Army closing some wounded soldier units

Army closing some wounded soldier units
Army closing some wounded soldier units
By KRISTIN M. HALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Army is closing three special units for wounded and ill soldiers and downsizing others, including one at Fort Campbell, after tightening the selection process last year.

The warrior transition units were created in 2007 to address reports of substandard care for wounded soldiers. But the number of soldiers in these 36 units has dropped from a high of more than 12,000 last June to about 9,500 currently.

The Army announced last month three units at installations in Kansas and Alabama will close. Units that will be downsized are at posts in Kansas, Georgia, Washington and the Fort Campbell installation on the Tennessee-Kentucky border. Two units in Virginia will merge.

Commanders say the decrease is because the Army last year imposed stricter screening procedures for admitting wounded, ill and injured soldiers into the units.

Previously, the Army automatically sent any ill or injured soldier who needed more than six months of recovery to a warrior transition unit. The soldiers were assigned officers and enlisted leaders to manage their medical care and they were assisted by medical staff who helped them through recovery and rehabilitation.

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