Joshua Kors was on Air America this afternoon discussing his research on this matter. Here are some excerpts from the article that appeared in The Nation:
On April 9, (2007) Spc. Jon Town was featured on the cover of The Nation, in an article that told how he was wounded in Iraq, won a Purple Heart and was then denied all disability and medical benefits. Town's doctor had concluded that his headaches and hearing loss were not caused by the 107-millimeter rocket that knocked him unconscious but by a psychological condition, "personality disorder," a pre-existing illness for which one cannot collect disability pay or receive medical care.
Soon Town became a national figure, the human face of the 22,500 soldiers discharged with personality disorder in the past six years. His story was picked up by the Army Times, Washington Post Radio and ABC News's Bob Woodruff. It was dramatized in a May episode of NBC's Law & Order. And rock star Dave Matthews began discussing Town's plight at every stop in his spring concert series....
The person who was in charge of review disability claims at Fort Carson was Col. Steven Knorr.
......Knorr's memo, which he posted on his office's bulletin board, warns his doctors not to take soldiers' descriptions of their ailments at face value. "We're not naïve, and shouldn't automatically believe everything Soldiers tell us," the colonel writes. Knorr also urges his doctors to discharge troubled soldiers quickly--as he puts it, "Get rid of dead wood."...
Is this how the Bush administration and all the flag-wearing Republicans support the troops? Do yourself a favor and read the entire article.
According to the Library of Congress, Sen. Barack Obama sponsored an amendment to fix and review these cases:
S.AMDT.4330 to S.CON.RES.70 To provide an additional $5 million to the military departments' respective Boards for Correction of Military Records to expedite review of cases in which service members with combat-related psychological injuries (such as PTSD) or closed head injuries (such as TBIs) were administered discharges for personality disorders or other discharges resulting in a loss of benefits or care and seek a correction of records or upgraded discharge.
Sponsor: Sen Obama, Barack [IL] (introduced 3/13/2008) Cosponsors (3)
Latest Major Action: 3/13/2008 Senate amendment agreed to. Status: Amendment SA 4330 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Those people who are undecided on which candidate to support in the Pennsylvania Presidential Primary should take a good look at this article. Sen. Obama's support of this amendment proves that he really does care for our men and women in uniform.
