Military injustice (Whistleblower charged with Desertion)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/06/07/whistleblower/index.html

Groucho Marx once said that military justice is to justice what military music is to music. Lt. Jullian Goodrum laughs at that quote. "It's crazy," the 35-year-old Army reservist and Iraq vet says about his knock-down, drag-out fight with the Army. It pushed him to the edge, physically, emotionally and financially. "I have to laugh. Otherwise I'd go crazy," he says.

It has been a year and a half since Goodrum, back from Iraq and haunted by suicidal thoughts and flashbacks related to his time there, checked himself into a civilian psychiatric hospital in Knoxville, Tenn., after being turned away from a military hospital. The Army subsequently accused him of desertion, which can mean six years in the military's Fort Leavenworth, Kan., prison. Goodrum fought back, but he had no idea then what he was up against.

On April 1, after he'd been fighting the desertion case for 18 months, the Army found Goodrum innocent of being absent without leave, or AWOL. But the ordeal took a toll. Goodrum's 16-year career in the military is over -- he wants out. "Why would I serve a military that betrayed me?" he asks. He is $40,000 in debt from legal fees, and his relationship with his fiancée has suffered under the stress. The cause of his original hospitalization was post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from his war experiences -- a diagnosis confirmed four times, three times by military doctors. But instead of improving, some of his symptoms have worsened as a result of his protracted legal battle.

<snip>

Goodrum's troubles with the military justice system started after he became a whistleblower. After he returned from Iraq, Goodrum complained to his superior officers that his unit had been sent to war with an appalling lack of equipment, including broken, unarmored vehicles. When his complaints were ignored, he went to his Congress member and to the press. He also complained about the poor medical care he received when he came back. Now, he is convinced the charge of being absent without leave for getting medical care from a civilian doctor is retribution from the Army, which he claims closed ranks and blackballed him.

[Qanisqineq]

1. good grief

I can't even imagine. What the heck? I am just shaking my head at this.

[merwin]

2. He should attempt to get the ACLU involved

or some other related entity.

[MSgt213]

3. This sort of thing has been happening in the military for a long long time

If you seek out help because of mental stress, breakdown or disorder you will be punished more then you are helped. Being identified with some type of mental health issue is on par with being outed as gay. The military will try to find a way to get rid of you instead of treat you. Its an institutional thing, despite all the rhetoric and denials from DoD.

That's why a majority of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airman don't seek out medical help with mental issues. In turn they wind up committing crimes, abusing their families, going into serious debt and killing themselves and others. At the very least they are released from the Armed Services and forced back into communities that have no funds, resources or knowledge to help them. But hey we support the troops. Right!

[magellan]

4. The Commander-in-Chief should be held accountable

Bush** so loves calling himself the "war president", being addressed as CiC, and making a wedge issue of supporting the troops...Very well, then he can bloody well take full responsibility for the misdeeds of his military like all honorable commanding officers do.