Kerry demands answers re: Ft. Stewart

[sandnsea]

"Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) today called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to give his personal attention to the treatment of wounded troops at Fort Stewart, Georgia."

Letter to Rumsfeld:

"§ What specific actions are being taken to remedy this situation? § How did this back-log happen in the first place? § What changes are being instituted to make sure this doesn’t happen again? § Does this indicate that the capacity of DOD hospitals is over-burdened with casualties from Iraq?"

http://kerry.senate.gov/high/index_high.html

[GainesT1958]

1. It's really sad that Georgia's senators...

Aren't asking those same questions...is Zell(out) Miller too concerned about "leaving his left blinker on" to care? x(

This misAdministration, and its supporters, apparently espouse a philosophy of "Support our troops--until they come home wounded"!:mad:

B-)

[phillybri]

2. Zell is a "Zellout"....

Lets trade him for Chafee, Snowe, and a player to be named later...

:evilgrin:

[blm]

15. I was so hoping Andrew Young would step up in Ga.

Still sighing over that one.

[revcarol]

3. A day late and a dollar short as usual, Kerry.

If you are so "in touch" with our veterans and active duty people, why did you have to wait until this made headlines to comment? Surely someone would have told you earlier.

A political ploy, anyone?

Oh, well, it will help some of the troops, so go ahead and grandstand.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

4. What a spiteful attack against Kerry.

Kerry speaks out like no other candidate is on this issue and you find fault with him for it.

Full text:

October 21, 2003

The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, DC 20301-1000

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:

I am greatly concerned about reports of poor living-conditions and back-logged medical care for military personnel at Fort Stewart, Georgia. While I am heartened by reports today that additional medical personnel will soon be assigned to care for the reservists waiting for treatment at Fort Stewart, I am worried that these delays would arise in the first place.

According to reports by CNN, UPI, and the New York Times, more than 600 sick and wounded veterans of the U.S. war in Iraq are waiting for medical care at Fort Stewart, Georgia. While they wait, they are being held in training barracks that lack basic accommodations. The UPI reporter who broke this story claims to have seen a document indicating that there are no available doctor’s appointments until November 11, 2003.

§ What specific actions are being taken to remedy this situation? § How did this back-log happen in the first place? § What changes are being instituted to make sure this doesn’t happen again? § Does this indicate that the capacity of DOD hospitals is over-burdened with casualties from Iraq?

The men and women of the American military deserve our highest respect. They have kept their commitment to this country in the face of enemy fire. We owe them the same loyalty when they return home and need our care. The failure to meet this obligation for the men and women at Fort Stewart raises serious concerns about the current stewardship of the American military.

Please give your personal attention to this issue of basic welfare for our troops. I look forward to you reply.
Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
http://kerry.senate.gov/high/record.cfm?id=213792

[phillybri]

5. That's a ridiculous comment....

Get over yourself...

[KC21304]

6. Nice ! nt

[blm]

7. Actually, revcarol, Kerry has been pressuring them on medical services for

the military, both physical and mental health, since last February. He and Wellstone had been working together on urging better care for servicemen when he was killed. He also noted the lack of proper healthcare for vets.

I'm surprised you hadn't seen this in the past.

>>>>>>>>
The message seems to be, ‘do your duty to country but your country won’t fulfill its duty to you if you’re lucky enough to return home.’ That’s not the America I know, and it’s not the America I want us to become. Those of us who’ve served in combat have a special understanding of the values at stake here and the importance of never breaking promises to those who may become our brothers in arms.

“Vets fighting for vets is how we’ve made most gains for veterans from recognition of Agent Orange to treatment of Post Vietnam Stress Disorder. I am very mindful that this law was inspired by the efforts of a previous generation of Gulf War veterans whose illnesses came to be known collectively as Gulf War Illness and drafted in the best interest of our men and women in uniform. We must insist it is carried out for those veterans who may follow.”

Kerry requested the investigation of DOD in a letter sent today to GAO. The text of the letter follows.

-- 30 --

March 6, 2003

Mr. David Walker Comptroller General The United States General Accounting Office 441 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20548

Dear Mr. Walker:

I write to request that the General Accounting Office examine Department of Defense (DOD) compliance with Public Law 105-85, Subtitle F, Sections 765 through 767.
On November 18, 1997, Public Law 105-85 was signed into law by President Clinton. Among its provisions are requirements that DOD develop and implement a medical tracking system for service members deployed overseas. The law requires DOD to perform medical examinations before and after operational deployments, including “an assessment of mental health and the drawing of blood samples,” to, as the law puts it, “accurately record the medical condition of members before their deployment and any changes in their medical condition during the course of their deployment.”

Unfortunately, reports in recent weeks indicate that DOD may not be performing this responsibility to the letter of the law. These reports are troubling. The requirements to develop and implement a medical tracking system were based on lessons learned from the 1991 Persian Gulf War when lack of medical surveillance, incomplete medical records, and information on the location of specific units during particular events led to uncertainty about whether or not the illnesses of many veterans were service related. Any deficiencies in DOD’s execution of the law are particularly worrisome as we face the prospect of war in Iraq again.

Given these concerns, I request that the General Accounting Office examine DOD compliance with the relevant provisions of Public Law 105-85, including the following specific issues:

1. Public Law 105-85, Subtitle F, Section 765 called for improved medical tracking for members of the armed forces deployed overseas in contingency or combat operations, and along with section 766, called for improved medical record-keeping, including documentation of immunizations and receipt of investigational drugs. What is DOD doing to fulfill these legal obligations? Are current measures adequate to meet the requirement for medical surveillance and documentation established in the law?

2. Section 767 required the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress by March 1, 1998 on plans “for collecting and maintaining information regarding the daily location of units of the Armed Forces, and to the extent practicable, individual members of such units, serving in a theater of operations during a contingency operation or combat operation.” Has DOD adopted such a plan? If so, has it been implemented at the unit level?

I would welcome discussion with the appropriate members of your staff regarding other areas of this or other laws that may be germane to this issue.

[sandnsea]

8. Well, actually

This was on his Senate site, not his campaign site. I happened to be looking for another speech and ran across it. It has to do with his Senate work, not the campaign. And while you may think a Senator can keep track of a million specific issues that deserve their attention, they can't. It's not humanly possible.

[Pez]

9. couple of brief statements:

04.03.03

Speech at the Jefferson Jackson Dinner

<snip>

"We need to do much more to deal with this backlog and get the veterans healthcare system ready for the hundreds of thousands of vets who will be returning from Iraq."

<snap>

also on 04.03.03

Supplemental Appropriations Act to Support Department of Defense Operations in Iraq for Fiscal Year 2003—Continued

<snip>

I am grateful to both Chairman Stevens and Ranking Member Byrd for providing $150 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care services to veterans of the Iraq war. I worked with Senator Graham on an amendment to help pay for the health care of returning service members who are released from the military. We are not meeting our promises to our veterans. The VA has consistently received inadequate resources to meet rising medical costs and a growing demand for its health services. This funding crisis has forced the VA health system to resort to short-term fixes, such as discontinuing outreach activities in an effort to reduce enrollment and instituting new regulations that require the rationing of health care. This veteran's health care crisis has been exacerbated with the recent announcement that the VA would provide free medical services to all veterans of the Iraq war for 2 years. The additional funding included in the supplemental is crucial to insure that current veterans do not receive a further reduction in health benefits.

<snap>
___________________________________________________________________________________
by repeating the questions, hopefully it will eventually force the cads for BUSH INC. to answer them.

[revcarol]

10. I apologize.

Just so sick of the daily "get a Bush criticism of the day out there for the media to quote" and no specifics, and Kerry DID vote for this war. Did he think we would be met with flowers after we bombed Iraq daily for 10 years? Did he figure the Bush administration had made plans to take care of war and non-war casualties?

My criticism of him is based on the same thing that it has been based on all along: HE TRUSTED BUSH, the Bush who evidently believed in faith-based planning for taking care of our troops.

He showed poor judgment in his support of Bush, that's all. He HAS been a GIANT in supporting benefits for VA people, like most of our Democratic field of candidates.I re-apologize, I was mean-spirited.

[blm]

11. You didn't have to apologize, imo...

but, I think it's a further example of your sterling character, which I have observed many times here.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. Your characterization of Kerry's IWR vote

is simplistic. And that's the best thing I can think of to say for it.

[JohnKleeb]

13. I believe that Kerry made a mistake in IWR

but I'll be honest, I think he has a good record and I respect the man for a lot he has done, I disagree with his vote but I say hes my second choice. BTW I really like him doing this for the vets. :thumbsup:

[polpilot]

14. Kerry's some kinda letter writer!!!!!!!!!!!!!He'll write a letter and post

it in a second. I defy ANYONE to say that Kerry doesn't write and post a lotta letters...AND make speeches...lots of 'em..Letter writing, speech making...He does a lot of this.

Dean '04...The New Democratic Leader of The NEW Democratic Party.

[DrFunkenstein]

16. You Dare Defy Me!?!

Kneel before Zod!

<>

[diamond14]

17. re-open DC General Hospital....put these injured Veterans there

DC General Hospital is a HUGE hospital complex that was closed in Dec. 2002, while shrub dallied around here in DC about medical care for poor people in OUR Nation's Capital...

so now, there is a giant hospital here in DC, with NO patients...

it would just take a pResidential order to OPEN UP DC GENERAL HOSPITAL and put these 600 sick and injured Veterans from the Iraqi war into decent rooms and beds, decent bathrooms (with wide doors, elevated toilet seats, rails to prevent falls, push button alarms to call for a nurse)....DC General Hospital also has isolation wards for OUR soldiers with contagious diseases, and a mental ward for OUR soldiers with 'shell-shock'...it's the perfect solution, and shrub could get this done in just a few days, as OUR soldiers get transferred to DC from this dumpy barracks down in Georgia...save our soldiers....

OPEN DC GENERAL !!!!

[JohnKleeb]

18. I heard about that the day I met DK

He talked about it and it is despicable.