Keep yer mouth shut, soldier!

SuzannePjamSuzannePjam Posts: 411
edited March 2007 in A Moving Train
Instead of wanting to fix things and hold the people in charge accountable, BushCo. now want to punish the very soldiers who came back from Iraq with injuries. That's got to be one of the more callous things I've seen yet. Punnish the soldiers for speaking the truth, but never the fuck-ups who got them into the hospital in the first place. Give Bremmer a medal for his "great job" in Iraq, yet make the injured soldiers who actually fought 6 a.m. wake up calls and fire the sergeant for speaking out against poor conditions. Looks like the Bush administration is supporting the troops like they always have. Bastards.


Walter Reed patients told to keep quiet

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.
“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training.
Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.
They were also told they would be moving out of Building 18 to Building 14 within the next couple of weeks. Building 14 is a barracks that houses the administrative offices for the Medical Hold Unit and was renovated in 2006. It’s also located on the Walter Reed Campus, where reporters must be escorted by public affairs personnel. Building 18 is located just off campus and is easy to access.
The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Army public affairs did not respond to a request sent Sunday evening to verify the personnel changes.
The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.
"Where there is sacrifice there is someone collecting the sacrificial offerings."-- Ayn Rand

"Some of my friends sit around every evening and they worry about the times ahead,
But everybody else is overwhelmed by indifference and the promise of an early bed..."-- Elvis Costello
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • "It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training."



    That statement is an outright lie and nothing short of it.
    www.myspace.com/olafvonmastadon
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Reminds me of the G.I. Revolt. A great documentary, I suggest everyone rents it.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    This totally doesn't surprise me. A coworker, who left our company for a future in the Army's computer services (and is now in the Middle East), was visiting between finishing up basic training and being deployed. He mentioned that he can't talk much about what he's been through and that if he talks to the media, he would face serious consequences, and that goes for anyone in the Military.

    Did anyone see the Bob Woodward special last night on one of the major networks? It was about his recovery after being near a bomb explosion and visiting other injured soldiers in military hospitals and their stories. I was stunned to see this because I know that the military would not really allow this stuff to be showed. I ended up crying at the effects that this War has taken on them, and they're still barely living. They also mention that although they mention daily on the news of soldiers killed, they never mention the wounded and that there are so many more soldiers wounded than killed and that they get no coverage. It's disturbing that the media is told by the Bush administration NOT to allow these people the decency to tell their story and to show the reality of War and the Truth. These stories need to be told. We need to get to know what's going on; we need to be able to help our men and women. The gov't is directly controlling the media in covering up the realities of War in order to keep the public in the dark and to keep Bush's agenda valid. It's sickening. The media is not a separate entity if the gov't is allowed to manipulate it.
  • gabersgabers Posts: 2,787
    "It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training."



    That statement is an outright lie and nothing short of it.

    No it's not. It depends on which unit you're in, but it's at the very least uncommon these days. I doubt many units out there have daily room inspections at 6:00am still.

    Why pick that statement out? Do you not agree this sounds like punishment?
  • Purple HawkPurple Hawk Posts: 1,300
    Instead of wanting to fix things and hold the people in charge accountable, BushCo. now want to punish the very soldiers who came back from Iraq with injuries.

    you don't give a damned about the soldiers....you'd prefer to "slow bleed" them.

    what scares me is, is the amount of Vitrioul people like you have towards such a liberal president. Imagine if we actually had a conservative?

    time to take the blinders off.
    And you ask me what I want this year
    And I try to make this kind and clear
    Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
    Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
    And desire and love and empty things
    Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
  • gue_bariumgue_barium Posts: 5,515
    you don't give a damned about the soldiers....you'd prefer to "slow bleed" them.

    what scares me is, is the amount of Vitrioul people like you have towards such a liberal president. Imagine if we actually had a conservative?

    time to take the blinders off.

