Wounds that may never heal:

[rzemanfl]

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB3B45UUOE.html

The military has no experience at providing long term care????

What did they do with the "basket cases" from previous wars?

[w8liftinglady]

1. another case of supporting the troops.These are a lot like the patients I

take care of...they fall into the abyss.

[acmejack]

2. Homeless people...

They're in the prisons, why they're insane! They self medicate, dirty dope fiends, damned drunks. They've always been here, just had to know where to look...

[OldLeftieLawyer]

3. They died in real wars

They didn't have the sophisticated - and immediate - medical care that these kids are getting.

So, now it's time to re-read "Johnny Got His Gun," and consider it all again.

On edit: Check this out - http://www.fallenheroesfund.org/fallenheroes/index.php

Fuckface's 'administration' has figured out how to outsource our wounded ..............

I fucking give the fuck up.

[rzemanfl]

4. Read Dalton Trumbo? The commie? My goodness! Actually

I think it is all the armor that the troops wear, even more than the medical care, that is producing all these grievously wounded survivors.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

6. What armor?

Oh, the stuff they didn't have, but people back home chipped in to buy for them?

Gee, imagine a bake sale to buy our soldiers their equipment? Think Donald Rumsfeld bought a pie?

I re-read "Johnny" not long ago at the urging of an old college friend who's a solid leftie. It deserves reading on an annual basis, I think, even though a filthy Commie wrote it.

[lebkuchen]

10. An anesthesiologist who'd worked in Iraq told me

that during deployment, there were several US soldiers who had been killed/wounded by one sniper who was deft enough to shoot between soldiers' helmets and kevlar, taking out many. One soldier personally administered to (hit in the neck) would be, at best, quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

Eventually US soldiers took this sharpshooter out, probably at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars.

[pecwae]

8. This fund is exactly

what you stated - outsourcing for vet care. While it looks good on its face and some may get care, the bulk will still fall through the cracks. Plus, the 'administration' sees that since some folks will pony up (initially, you know, to support the troops while it's still being hawked as the patriotic thing to do and get a nice write off) to fund this private facility then why not further cut the VA budget. An insidious plan, as usual.

[MADem]

5. Most died on the battlefield, or shortly thereafter

Due to body armor and close-in medical care, and the MEDEVAC system, the survival rates are way better nowadays.

The problem, though, is that military medicine hasn't done a lot of LTC historically. The few that made it through in the past were often placed in private care facilities, and they'd often die in a few years.

[Solly Mack]

7. My cousin had his face blown apart in Vietnam.

He survived...but after surgery to repair his face as much as possible at a MASH unit - he was asked to sign a paper of consent...he was still groggy...still trying to absorb getting his face reconstructed...the "consent" was so they could get his discharge papers going...so he was told.. and it was...but the catch was....it contained a clause where he would forfeit ALL benefits he was entitled to..since he was leaving before his tour was over. This was his second tour...and he was drafted to begin with

The head injury, which got no real follow-up for many years,caused him to suffer unexpected blackouts.... he crashed his car during one such blackout and now is in a wheelchair.

The NCOA worked for years trying to get him back benefits. Almost 20 years after his discharge, he got his benefits (such as they are) restored.

When America fights dirty little wars they would rather forget once they're over, America also tends to forget the veterans of those wars. It's easier to forget than to deal with the accountability factor. Folks want to "move on" (as if nothing ever happened)

Good people assumed the VA would be there for the soldiers of Vietnam. Good people assumed the government would keep it's promises to the Vietnam vets - but as soon as good people assumed and turned their attention away...the government shit all over the veterans.

Iraq "war" veterans will be equally as dirted

Long-term care for far too many veterans means...nursing home and a shorter life span.

The problem will be ten fold now....more survive their injuries.

[lebkuchen]

9. What are all the yellow "support the troops" ribbons all about, then?

Lip service?

[Solly Mack]

11. It's a symbol to rally around.....

fairly meaningless other than that

not that I'm discounting the power of certain symbols to energize people into a frenzy of nationalism

allowing that there are all kinds of symbols, of course.