Our Soldiers Betrayed Once Again

President Bush’s escalation of the number of troops in Iraq began on January 15, 2007. Now we learn that just after the escalation of troops in harm’s way, his Defense Department officials laid off most of their case workers who help severely injured service members. The Army Times staff reporter Karen Jowers reports that case workers for the Military Severely Injured Center have been laid off work. The case workers served as advocates for wounded service members who have questions or issues related to benefits, financial resources and their successful return to duty or reintegration into civilian life, all forms of support other than medical care. Her sources said the decision was made to cut back the personnel because officials with the Army’s Wounded Warrior program felt the Defense Department program was a duplication of efforts. Reports indicate that Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Lewis, Wash.; and Fort Campbell, Ky., were among the locations that had case workers cut. The laid-off workers were told Wednesday to finish up their case work with severely injured troops, and that Friday would be their last day.

It seems to me that there should be an escalation of these services provided to our troops not cut backs. Why do we continue to let this president send our brave men and women to war and not provide the needed support when they are severely wounded? Did he learn nothing from Vietnam War? Was he not aware of what happened to a large percentage of those brave soldiers returning from the Vietnam war who where just left on the street to fend for themselves? The answer is NO! He was too busy trying to figure out how to be AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard with out getting caught. He was too worried about his own self interest to care about those who served and sacrificed during that war, proof of the old saying that some things never change.