A story in todays Washington Post tells a shameful story of wounded Iraq war veterans and failed promises. Returning solders, their lives saved through unmatched 21st century medical care, now struggle with third-world living conditions and a messy bureaucratic battlefield.
Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army’s Top Medical Facility
Washington Post - Sunday, February 18, 2007
"Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan’s room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses."
Full Story: washingtonpost.com
Supporting Troops with Rhetoric
"We owe them all we can give them, Not only for when they’re in harm’s way, but when they come home to help them adjust if they have wounds, or help them adjust after their time in service."
- President Bush
“The Bush administration plans to cut funding for veterans’ health care two years from now — even as badly wounded troops returning from Iraq could overwhelm the system. Bush is using the cuts, critics say, to help fulfill his pledge to balance the budget by 2012. … Even though the cost of providing medical care to veterans has been growing rapidly — by more than 10 percent in many years — White House budget documents assume consecutive cutbacks in 2009 and 2010 and a freeze thereafter.”
