDT

WASHINGTON — More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show.

This reliance on troops found medically “nondeployable” is another sign of stress placed on a military that has sent 1.6 million service members to the war zones, soldier advocacy groups said.

“It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops,” said Bobby Muller, president of Veterans For America. “They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before re-deploying.”

The numbers of nondeployable soldiers are based on health assessment forms filled out by medical personnel at each military installation before a service member’s deployment. According to those statistics, the number of troops that doctors found nondeployable but who were still sent to Iraq or Afghanistan fluctuated from 10,854 in 2003, down to 5,397 in 2005, and back up to 9,140 in 2007.

Read more: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/gns_unfit_... /

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Don't forget the Unfit Commander. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

"I want full credit for my, smirk, heroic Decidership to sent the unfit to Eye-raq. Now watch this drive."

- Commander AWOL

[tanyev]

2. Slap another ribbon on the back of your car! Wear more flag pins!

That will make everything OK.

[maddezmom]

3. sickening

[mopinko]

4. .

[LynnTheDem]

5. "SUPPORTING THE TROOPS"...republican style.

Send em to kill & die for rightwingnut lies.

Continue sending them back to kill & die until they're dead or worthless.

When worthless, bankrupt them & let them live on the streets whilst totally ignoring them.

It's the New American Way.

[Lerkfish]

6. for republicans, this is win/win.

they don't want to pay benefits for injured vets. So, they think, if we keep sending them back eventually they'll get killed. a funeral is cheaper.

[lonestarnot]

7. Beyond reality!

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Just the Bush/Cheney way of 'thanking the troops'!

[redqueen]

9. And members of the military still mostly vote Republican?

[AndyTiedye]

10. Indoctrination Works

[redqueen]

12. Is that a euphemism for brainwashing?

[DFW]

11. Worse yet:

ALL of our troops were sent there by unfit commanders-in-chief

[woofless]

13. Yeah, we take volunteers just tryin' to put food on their families

and turn them into slaves. Bless America my ass.

Woof