Army deployed seriously injured troops (Salon.com)
Soldiers on crutches and canes were sent to a main desert camp used for Iraq training. Military experts say the Army was pumping up manpower statistics to show a brigade was battle ready.
…. Military experts say they suspect that the deployment to Fort Irwin of injured soldiers was an effort to pump up manpower statistics used to show the readiness of Army units. With the military increasingly strained after four years of war, Army readiness has become a critical part of the debate over Iraq. Some congressional Democrats have considered plans to limit the White House's ability to deploy more troops unless the Pentagon can certify that units headed into the fray are fully equipped and fully manned.
Salon recently uncovered another troubling development in the Army's efforts to shore up troop levels, reporting earlier this month that soldiers from the 3rd Brigade had serious health problems that the soldiers claimed were summarily downgraded by military doctors at Fort Benning in February, apparently so that the Army could send them to Iraq. Some of those soldiers were among the group sent to Fort Irwin to train in January.
They're doing this for one reason only: to avoid drafting nice, white middle-class boys (upper-class boys, like Bush and Quayle, would squirm out of combat somehow). For they know that the instant they have to dragoon nice, white-middle class boys into Bush's war of loot and domination, the war will be over. And so they are bringing in gang members and criminals, they're forcing the wounded back into service, either in Iraq itself or to serve (and suffer) as PR number-padding.
It is truly remarkable. The Bush gang and its media bootlickers have
elevated "support for troops" into, quite literally, a religious dogma,
which they invoke at every turn to choke off debate and dissent about
the war. Yet I doubt that there has ever been a presidential
administration that has abused and neglected its soldiers as
egregiously – and deliberately – as the Bush Regime has done.
The chief abuse, of course, is sending them into a brutal and brutalizing
war of aggression where they are killing, dying and suffering for the
greed and ignorance of a privileged elite. But the utter contempt the
Bushists show for their broken cannon fodder – not only the "ethnics"
and white trash that no Bush could be expected to care about, but even
the nice, white "citizen-soldiers" of the National Guard units Bush has
impressed into service – is breathtaking in its openness: "Wounded?
Tough shit. Get back to the front – or at least stand around over there
in the desert sun to make our numbers look better. Or if you're really
such a damn sissy that you need a doctor or something, then crawl into
this filthy room here with the rats and the mold, and one of our
private contractors will get around to you – eventually."
We've often written here about the fact that the Bush Regime's
depredations are, in essence, simply extensions and amplifications of long-running policies and philosophies of the bipartisan American Establishment,
and this is surely true. But by God, there is still something special –
some extra dram of evil – about this sick crew. Every day they remain
in office is another indelible stain on American history, another day
of moral rot that pollutes us all.
Update: Karen Kwiatkowski has more on the Bush Administration's "support for the troops" in this scathing piece: Buried Alive.
This Command Just doesn't Get it!!!!!!!!! (They hav disregarded all actions and keep sending Soldiers) This command has totally disregarded all actions and situations that recently occurred. The Commander's deployed on the ground are still sending wounded Soldiers to Iraq! This command obviously feels they are untouchable for some unknown reason. Soldiers who were a part of this article are still being sent to deploy. There military doctors have decided to change there original recommendations at the pressure of the command and commander's who have no concern for Soldiers well being namely LTC RATLIFF the 3rd Brigade's BSTB Battalion Commander. This man has repeatedly shown no concern for Soldiers health and feels he can't be stopped by anyone. This is totally unacceptable and he needs to be held accountable!! Please forward this letter to all influential people. Someone has to stop this out of control leader. Soldiers are in need of help. PEOPLE THIS IS REAL AND HAS TO BE STOPPED!!!
1
March 28, 2007
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With the military increasingly strained after four years of war, Army readiness has become a critical part of the debate over Iraq. Some congressional Democrats have considered plans to limit the White House's ability to deploy more troops unless the Pentagon can certify that units headed into the fray are fully equipped and fully manned. 
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