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2003-10-18 Home Front

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Posted by tipper. 2003-10-18 11:18:22 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Is this for real? I'm a little sceptical. This would be a pretty juicy story for the liberal media. Why haven't they been all over it? I'll belive this stuff when I read some corroborating reports, but right now I'm not buying it. It sounds too much like an updated fictional account of those scenes from Oliver Stone's "Born on the 4th of July".

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2003-10-18 2:14:01 PM|| 2003-10-18 2:14:01 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 This sounds like BS to me. If I call tri-care and complain of a "sore throat", they tell me that they are "out of appointments" until a date in the future. But if I break my leg or complain of difficulty breathing, they can see me the next day or in the emergency room. Sounds like someone got wind of the "out of appointments" and is desperately trying to make it into an issue. It's been like that for a long time.

The examples here are weak. ""They have not found out what my side is doing yet, but they are still trying," Buckels said. As for the example of "Parkinson's Disease", once again it sounds like they are presented with a condition and they aren't quite sure what is happening. Oh...like either of those situations NEVER happens in a civilian hospital. If these are the best two examples the reporter could come up with, it's all pretty weak if you ask me.

As for the living conditions, it sounds like they aren't great - but that they have moved the excess patients into the training barracks due to lack of space.

Sounds like the situation could be improved - so good, let them use this as their negative propaganda. Hopefully the end result will be money allocated to improve the situation. That's ok by me.

Posted by B 2003-10-18 5:00:54 PM|| 2003-10-18 5:00:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 The Instapundit has attempted to contact the appropriate official. Might be worth waiting for further details before commenting.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2003-10-18 5:09:46 PM|| 2003-10-18 5:09:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 If this is true then perhaps they should claim to be illegal aliens....then they will get instant medical treatment for free.

Pretty sad I know...

Posted by GregJ 2003-10-18 5:49:32 PM|| 2003-10-18 5:49:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 I know the military medical service isn't the best. It's a pain in the rear during good times, and these are definitely NOT good times. The conditions they describe remind me of temporary holding quarters for "walking wounded" medical evacuation personnel in Frankfurt. There may be other such places elsewhere.

Fort Stewart is NOT a garden spot at best (My SIL was stationed there during GWI, and deployed with the 24th ID). Yet these are better quarters than I stayed in at Cam Rahn Bay in 1971, during an evaluation.

Right now, the entire military system, from top to bottom, is stressed - badly stressed. The local clinic has six doctors deployed to Europe to help with wounded. Getting a routine appointment is difficult, and could end with a waiting period of a month or more. Here in Colorado Springs (hope of part of the 3rd ID), the local hospital uses a large number of contract physicians to fill the gaps, and it's STILL a long wait.

As for evaluation of physical conditions for disability retirement, I began processing my paperwork to upgrade my disability in December, 1999. We're still at it. None of that's handled by the active military - it's all done through the Veterans' Administration. VA Hospitals have been a horror story for several decades. If these conditions were at a VA medical facility, it would make a lot more sense - those facilities usually aren't set up to house people even overnight, much less for a long stay.

Military medical services need improvement, but nothing like the major revamping and overhauling (including firing a bunch of incompetent middle managers) that the VA needs.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-10-18 8:32:32 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-10-18 8:32:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Reservists generally are last in line for medical services (ahead of retirees). Since we have just completed a major callup, I am not surprised that there a few that are on medical hold. The service won't release them to civilian life or back to active callup until they can determine how bad they are. Since there are still a lot of Medical personnel in Southwest Asia they are just going to have to wait. At least they are not a retiree like me. I am in line behind them.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2003-10-18 10:36:58 PM|| 2003-10-18 10:36:58 PM|| Front Page Top

23:09 CrazyFool
22:36 Cyber Sarge
21:37 Frank G
21:16 Frank G
20:50 Old Patriot
20:39 Raj
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20:31 Bomb-a-rama
20:19 Robert Crawford
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20:12 Old Patriot
19:50 Raj
19:49 Bulldog
19:20 Aris Katsaris
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19:08 Steve White
19:03 Raptor
18:50 Raptor
18:01 Dishman
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17:49 GregJ