Soldiers get booted for ‘pre-existing’ mental illness
October 1st, 2007From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq are being discharged for mental health reasons, but the Pentagon says their problems can’t be traced to the war. Instead, it says the soldiers had “pre-existing” conditions that disqualify them for treatment by the government.
Many soldiers and Marines being discharged on this basis actually suffer from combat-related problems, experts say. But by classifying them as having a condition unrelated to the war, the Defense Department is able to quickly get rid of troops having trouble doing their work while also saving the expense of caring for them.
The result appears to be that many actually suffering from combat-related problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries don’t get the help they need.
Barack Obama is working this one behind the scenes.
See also story by Joshua Kors in the Nation.
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September 30th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
This is absolutely outrageous, though sadly not surprising. The hypocrisy of those who sing paeans to military service while improperly arming troops and then inadequately caring for them when they get home OUGHT to make every last one of us take to the streets. Are we too jaded, too selfish? Our government is now the worst sort of HMO. What cynical, cynical times we live in.