Army to Court-Martial Soldier Featured in (NPR) PTSD Story

[Up2Late]

(This is just SO wrong! This is an update from NPR, the original links are at the link below and in my original post at this link: <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2640260>. Merry Christmas Soldier, here's your Court Martial for asking for help.)

Army to Court-Martial Soldier Featured in PTSD Story

Listen to this story...(at link below)
by Daniel Zwerdling

All Things Considered, December 28, 2006 · Earlier this month, NPR reported on
problems soldiers face at Ft. Carson, Colo., when they come back from Iraq
with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other emotional problems. Now,
the base command has taken steps to court-martial one of the soldiers
profiled in the story.

(more text and the audio links at this link) <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6692103>

[MGD]

1. That's the army I remember all right and that's exactly why I left it.

They'll fuck you harder than anything you can imagine if you don't play their games just right. These soldiers are the future homeless war veterans that we'll all be lamenting about in 10 -20 years. the Marine Corps takes care of its own, the Army eats its own.

[Up2Late]

3. I doubt it'll take 10 years.

I hope you're right about the Marines, because this is just wrong what the Army is doing to these poor guys.x(

[Supersedeas]

7. Top down...and when it comes down...it comes down hard

[alfredo]

9. I know first hand how they treat ill or injured soldiers. I went on

sick call with a stiff neck. They ran all kinds of tests on my, including a spinal tap. They put me in traction and tried all kinds of different things. By then I was really hurting and sick as a dog. They called me into an office. I could barely stand up. They ordered me to stand up straight. They said they couldn't find anything wrong with me and accused me of malingering. I was light-headed and started to pass out. I hit the floor, puked and passed out. They revived me, put me in a wheel chair and took me to the front door and ordered me back to my unit. I had to stop and lay down several times on the way.

I was able to make it to my duty station, but I blacked out. I wound up in the hospital again. The next morning I convinced the nurse that I needed to take a shower. She agreed. When I got into the shower my neck loosened up. It was muscle spasms. I was given massages and muscle relaxers.

They were ready to take my stripes because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.


A few days later a fellow soldier stole my muscle relaxers and tried to commit suicide. They again tried to punish me. Assholes.

The upside: the post shrink came over to my side because I proved that I could keep a secret about his downtown forays. The rest of the time there whenever I got into trouble, he'd go to bat for me. I developed a habit of sucker punching NCO's.

[MGD]

10. There were several NCOs and officers that I would have loved to sucker punch

I keep hoping to see their names among the KIA. I never knew that kind of hatred before I spent some time in the Army. Shit, I didn't even go to Iraq and I'm still all kinds of fucked up from my service years. I can only imagine how these soldiers returning from 1-2-3-4 tours in Iraq must feel. There's definitely going to be long lasting psychological implications from all of this.

[alfredo]

11. What probably saved me outside of having an Officer covering

for me, was the fact I was a senior operator doing a mission that was not wanted by others*. I think that kept me out of Nam too.


* You need to be able to understand what others couldn't even hear over the noise. I've lost that ability since then. Many in my job have hearing loss and are drawing VA compensation.

[neuvocat]

2. It all comes down to money.

The soldiers are getting kicked out so that the Army won't have to pay for their medical benefits. Of course they fail to consider the shortage of manpower and the potential for soldiers going on a rampage and possibly killing others here in the U.S. They also overlook the fact that these soldiers want to stay in the service-not get out on a pension.

The Isrealis provide mental health counseling for their soldiers after they've been exposed to combat in order to evaluate their mental state. That is so they wouldn't be a threat to themselves and/or others.

[ninkasi]

4. So what are you saying?

Slapping a yellow "Support the troops" ribbon on your SUV isn't enough? Imagine that!:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[beam me up scottie]

5. fuckers

I replayed the original NPR report for my ex-supervisor at work.

He's a Nam vet.

He was even more pissed than I was.

Yeah, we've come a long way, baby.

[saigon68]

12. They are Fuckers

This is standard behavior by the lifers

[Monkeyman]

6. Can you say don't talk or we will give you a BCD

[Quantess]

8. Kicked & Recommended.

:argh: