Complaints about Warrior Transition Battalion also found at Fort Drum

Complaints about Warrior Transition Battalion also found at Fort Drum
Feb 26, 2012
By Greg Barnes
Staff writer

A recent federal review of a program for wounded soldiers at Fort Drum, N.Y., uncovered serious shortcomings that echo allegations made by soldiers in Fort Bragg's Warrior Transition Battalion.

Among the many deficiencies cited in the Sept. 30 report, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Defense found that soldiers and staff in Fort Drum's Warrior Transition Battalion perceived the unit as a "dumping ground" for problem soldiers.

According to the report, the battalion's staff indicated that less than 20 percent of Fort Drum units ever contacted wounded soldiers, and usually only when they tried to retrieve or account for equipment. That reinforced a "fire and forget" mentality among wounded soldiers that eroded morale and stunted desire to return to active service, the report said.

The report also uncovered concerns that the battalion's physically wounded and mentally impaired soldiers were being overmedicated, partly because of a lack of communication and controls. The report quotes one command team member as saying, "half of the warriors are 'stoned' on psychotropic drugs."
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