Documents show Army's disservice to broken soldiers (WTU's)

[Sammy Sandbag]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_721598.html


WASHINGTON The Army's special medical units should be healing more than 9,300 soldiers entrusted to their care.
But a nine-month probe by the Tribune-Review found America's sick and injured soldiers must struggle to mend inside 38 Warrior Transition units the Army has turned into dumping grounds for criminals, malingerers and dope addicts.

[kleinmi3]

I cannot agree with this article more. I did a Commander's Inquiry on a Soldier within my Battalion and it involved a Soldier in the WTU and it was a nightmare. It really has turned into a dumping ground. WTU was a great concept, but isn't executed properly. What this has identified is a shortfall in our Chaptering process. Why does it take the civilian sector a matter of hours to fire someone? while it takes the Army months if not years!

[Sammy Sandbag]

It really has turned into a dumping ground. WTU was a great concept, but isn't executed properly. What this has identified is a shortfall in our Chaptering process. Why does it take the civilian sector a matter of hours to fire someone? while it takes the Army months if not years!

Exactly. The article kinda blames commanders, but makes no mention of the broken system for separating unfit Soliders. It's utterly impossible to place someone into pretrial confinement unless they killed someone. Units are forced to carry non-deployables on their books until they are out, so units find the quickest way to get rid of them, which ends up being WTUs. Fix the chapter process and you fix this. Also make WTUs available only to those who have served in combat or been injured in the line of duty (documented serious injury, not my back hurts because I had to do a ruck march.) Drug users and malingerers don't belong with those who have been injured in service to their nation.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Follow up article:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_721603.html


The 5-73rd Cavalry hung a Purple Heart on his chest, and Katter kept patrolling Diyalah Province's deadliest acres, despite mounting seizures, debilitating migraines, wrenching neck and back pain, and nerve tremors that quaked his arm, according to medical records provided to the Tribune-Review.

Once back at North Carolina's Fort Bragg, however, Katter's chain of command accused him of shirking his duty. Shuffled off to a Warrior Transition Battalion in the shadow of the base's Womack Army Medical Center, Katter was bedeviled for nearly three years by "cadre" staffers, soldiers without combat experience who were supposed to care for him.

[K2]

That's my Squadron (5-73). Those guys must have left right as I got there, though. I'll ask too see if some of our 'old and crusties' know them.

[Sammy Sandbag]

Last installment: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_721735.html


FORT RILEY, KAN. -- It's 6:27 a.m. on a crisp Nov. 19, and the first soldiers in Company A, Warrior Transition Battalion have limped into the cavernous airplane hangar Fort Riley has turned into a gym.

Some stumble on crutches. Others lean against buddies as they shuffle into their morning formation. Squad leaders scoot across the floor like waterbugs in green shorts and their ubiquitous Army yellow reflective belts, waiting for a mountain of a man who will call them to "Attention!"

[killernurse]

*sigh* I know more on some stuff mentioned. There is definately another side to some of these stories but due to HIPPA we can't actually say what's real. Can also say there's rampant abuse of the system including people who don't belong here, who lie, who try to stay to suck of the gov't tit longer. But we also do provide excellent care for those who truly need us. I agree that there is overprescription of meds- I'm a big fan of minimizing them and controlling duration. I have also dealt with more discipline cases (DUIs,child abuse, drug abusers, malingering) than I ever expected. Malingering is especially difficult because a provider can know darn well that a guy is lying about his medical condition but can't tell the command without them already having an open investigation whose scope covers. It's frustrating. Anyway. Chapter system needs to be fixed. Make it easier to get people who shouldn't be in the Army in the first place.

[Girex]

about malingering i call BS... CPT to CPT or MAJ to MAJ or officer to enlisted(or vice versa).... if you know a guy is bsing or suspect it you should say something. leaders business is leaders business, you dont have to discuss the details just that you suspect me may be malingering...


from what I saw as an S1 for alittle while my unit used the WTU avenue as it was prescribed. I think is pretty messed up if people arnt. The problem is the grey area, there are a lot of mental problems due to combat that are probably causing some of the issues with UCMJ and what not (see the issues with the russian army and chechnia if you dont believe that), who solves those problems? WTU help transition these people out or try to heal them? i mean i think thats why they were created right? not just for the people who got blown up and needed the extra transitioning but mental issues too?

[kleinmi3]

about malingering i call BS... CPT to CPT or MAJ to MAJ or officer to enlisted(or vice versa).... if you know a guy is bsing or suspect it you should say something. leaders business is leaders business, you dont have to discuss the details just that you suspect me may be malingering...


from what I saw as an S1 for alittle while my unit used the WTU avenue as it was prescribed. I think is pretty messed up if people arnt. The problem is the grey area, there are a lot of mental problems due to combat that are probably causing some of the issues with UCMJ and what not (see the issues with the russian army and chechnia if you dont believe that), who solves those problems? WTU help transition these people out or try to heal them? i mean i think thats why they were created right? not just for the people who got blown up and needed the extra transitioning but mental issues too?

I've said it once and I will say it again...great idea, pooly executed. It takes too long to chapter out a Soldier that is "doing the wrong thing" and the WTU is being used to extend the amount of time we keep select criminals in the Army.