    WTF? If you were really in the military you surely can see what's going on here. Why are you spinning this into something political? This is about dignity and respect. It's about freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

    all posts by ©gue_barium are protected under US copyright law and are not to be reproduced, exchanged or sold
    except by express written permission of ©gue_barium, the author.
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    you don't give a damned about the soldiers....you'd prefer to "slow bleed" them.

    what scares me is, is the amount of Vitrioul people like you have towards such a liberal president. Imagine if we actually had a conservative?

    time to take the blinders off.

    what makes you think that?

    the way we treat our soldiers is sick, disgusting and we ought to be ashamed of our government. when the war started they cut their hazardous duty pay, family separation allowance, if they died they didn't even cover the burial costs, when reservists got home they had to re-enroll for insurance sometimes every month <the bush administration was against just extending it>, they had to wait a lot of times 6 months to a year for their initial visit to the VA....not to mention not even sending them w/ the fucking protection they needed....!!!!

    wtf man!?!? and we support them....how? by putting a fucking magnet on our car made by COMMUNIST china?

    this should've been a big deal a long fucking time ago, to actualy punish them? for what? for answering some questions a reporter asked them??

    how dare they!? some nerve, eh? they knew what they were in for when they signed the dotted line, right?

    we all should be ashamed that we let our representatives behave like this. no money for proper care or even ADEQUATE protection, but hey, there's a whole lot of money for no-bid contracts for halliburton...not only that but fucking bonuses when they have proved time and again they have done nothing but scam and rob us of our tax money...feeding the troops spoiled food, contaminated water, double billing, charging for food and workers, work that never existed... getting paid soooooo much more than the soldiers, who often times have to protect them
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHNCon5Q370

    here, take a look
    http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=HAL&a=11&b=31&c=2000&d=02&e=1&f=2004&g=w&z=66&y=66

    while they were pushing for war halliburton's stock was under $20

    now here
    http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=HAL&a=11&b=31&c=2000&d=11&e=31&f=2007&g=w

    a year ago their stock was $70-80, staying in that range every week but 1 until july 06 when they split theri stocks 2:1, to where it is now $31.77, which would be roughly $63...how can you excuse this gross profit at their expense?

    so he's liberal, exactly how? they don't give a fuck about the soldiers except that there's enough of em
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • AbuskedtiAbuskedti Posts: 1,917
    "It is unusual for soldiers to have daily inspections after Basic Training."



    That statement is an outright lie and nothing short of it.

    It is unusual
  • LBC1076LBC1076 Posts: 224
    Inspections are very rare, at least they were for me. Hell the last four years of my enlistment were spent in a nice apartment far away from any nosy inspections.

    And for the deal about speaking to the media, well one of the things covered in basic training was how to handle the media, we were told to always direct any questions to the Public Affairs Officer. So being cut off from the media is no big deal really, I sense something far deeper here, media contact is not the reason the First Sgt and Platon Sgts were relieved.
  • RainDogRainDog Posts: 1,824
    you don't give a damned about the soldiers....you'd prefer to "slow bleed" them.

    what scares me is, is the amount of Vitrioul people like you have towards such a liberal president. Imagine if we actually had a conservative?

    time to take the blinders off.
    Imagine if we actually had a conservative? Shit, I'd probably be less pissed off at him; particularly if he veered away from such non-conservative things like gay marriage bans and secret investigations of our own population.

    There's more to "liberal" than simply spending money. For one, where it's spent makes a huge difference. There's an old name for big government conservativism - particularly that type of conservativism that rattles sabres, demands warfare, and does all it can to further a socially regressive agenda and nationalistic attitude. One where critics are simply told to "shut up" - forcibly so in this case.

