Soldiers: Army forcing troops to deploy despite health woes

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — When the "Arctic Warriors" Stryker Brigade left for Iraq from nearby Fort Wainwright late last year, commanders told soldiers who were suffering medical problems that they would also go to war.
Spc. Mark Oldham was on a plane to Iraq by Dec. 5 despite being declared unfit because he passes out during training and requires a 30-day heart-monitor exam, his medical records show.

Sgt. Jesse McElroy, a combat veteran who had shoulder surgery in September and could barely move his arm, according to his medical records, was told to deploy or face charges for malingering.

Chief Warrant Officer Adisa "A.J." Aiyetoro, a 19-year veteran who is stricken with active tuberculosis and unable to wear body armor because of back injuries, according to medical and court records, refused to go. "I'm not getting on that plane," he says. His court-martial on charges of disobeying an order and missing a deployment is scheduled for Monday.

"The only reason that I'm being deployed is they want (greater) numbers" of troops in the field, Oldham said before leaving. He is assigned to communications.



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-03-22-deploy...

[Autumn]

1. That has been going on for a while. My nephew

was sent to Iraq two years ago with a broken hand and deaf in one ear from his previous deployment, under stop loss. He was assigned to communications also.

[Mithreal]

2. I am entirely against escalating or even continuing these wars, but

healthy and able people are needed, not those we have already damaged or destroyed.

Do the President and Secretary Gates have a plan to stop these kinds of redeployments yet?

[jody]

3. Now that the problem is public, it is Obama's decision to stop or continue such inhumane policies.

[Diclotican]

4. RamboLiberal

RamboLiberal

That says a lot about the Army.. When you have to send soldiers who are declared unfit for duty, because of medical records.. And as it says an active Tuberculosis, this is an illness who is contagious and who in most cases would be a reason on it own, to be put into a hospital for a long, long time.. In "the old days" if you have had Tuberculosis, you would never get an foot into the army again... And in the meantime you should have given all the medicine you can get. This is an infectious illness, who in "the old days" was a illness who most people was scared about. Even after medicine got it under control, and the infection rate of the illness was going down the old fear of Tuberculosis was scaring half of Europe to their knees...

This men should not been cort Martial they should be given all the medical help they need. This is horrible, that the Army are in so bad shape, that even sick soldiers have to report to duty. Even people with an illness who is killing people.. Tuberculosis does that, kill people..

I am maybe not from the generation before me, when Tubercolosis was an danger for most pepole, but I am not that young, as not to have familiy member who have had the illness.. My uncle on my fathers side had the illness, and even that he was medical fit in the end, becouse the ilness was goon after some year, he was never the same as he was before.. And the lung dificulties he had was not that easy for him to live with.. And it is STILL an illness I fear... Even that I don't that is the ilness I should fear to mutch in my life.. TB is still a illness who is taking live all over the world...

Diclotican

[tuckessee]

5. Kranken battallionen.

The self-proclaimed most modern, whoop-ass military in the world is scraping the bottom of barrell and fielding the 21st century equivalent of the Wehrmacht's infamous "Stomach" and "Eye" battallions.

It would be hilarious if people weren't dying and our national defense being undermined by it all.

[earcandle]

6. I think this is intentionally meant to take us down and

I don't think we are paying attention enough in any assertive, active way to stop any of it.

Then again, whoever said that Obama has to pay attention when we do, is probably right.
So, actually, we are working it. Sometimes it is so hard to notice. It all seems endless.

[Name removed]

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[Mari333]

8. my oldest son almost went

and thank GOD was stopped from going because of a huge blood clot they found in his leg. he is on coumadin now. he didnt go, his unit did. I had just had one son pass on, i couldnt take my other son going. thank god he didnt go.
but it was because he is in a good unit. they take care of their own. this business of kids being forced to go over no matter what has been going on for a long long time.
I would like to think that this would be addressed by the obama admin but so far I havent seen squat. the mindset of any admin that still wants to promote occupation and surges is one that doesnt care about the soldiers or their families, it just wants warm cannon fodder to fulfill its agenda.

[Bigmack]

9. People have to get over the idea...

that armed service members are truly valued. All the ribbons and "support the troops" videos on Utube can't hide the fact that WE send some of the best and most dedicated people in the country into harm's way for some of the most cynical reasons imaginable.

Think of all the British and Russian soldiers who died trying to do something with Afghanistan. What did they accomplish? Now we send Americans to die there, too.

How about we honor the troops by not having so many of them scattered in so many shitholes all over the world?

How about we honor the veterans by not having so many of them?