Soldiers say military pushes them to discharge before medical needs are .

[pnorman]

The battle after the battle

Soldiers say military pushes them to discharge before medical needs are met

LES BLUMENTHAL; The News Tribune
Last updated: July 11th, 2005 08:44 AM (PDT)
The day before his 22nd birthday, a bomb hanging from a tree along a road near Fallujah exploded above Rory Dunn’s Humvee.

Dunn’s forehead was crushed from ear to ear, leaving his brain exposed. His right eye was destroyed by shrapnel; the left eye nearly so. His hearing was severely damaged.

“I remember a bright flash. The trees lit up, and the Humvee was shaking,” Dunn recalled during a recent interview while curled up in an easy chair in the living room of his mother’s Renton home.

Within minutes of the May 2004 explosion, he was strapped on a stretcher and flown by helicopter to a hospital in Baghdad – the first step in his 10-month struggle to recover.

Yet, even as Dunn fought to overcome his traumatic brain injury and other wounds, his mother, Cynthia Lefever, fought the Army to ensure her son continued to receive critical care from Army specialists. Lefever said the Army tried to pressure her son into accepting a discharge before he was ready – pressure other severely wounded soldiers say they’ve experienced, too.

Lefever and other critics say the Army’s medical system, particularly Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has been overwhelmed by the number of wounded returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. They accuse the Army of attempting to discharge wounded soldiers before their essential medical needs are met and transfer them to Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

“The Army tried to get rid of him,” Lefever said. “It was immoral and unethical. The Army owes these kids.”
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http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/v-printer/story/5012220p-4574442c.html

pnorman

[Ariana Celeste]

1. What happened to "Support Our Troops"?

Beyond disgusting. Everyday the news is worse.

[leftchick]

2. I read that then see this and I am sickened...

he really is shameless. He uses these folks for nothing more than props. I only wish they saw it as well....



In this photo released by the White House, President Bush speaks with members of Soldier Ride 2005 National Tour Team, on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, July 10, 2005. Soldier Ride 2005, is comprised of wounded service members. The team will ride 4,200-miles, in a cross-country bike ride to raise money and support to help prepare wounded soldiers for long-term rehabilitation. (AP Photo/The White House, Eric Draper)

[formercia]

3. and just think of the great mileage this trike gets.

Fearless Misleader says.

I'm sure the double amputee is really appreciative.

Howcum it's not 4WD?

[Moderator]

4. pnorman

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator