Army Problems at Fort Stewart
Reports that sick or injured reservists complained of long waits for health care and uncomfortable housing put the Army on the defensive Monday, with post officials saying they're doing the best they can with what they have.
"We're constantly working on improvements," said Col. Joe Barthel, commander of Winn Army Hospital at Fort Stewart.
He acknowledged that the wait for orthopedic procedures is six weeks and "we like to keep that below four weeks. ... Our other surgical services are two to three weeks."
There are 633 National Guard and Army Reserve troops on what the Army calls "medical hold" for treatment of injuries or illnesses at Fort Stewart, with problems ranging from sprained ankles to war wounds.
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Matt's Chat
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. The Army must get their act together. Our troops deserve better from their leaders. This crap contributes to whatever morale problems our boys may be facing. Troops have enough to concern themselves with in Iraq and elsewhere without having to worry about whether or not the Army will provide them adequate and timely healthcare should they get hurt. It is an outrage. And I demand satisfaction on behalf of the soldiers who are defending my nation.Mark's Remarks
Well, Matt, I am sure Congress could help by appropriating more for the military, but that will get shot down by liberals, who really don't care what damage they are doing.All politics aside, this is a terrible concern, but unfortunately it is not new. The same happened in all our wars from WWI to Vietnam. We would like to think we have advanced much farther, but we still have some of the same issues. Unfortunately, health insurance (even govt.) continues to rise, and this causes the govt. to look for other methods. If someone would stop the frivolous lawsuits and rewards sought, we could get medical care and insurance cheaper and faster. However, the liberals in Congress are in the pockets of the trial lawyers, and I think that is a shame.
