jakee 1,595 #76 March 7, 2007 QuoteYou are correct in this statement Kallend, but you can't forget that when we go to war we can't wait for the army we want to have, you go with what you've got. Yep, 'cos the world would have been in mortal danger had we waited any longer! As it was, we moved with lightening speed and only gave Saddam around, what, 6 months notice we were coming? That aside, I believe what Kallend is probably refering to is the overly optimistic nature of the planning for the occupation. The strategists planned for flowers, they got an insurgency.Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,116 #77 March 7, 2007 >but you can't forget that when we go to war we can't wait for the >army we want to have, you go with what you've got. If it is a war of defense - you are correct. If it is an optional war for a political objective that will still be there (and still be contained) in a year - then there is no reason to go when you are unprepared. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
warpedskydiver 0 #78 March 7, 2007 Bill no military has ever had what they wanted when any war started. If they did they would have accomplished a victory in the first day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #79 March 7, 2007 QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteOf course, Max wouldn't know, only having spent THE LAST YEAR there... Never said that he didn't know. I am more than happy that things are going good for him and they should be. Tell me, Mike, why is it do you suppose that so many are coming forward and testifying that it is other than satisfactory. Four out of 800 hardly "so many coming forward". I know one of the guys that testified in front of the Congressional panel the other day. He had more than one avenue to pursue to get this addressed. He made his choices. I don't agree with it, but the deal is done. In the end, all of this will only benefit WRAMC. However, the wrong people are getting fired over it. Whatever your companion's motives may be, or the way he chose to address the issue, don't change the facts of the situation by one iota. The Army medical facilities were not prepared for the influx of wounded from this war - all part of a massive planning failure at the very top. I disagree. In sheer volume, yeah, the system isn't moving quickly but the system moves. What was not expected were the extent of some of the types of injuries being encountered. The TBI (Traumitic Brain Injuries) are not easy to diagnose. Also, the field medicine, MEDEVAC, and quality of care are saving far more lives than in previous conflicts. My odds of survival with the type of injury I have would've been somewhere around 50/50 in 1990, and next to nothing in the Vietnam era. In fact, with the lives being saved, the Army in particular was very well prepared. You should see some of the goodies in the medic packs we all get when we deploy.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,116 #80 March 7, 2007 > Bill no military has ever had what they wanted when any war started. It's not giving everyone every single thing they ask for, it's having the intelligence to make a decision on when one is adequately prepared before beginning an optional war. Sadly, it took a US serviceman asking Rumsfeld about getting more armor during a public forum to get that problem even partially resolved; a good lesson to take from this is that we should do better in the future. (I'm sure some rightwingers think the lesson is "don't let soldiers ask any embarrassing questions in the future" but c'est la vie.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #81 March 7, 2007 Quote> Bill no military has ever had what they wanted when any war started. It's not giving everyone every single thing they ask for, it's having the intelligence to make a decision on when one is adequately prepared before beginning an optional war. Sadly, it took a US serviceman asking Rumsfeld about getting more armor during a public forum to get that problem even partially resolved Gotta call BS on that one Bill...even that soldier said he was put up to it by a member of the press. Also, the M1114 HMMWVs were already in Iraq with the line troops who needed them...not some rear-echelon folks in Kuwait.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freethefly 6 #82 March 7, 2007 Max, it has been declared that the problem is wide spread. I do realized that WRAMC is army and not a V.A. center. However, many leaving WRAMC will ultimately have to deal with a V.A. center the same as you will. I am wishing you the best when having to deal with red tape at whichever center you go to. I hope that this case spurs all center administrators into action to identify and remedy any and all problems. Quotehttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/washington/06medical.html QuoteMr. Tierney declared the problems at Walter Reed to be part of broader dysfunction at military health care facilities across the country and wondered whether it was “another horrific consequence of the terrible planning that went into our invasion of Iraq.” He warned of a coming crunch with Mr. Bush’s new plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. Walter Reed Medical Center Homepage“As we send more and more troops into Iraq and Afghanistan,” Mr. Tierney said, “these problems are only going to get worse, not better.” Quote“There will be no excuses, only action,” Mr. Cheney said. “As we work to improve conditions at Walter Reed, we want to find out whether similar problems have occurred at other military” and veterans’ hospitals, he said. “These brave men and women deserve the heartfelt thanks of our country, and they deserve the very best medical care that our government can possibly provide.” QuoteGeneral Kiley was initially appointed to replace Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman as commander of the hospital last week, but the appointment came under fire because he had previously appeared to play down problems at the hospital when he was in command in 2004. He was pressed on Monday to explain how he had not known about the conditions at Building 18, even though he lived across the street from it. He explained that inspections of barracks were not part of his normal job duties. But the subcommittee members continued to hammer him, asking why he had not taken action earlier to deal with the challenges faced by wounded soldiers and wondered whether recent efforts to contract out services to civilians had left the hospital depleted."...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matthewcline 0 #83 March 7, 2007 I know I got what I asked for in OIF once I got the 1SG to see his supply guy was the problem. The problem with the WRAMC and other AMC's is they happened to be hit by the previous admins budget cuts (not an actual cut I know, but more a no to low raise, I know) as the rest of the military. Then when the new admin had its "civilianization" initiative and we did ended up in TWO major war's and numerous Special Ops fights the amount of soldiers saved by the superior medical personel over welmed the depleted ADMIN system. Bldg 18 had to be pulled out of "Math balls" to help provide a roof for the mobile in the ranks of the wounded. I do not think any should have been relieved, but helped to FIX the situation. It will be fixed, as it was already being worked on, even as far away as here at Campbell. Why the fix that is in the works wasn't announced it puzzling. MattAn Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
