Stripes letter: Emergency leave denied

[lebkuchen]

Emergency leave denied

The Army and Army National Guard will not meet their recruiting and retention goals this year. I will give you a glaring example of why.

I am an E-5 sergeant assigned to Montana’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-163rd Infantry Battalion.

My 16-year-old daughter, Angela, suffers from debilitating migraines. Over the last two months she has been to the emergency room three times, admitted to St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena overnight twice for observation.

Her doctors are at a loss for an effective treatment. The only option is to drug her into insensibility and unconsciousness and as her headaches become more severe and frequent she has built up a tolerance to the medications. The current prognosis is that these episodes will get worse before they get better.

On one recent phone conversation with her, I did not even recognize her. My wife has to take time from work and time from our other children to care for her and is nearing the breaking point.

My wife sent a Red Cross message to my command requesting my presence, which was strongly endorsed and recommended by the doctors.

I requested emergency leave and was told that “the situation did not meet the criteria.” The Army propaganda tells us “family is important” and the Army supports families. Well, my experience puts lie to that.

Had I known how little value the Army would put on those who support me, those who sacrifice more than I ever will in giving up their daddy, their husband and their son, I would have refused to serve.

John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Well, I have done for my country and so has my family, and this is the thanks we get.

Sgt. F.J. Kearns
Northern Iraq

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=30929

[bbernardini]

1. Why does he hate America? n/t

[lebkuchen]

2. Why does RW America hate our military?

[AuntiBush]

3. Two Very Significantly "Good" Questions...

Don't hold your breathe awaiting a response from the liar.

[Gman]

23. This will encourage the terrorists to be even braver

...or something like that.

[AwakeAtLast]

4. self- delete

I will post something more intelligible later. Sorry!

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. I am so sorry for that faimly. And all the others.

[cloud75]

6. i hope this doesn't get of fuax news he will labeled...

unpatriotic

[blm]

7. The family should contact Dr. Kudrow in Los Angeles.

He and his father specialize in that field and have worked wonders for severe migraine sufferers.

I know a few folks who suffered debilitating migraines for most of their lives, and he helped them live normal lives.

[spuddonna]

8. insane...

I just can't stand the hypocracy that this administration shows the vets and military people.

"We stand behind you!" say the Repugs, but 'their kind' don't sign up for military duty...

"We support the troops!" say the Repugs, but the soldiers get unarmored humvees, and need TP...

"Freedom is hard work!" says the Prez from his ranch, on his 5 WEEK long vacation, but soldiers emergency leave is denied...

yeah. my head is going to explode from this crap...

[lebkuchen]

10. I don't mean to make light of migrane sufferers when I say

I've been on the verge of several migranes in the last four and a half years, as a result of the insanity brought on by the Chimp administration. Prior to Nov. 2000 I rarely had even a minor headache.

[evilqueen]

14. it isn't JUST this administration

Vets, reserves, active duty, and their families have typically been on the shitty end of the stick no matter who sat in the White House.

Emergency leave, especially during war time, is not approved except under extreme circumstances, and it's generally left up to the military member to prove that need (even if he is thousands of miles away fighting in the war). Horrible situation to be in, but it happens all the time.

Base closures also affect veterans, not just the communities that exist around the bases. For every base closure, no matter where it occurs, you have hundreds of veterans suddenly finding themselves without supportive services, jobs, resources, and medical care (except that provided by TriCare, or if they happen to be lucky enough to live within driving distance of the nearest regional VA medical center). And I haven't even gotten into the whole funding issue for VA medical care. My own experiences with VA hospitals have not been all that great... waiting lines and several week lead times on appointments are common. Well, you can't wait 3 weeks when you're in horrible pain (like that of a migraine).

[lebkuchen]

20. I think an argument can be made that it's not a war

It's a never-ending occupation.

[Wheezy]

9. I'm so sorry.

*hugs* to you and your family.

