You remember Fort Knox. That’s the fort in Kentucky where we used to keep billions of dollars in gold bullion stashed away, representing backup for all the money in the U.S.
Then we went off the gold standard, emptied all the vaults, put the gold somewhere else—nobody seems to know where—and began printing the fiat money when we needed it.
That’s how Fort Knox got devalued.
Here’s how it got disgraced.
There are more the 400 sick and injured soldiers, most from the Iraqi war, stuck in Fort Knox, sometimes for months, waiting for medical treatment. These war casualties are on what the Army calls “medical hold; and according to Mark Benjamin, UPI Investigation Editor, roughly 600 wounded or sick soldiers also are waiting for doctors to see them at Fort Stewart. Georgia.
That’s not all. The lack of care at both locations suggests that many Reserve and Guard casualties at other locations across the country also could be on “medical hold”, waiting for treatment. Nobody knows for sure.
What the hell is going on here? Are we to believe that the Army sends their casualties home, bunks them in makeshift quarters, then takes their sweet time giving them the attention they need? What are we in, the 5th century? The answer to this obscenity from Senate investigators is that the medical facilities at both Fort Knox and Fort Stewart are overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed? It seems incredible that the Pentagon, which was prepared for casualties over there, are not prepared for treating them over here. Looks like a major screw-up at both ends of the tour.
Meanwhile, the sick soldiers are unhappy, and can you blames them?
“I joined to serve my country,” said Cpl. Waymond Boyd, who served in Iraq with the Guard, “It doesn’t make any sense to risk your life and come back to this.” Boyd has been on “medical hold” since July. His medical record shows doctors’ appointments four weeks apart. It took him two months to get a cast for his wrist, which is so weak he can’t lift five pounds, or play with his kids.
Sgt. Major Glen Talley is at Fort Knox for heart problems, clotting blood, and a thyroid disorder, all of which popped up after he went to war in April. Talley said he was moved to Fort Knox on October 16th and has not seen an M.D. yet. His next appointment with an endocrinologist is scheduled for December 30th.
“I don’t mind serving my country,” Talley said. “I just hate what they’re doing to me now.” A 30-year veteran, Talley was awarded two purple Hearts in Vietnam.
Sgt. Buena Montgomery developed breathing problems since her duty in Iraq. “The army did not prepare for the proper medical care for the soldiers that they knew were going to come back from this war,” said Montgomery. “Now the Army needs to step up to the plate and fix this problem.”
Sometimes you think you’ve heard it all, then comes this: Returning from Iraq, some soldiers spent eight weeks in dilapidated World War II-era barracks with leaking roofs, animal infestations, and no air-conditioning in the Kentucky heat. “On August 28th we moved out,” remembers one soldier. “On August 30th the roof collapsed. Had we not moved out someone would have been dead.”
“I have never been so disrespected in my military career,” said Lt. Jullian Goodrum. “The medical situation at Fort Knox is bad.” He waited a month for therapy for an injured wrist. “I have never been so treated like dirt.”
As an old soldier myself, when I came down with hepatitis in Manila. I was shuffled into the hospital where I spent nearly a month, and the local doctor and nurse attended to me as if I were their only patient. This was in the Philippines, mind you, and I wasn’t even wounded, just sick as a dog.
Now, if I got quick professional treatment in a foreign country, 50 years ago, one might expect that in this day and age an American soldier is entitled to at least as much. Apparently not.
During combat, proper care is often sacrificed for immediate attention. But when a wounded soldier comes home from the war he has a right to expect proper treatment and medical care, from a doctor, as soon as possible.
If our soldiers are left on “medical hold” for weeks on end, waiting for their wounds to be treated, it’s a lousy way for the country to say thank you.
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”