    And no, it doesn't require a comparison to Hitler.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    If you're a soldier, you do what you're told. That's just how it works. I really wonder why there are people who haven't grasped that concept yet.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • El_KabongEl_Kabong Posts: 4,141
    know1 wrote:
    If you're a soldier, you do what you're told. That's just how it works. I really wonder why there are people who haven't grasped that concept yet.

    that doesn't mean you treat them like shit.

    they didn't do a damn thing wrong so why punish them?
    standin above the crowd
    he had a voice that was strong and loud and
    i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
    eager to identify with
    someone above the crowd
    someone who seemed to feel the same
    someone prepared to lead the way
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    El_Kabong wrote:
    that doesn't mean you treat them like shit.

    they didn't do a damn thing wrong so why punish them?

    I do not consider banning them from talking to the media as punishment or treating them badly.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • know1 wrote:
    I do not consider banning them from talking to the media as punishment or treating them badly.

    Not a big freedom lover, eh?
    If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

    Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Apparently there's been a shake up in command today, anyone got the skinny?
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • inmytreeinmytree Posts: 4,741
    Not a big freedom lover, eh?

    he he...they are defending our "freedom" yet they can't have their own...
  • inmytreeinmytree Posts: 4,741
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    Apparently there's been a shake up in command today, anyone got the skinny?


    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070301/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/walter_reed
  • RainDogRainDog Posts: 1,824
    know1 wrote:
    I do not consider banning them from talking to the media as punishment or treating them badly.
    How about placing them in dilapidated medical facilities and punishing them if they complain?
  • inmytree wrote:
    he he...they are defending our "freedom" yet they can't have their own...


    My guess is....that isn't a big selling point come recruitment time...
    If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

    Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    RainDog wrote:
    How about placing them in dilapidated medical facilities and punishing them if they complain?

    I don't think the poor medical facilities were a punishment, but it is definitely not a good thing. Complaining is not allowed in the military. They new that going in.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • puremagicpuremagic Posts: 1,907
    know1 wrote:
    If you're a soldier, you do what you're told. That's just how it works. I really wonder why there are people who haven't grasped that concept yet.

    Your absolutely right. Now please explain to us what the whole SUPPORT THE TROOPS mean. People have been harassed, ridiculed, and personally attacked because they have said or been perceived to have said something negative about our SOLDIERS.

    We have talked about numerous inconsistencies that this Administration has done that pisses in the face of our Soldiers and their families, yet, it never failed that the old two standard fall back lines came into play.

    a) they volunteered
    b) they're soldiers, they should just follow orders

    Honestly, at what point, does SUPPORT THE TROOPS mean more than a symbolic magnet?

    They were sent into a country, Afghanistan, which is in the top five list of countries with the most land mines in the world and our returning soldiers injuries demonstrate such. So Please, explain how this Administration is allowed to use soldiers to promote their own agenda. Yet, here they are with missing body parts, subjected to diseased rodents which could easily infect them and NOW this Administration wants them to shut up. Enlighten us on how this falls under shut up and follow orders.
    SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
  • AbuskedtiAbuskedti Posts: 1,917
    know1 wrote:
    If you're a soldier, you do what you're told. That's just how it works. I really wonder why there are people who haven't grasped that concept yet.

    He he... because that is not anymore true than for any other group of people.. It may appear that way to you because at times their jobs can be somewhat hazardous and stressful... making their management scheme very important.

    Our soldiers are treated as laborors in a nation filled with contempt for laborors...

    And it lies to them to do their bidding.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    puremagic wrote:
    Your absolutely right. Now please explain to us what the whole SUPPORT THE TROOPS mean. People have been harassed, ridiculed, and personally attacked because they have said or been perceived to have said something negative about our SOLDIERS.

    We have talked about numerous inconsistencies that this Administration has done that pisses in the face of our Soldiers and their families, yet, it never failed that the old two standard fall back lines came into play.

    a) they volunteered
    b) they're soldiers, they should just follow orders

    Honestly, at what point, does SUPPORT THE TROOPS mean more than a symbolic magnet?

    They were sent into a country, Afghanistan, which is in the top five list of countries with the most land mines in the world and our returning soldiers injuries demonstrate such. So Please, explain how this Administration is allowed to use soldiers to promote their own agenda. Yet, here they are with missing body parts, subjected to diseased rodents which could easily infect them and NOW this Administration wants them to shut up. Enlighten us on how this falls under shut up and follow orders.