[OhioChick]

11. My heart goes out

to him and his family. My Son is a chronic pain patient and has had daily migraine headaches for 3 years now. It's terribly hard to treat and equally hard to watch as his parent. :cry:

He needs to be home with his family.........and they need him.

on edit: spelling

[Fly by night]

12. Montana has legalized cannabis, which serves as a vaso-dilator.

There's considerable research on its efficacy as a migaine treatment, regardless of the form in which it is ingested (tincture, tea, baked into food, etc.) Montana physicians can now discuss and prescribe it.

Google "cannabis migraine" and see for yourself. Montana is now one of eleven (or twelve) states that is allowing this ancient and modern (through sixty years ago) medicine to be used again. People who have reported persistent problems with migraines are finding immediate relief from this medicine.

[evilqueen]

15. legal problems

You're right when you point out the medicinal value of marijuana and I couldn't agree with you more about it. However, even in states that have legalized medical marijuana, the feds can and do arrest people who have medical prescriptions for it. Federal law trumps state law in this case, and makes criminals out of patients.

[Fly by night]

24. But states are fighting back and so far, feds have left most pts. alone.

Believe me, I am well aware of the legal issues. (PM me if you want details.) But Montana is one of the courageous states to defy the feds and it is worth a shot to try to get her some relief.

[evilqueen]

25. unfortunately, my state doesn't allow medical mj

And from what I've seen in the news, California is having a real problem with the feds.

And now there's this extradition thing with Marc Emory... over SEEDS. And if Canada allows this to happen, our laws call for the death penalty because of the quantity of seeds he sold. Yes, the DEATH PENALTY.

[Hubert Flottz]

13. I never saw my first child until he was over 6 months old.

I was stationed in Colorado at the time he was born. The doctors and the Red Cross couldn't get me an emergency leave, even though the doctors were afraid my wife would have a hard time giving birth. Guys and Gals, the cold hard facts are, that in the Army, as in all walks of life, you have some people who are sadistic asses!(see Freak Republic)

Back then the Army had some evil sadistic people like that, about everywhere I went. The Army also had some excellent and very professional career soldiers. Back then, some people joined the service to keep from going to jail, for crimes they had committed prior to joining the military. The sadistic types of officers and NCOs that I ran across in the Army, were of no great value to the service, or to the country. They were the MAIN REASON draftees hated the service, did their time and then went home!

When Rumsfield made the statement that,( "Draftees added no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time, because the churning that took place, it took enormous amount of effort in terms of training, and then they were gone.") I knew right then, that the Military was being managed by a fool, who didn't have all his facts straight. When the DoD started up the "all volunteer Army", after Nam was over, most of the sadistic behavior was tracked down and stopped, in order to keep people in the service. I guess, in the volunteer Army under Rumsfield, the cruel and sadistic treatment, that he chose to ignore as a factor in his flawed equation, about the Vietnam era, was then at best, ignored, or at worst, encouraged.

From the looks of the activity at Abu Ghraib, the mistreatment and mismanagement of the lower ranking soldier and the much advertised "improved conditions" must have regressed back to the old Vietnam era level and beyond. Most of the sadistic types I ran into were older higher ranking soldiers. That is exactly why, I never bought the Pentagon's "Bad Apple" story from the get go! What I witnessed with my own eyes in the service, leads me to believe, that the order to "soften up" the POWs in Iraq, before they were interrogated, came from higher up the chain of command, than the people who took all the blame in "Torturegate"!

Frankly, I think the DoD's handling of the "In Depth" investigation of the sadistic crimes comitted at Abu Ghraib, were a sham. If the DoD has nothing to hide, then why is Rumsfield hiding those photos? Was Abu Ghraib a total breakdown of military discipline that reached all the way up the chain of command, or did the things that took place over there, happen because the DoD ordered it to happen? Are the photos worse than the things that people around the world can even sit around and imagine?

[evilqueen]

17. Bravo

I couldn't agree more with everything you've written here. I wasn't in during Vietnam (too young then, I joined just after it went to all-volunteer), but assholes like that were still in place when I served.

