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Photo by James V. Carroll |
INDIANAPOLIS (May 7, 2008) – Members of The American Legion’s National Executive Committee gathered here today for their annual spring session at national headquarters.
The National Executive Committee, the formal name for the organization’s board of directors, will address important issues ranging from the war on terror to health care for veterans.
“The American Legion Constitution says we are nonpolitical. That doesn’t mean we check out of the political process,” National Commander Marty Conatser told the opening session. “We engage fairly, driven by our resolutions, in a nonpartisan manner. We are doing our level best to push issues that matter to American veterans to be at the top of the agenda. It is a time of war, rampant illegal immigration and a health system that is being pushed to the limit caring for our sick and wounded from the war. I am proud to say this year that The American Legion's message is in the hands of the next commander-in-chief whoever that may be.”
The national commander informed the NEC that a special positions guide, “Our Pillars, Your Platform,” was prepared and hand-delivered to Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama.
Conatser encouraged members of the NEC to recruit new members to the organization. “We need to look at what we are doing to ourselves. I appreciate every one of you and all the great things that you do, but we have to step up to the plate.”
During the morning session, Conatser presented a plaque to Maine 4th District Commander Charles Bennett for his peaceful demonstration during a misguided “art-experiment” that featured U.S. flags on the floor at a university. A video of the incident at the University of Maine-Farmington gathered widespread attention on YouTube and is currently featured on The American Legion’s national website.
“I fought for the flag of our country in Vietnam and will fight for it until I die,” an emotional Bennett told the NEC.
The American Legion Auxiliary National President Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan presented Conatser with four $10,000 checks for the Child Welfare Foundation, Children and Youth, the Citizens Flag Alliance and Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation.
The National Executive is scheduled to conclude its meetings Thursday morning.
Comments (2)
something to consider
U.S. deploys more than 43,000 unfit for combat
By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show.
This reliance on troops found medically "non-deployable" is another sign of stress placed on a military that has sent 1.6 million servicemembers to the war zones, soldier advocacy groups say.
"It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops," said Bobby Muller, president of Veterans For America. "They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before redeploying."
The numbers of non-deployable soldiers are based on health assessment forms filled out by medical personnel at each military installation before a servicemember's deployment.
According to those statistics, the number of troops that doctors found non-deployable, but who were still sent to Iraq or Afghanistan fluctuated from 10,854 in 2003, down to 5,397 in 2005, and back up to 9,140 in 2007.
The Pentagon records do not list what — or how serious — the health issues are, nor whether they were corrected before deployment, said Michael Kilpatrick, a deputy director for the Pentagon's Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs.
A Pentagon staffer examined 10,000 individual health records last year to determine causes for the non-deployable ratings, Kilpatrick said. Some reasons included a need for eyeglasses, dental work or allergy medicine and a small number of mental health cases, he said.
This is the first war in which this health screening process has been used, the Pentagon said.
Most of the non-deployable servicemembers are in the Army, which is doing most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 5% and 7% of all active-duty, National Guard and Reserve soldiers slated for combat were found medically unfit due to health problems each year since 2003, according to statistics provided to USA TODAY.
Unit commanders make the final decision about whether a servicemember is sent into combat, although doctors can recommend against deployment because of a medical issue, Army spokeswoman Kim Waldron said.
"The commander consults with health care professionals to determine whether the treatment a soldier needs is available in theater," said Army Col. Steven Braverman of the Army Medical Command.
At Fort Carson, Colo., Maj. Gen. Mark Graham ordered an investigation into deployment procedures for a brigade deployed to Iraq late last year. At least 36 soldiers were found medically unfit but were still deployed, Graham told USA TODAY.
For at least seven soldiers, treatment in the war zone was inadequate and the soldiers were sent home, he said, and at least two of them should never have been deployed.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February, the panel's chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., asked Army leaders about an e-mail from the surgeon for the Fort Carson brigade that said medically "borderline" soldiers went to war because "we have been having issues reaching deployable strength."
"That should not be happening," Army Secretary Pete Geren told the committee. "I can't tell you that it's not, but it certainly should not be happening."
Meanwhile, soldiers with medical problems have also deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from Fort Drum in New York and Fort Stewart and Fort Benning, both in Georgia, according to Brenda Farrell, who is leading an investigation into the practice for the Government Accountability Office.
A report from that investigation sought by members of the House Armed Services Committee is due in June.
Posted by major doug rokke | 05/08/08 3:45 PM |
and this is only a partial indication of what medical problems our troops have.
Analysis of VA Health Care Utilization Among US Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Veterans Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom VHA Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards January 2008
Diagnosis (n = 299,585)
(Broad ICD-9 Categories) Frequency * %
Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (001-139) 33,783 11.3
Malignant Neoplasms (140-208) 2,611 0.9
Benign Neoplasms (210-239) 11,056 3.7
Diseases of Endocrine/Nutritional/ Metabolic Systems (240-279) 61,276 20.5
Diseases of Blood and Blood Forming Organs (280-289) 6,194 2.1
Mental Disorders (290-319) 120,049 40.1
Diseases of Nervous System/ Sense Organs (320-389) 98,741 33.0
Diseases of Circulatory System (390-459) 46,725 15.6
Disease of Respiratory System (460-519) 57,312 19.1
Disease of Digestive System (520-579) 92,943 31.0
Diseases of Genitourinary System (580-629) 30,451 10.2
Diseases of Skin (680-709) 46,137 15.4
Diseases of Musculoskeletal System/Connective System (710-739) 137,361 45.9
Symptoms, Signs and Ill Defined Conditions (780-799) 111,474 37.2
Injury/Poisonings (800-999) 59,086 19.7
*These are cumulative data since FY 2002, with data on hospitalizations and outpatient visits as of September 30, 2007; veterans can have multiple diagnoses with each healthcare encounter. A veteran is counted only once in any single diagnostic category but can be counted in multiple categories, so the above numbers add up to greater than 299,585.
Posted by major doug rokke | 05/08/08 3:50 PM |