    I don't know what "support the troops" means. I've never claimed to or asked anyone to do it. I wish them absolutely no ill will, and on some level I respect what they feel called to do, but I do not believe wars are justified.

    That being said, everyone knows that war is a possibility if you join the military, so they are joining at their own risk.

    Personally, there's a part of me who wishes nobody would ever join. It would be a lot harder to conduct a war if you had nobody willing to fight.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    Abuskedti wrote:
    He he... because that is not anymore true than for any other group of people.. It may appear that way to you because at times their jobs can be somewhat hazardous and stressful... making their management scheme very important.

    Our soldiers are treated as laborors in a nation filled with contempt for laborors...

    And it lies to them to do their bidding.

    I didn't lie to them...nor did I fall for any lies.

    It's hard to believe that there are people who do not understand that when you enlist you are essentially signing away your freedom and agreeing to obey orders for a set period of time.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • AbuskedtiAbuskedti Posts: 1,917
    know1 wrote:
    I didn't lie to them...nor did I fall for any lies.

    It's hard to believe that there are people who do not understand that when you enlist you are essentially signing away your freedom and agreeing to obey orders for a set period of time.

    That of course is not true.. well with the exception of some movies. They recieve training - they have responsibilities.. they are trained to respect those with other responsibilities and to meet their own.

    The do not sign away any freedoms.
  • hippiemomhippiemom Posts: 3,326
    know1 wrote:
    I didn't lie to them...nor did I fall for any lies.

    It's hard to believe that there are people who do not understand that when you enlist you are essentially signing away your freedom and agreeing to obey orders for a set period of time.
    You are not signing away your right to be treated with minimal standards of human decency. You couldn't operate a dog kennel that had mold growing all over the place and was overrun with vermin ... someone would report it to the county or call an investigative reporter and you'd be shut down. We should not treat people or animals that way in this country, least of all people who, as you have repeatedly pointed out, have willingly signed away some of their freedoms and suffered injuries on our behalf. These soldiers were being abused and no one was helping them until the Washington Post got involved. If that is what it took to get the Army to clean that place up, what would you have had them do? Lie there while the mice romped on their bandaged limbs?
    "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." ~ MLK, 1963
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    hippiemom wrote:
    You are not signing away your right to be treated with minimal standards of human decency. You couldn't operate a dog kennel that had mold growing all over the place and was overrun with vermin ... someone would report it to the county or call an investigative reporter and you'd be shut down. We should not treat people or animals that way in this country, least of all people who, as you have repeatedly pointed out, have willingly signed away some of their freedoms and suffered injuries on our behalf. These soldiers were being abused and no one was helping them until the Washington Post got involved. If that is what it took to get the Army to clean that place up, what would you have had them do? Lie there while the mice romped on their bandaged limbs?


    I NEVER defended those conditions. I think they're as deplorable as you do. I was making a general comment on the nature of being in the military.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • know1 wrote:
    I NEVER defended those conditions. I think they're as deplorable as you do. I was making a general comment on the nature of being in the military.

    Do you think the soldiers should break the rules stand up for themselves when being mistreated or should they simply follow orders and shut up??
    If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.

    Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • hippiemomhippiemom Posts: 3,326
    know1 wrote:
    I NEVER defended those conditions. I think they're as deplorable as you do. I was making a general comment on the nature of being in the military.
    And now they're being punished for trying to get the Army to do what the Army should have been doing in the first place. The nature of being in the military does not include lying silent while you're treated like livestock or worse.
    "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." ~ MLK, 1963
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    Abuskedti wrote:
    That of course is not true.. well with the exception of some movies. They recieve training - they have responsibilities.. they are trained to respect those with other responsibilities and to meet their own.

    The do not sign away any freedoms.


    Are you free to walk out the door and not look back without repercussions?
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
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