And no, I never bought the "bad apples" rationale either. Torture like that is policy instituted at the very highest levels of government. Enlisted people don't do this shit of their own volition, and if they see anything troubling happening, it's been my experience that at least one person will report it (in triplicate). If there are no such reports, it means someone filed them in the circular file and actively worked to cover everything up.

[Hubert Flottz]

18. The average soldier is a good person basically.

I know that I, nor most of the other soldiers I served with would have done those awful things, even if they were told to do it. I did know a very few who probably would have. If they would have ever told me to get with a program like that, I would have raised hell and called Robert C Byrd, my congressman ASAP!

I'm ashamed of our leaders, any way you slice what happened over there. I think it was a political motive behind what happened. When someone wants to win an election that bad, they're as bad as the terrorists we're fighting! I feel sorry for anyone serving in Iraq!

The axis of evil is on the other side of that gate, from the broken hearted lady in Crawford Texas!

[lebkuchen]

19. Good to see you

and read. :)

[Hubert Flottz]

27. And good to see you!

I don't know much about migraines, but I can tell you that George Dumbya Bush is the "Mother Of All" pains in the ass! He has given every American with a functional brain a headache and caused an epidemic of :puke: every time he comes on the TV screen to tell us another pack of lies. He has given America third degree Opticalrectitus,(shitty outlook)an acute case or the red ass and mental cruelty 101!

Speaking of diseases, I've seen it discussed on DU and several other chat boards, that Bush may be afflicted with various physical and mental maladies, ranging from epilepsy, to the creeping dumb-ass! I might not be a damned Doktor, but I know exactly what's ailing the Chicken in Chief...He in my opinion is in the latter stages of the often crippling disease caused "Spuffit's Disease" and I think he has passed it on to damned near every politician in Washington!

The disease can be a killer if it gloms on to people in charge of things, because the main symptom of "Spuffit's Disease", is as follows...One's Face Looks Like One's Ass So Much, that that person can't figure out which way to turn! So you can see how someone in command of the entire country, could be a threat to national security, if that person were stricken with Spuffet's Disease.

He can run, like he's done on about every other occasion in his entire sheltered life, but he can't hide, in the deepest of all hidey holes, from his mental problems and his total lack of nerve... Plenty of gall, but no courage, is our good commander in a nutshell. The proof of my theory, is the fact that one little lady in Crawford Texas has run Bush into his hidey hole and he ain't about to come out and face the music. He is a reflection of his being raised by a parent who is also a flaky wimpy assed old dude, still posing as a real Cowboy...

I rest my case...

[Festivito]

26. Excellent insight. Thank you. nt.

[Solly Mack]

16. Not at all uncommon

sad to say

[lovuian]

21. My heart goes out to you!!! Your daughter needs you and

yet your stuck in a army thats a mess right now!!!

Your daughter needs more expert help and may have to go out of state for it. This is why your needed so badly at home. You could take her. I feel so sorry...

[Sanity Claws]

22. Migraine help

I sympathize with you and your daughter.
I don't know what I can do to help you but for your daughter, help should available. How is her diet? There are a lot of food triggers for migraines. She should eliminate the usual migraine triggers and then keep a food diary in case she has migraines from more unusual triggers.
Acupuncture is also helpful to alleviate the pain.
Hormones are another trigger. She probably gets the migraines just around the due date for her period. That can't be changed but maybe she should be more mindful of migraine triggers around that time of month and know that is especially important to avoid those triggers at that time.

[NuttyFluffers]

28. I am livid. How much more can be dumped on these troops?

Iran?

The civilians have to fight to keep our troops safe, and that means standing up to this administration and look out after OUR TROOPS interests before * SPECIAL interests.

Disgraceful. How much more before it all comes tumbling down...

[MADem]

29. If he were working for me

I'd call his wife, get her to find a doctor who is willing to try any protocol that will provide relief for the child within a year (and is willing to so state) and then have him resubmit the request not for Emergency leave, but for a Humanitarian reassignment (there has to be an end date for that--it cannot be a continuing and chronic condition).

Of course, the bad news is, they'd stick him in recruiting, and he would not see much of his family anyway....