Walter Reed Hospital: A Tragic Story

At long last, the dirty little details about how America-its government-and its wonderfully would-be “patriotic” citizens tend to caste a blind eye to the mistreatment of those who have sacrificed life and limb because a little pipsqueak of a president sought to demonstrate his machismo in the Middle East; the images of his landing on the aircraft carrier and his resolute “bring it on” statement are never more present in my minds-eye and ear.

It is not as though this is the first time such neglect of America’s fighting men and women have been treated so shabbily. And while America conveniently rejects comparisons with the experience of the armed-conflict of Vietnam; the evidence of the post-conflict of neglect of those men and women is still visible to all (who would dare to look and see it) in the vast numbers of physically and mentally disabled Vietnam vets seen on the streets, living under highway and byway underpasses, found temporarily residing in the faith-based half-way houses or locked away (from the public) in the jails and prisons of this country.
In the post-Vietnam period, the problems of Vietnam vets and their families (where families have survived) have been ignored; their complaints have fallen on the deaf ears of subsequent Congresses, presidential administrations as well as the American public at large.

Thank god for those who have come forward to expose the sorry behavior of a government and its military leadership; it is this sorry aggregation of individuals who view those exposed to the death, physical maiming and psychological effects of combat as an unfortunate, but necessary expendable commodity in the conduct of war. Finally, and at long last, heads area beginning to roll, as rightly they should.

It must be noted that treatment of battlefield casualties is exceptional, however; it must also be noted that treatment of battlefield injuries are accomplished with the primary goal of returning those injured to the battlefield. Those whose physical injuries preclude their return to the battlefield and the psychological horror imposed upon the mind, are relegated to the under budgeted, poorly administered confusion and mishandling of the military (and Veteran’s Affairs) bureaucracy.

As short sightedness in the planning and prosecution of the armed-conflict part of the war has been exposed by the past week’s revelations by investigative journalists who have made the tragedy of poor planning evident in the treatment of this war’s casualties.

America should be careful in its tendency to blame everyone from the senior non-commissions officer(s) to the generals for what we now know, America should be reminded that with the exception of that 20-30% of the American public that did not support the war from its outset, 70-80% of this country’s citizens must accept responsibility for its thoughtless drinking and enjoyment of the rhetorical cool aide offered up by the Bush Administration in the lead up to punching Uncle Remus’ tar baby.

Be careful America, the administration is once again pouring the rhetorical cool aide; this time the Bush administration flavor of choice is Iran.

thebrotherman