Fort Bragg WTU needs to give better care

Report: Bragg WTU needs to give better care
By Joe Gould -
Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 29, 2012

An investigation into claims of maltreatment of soldiers at the Fort Bragg, N.C., warrior transition battalion found the post needs to improve the way it selects and trains its staff, and that the staff needs to communicate better with the troops in their care.

“From our position, the perception of that soldier and his wife is reality,” said Brig. Gen. Michael X. Garrett, the departing 18th Airborne Corps chief of staff, referring to publicized complaints about the WTU. “And so we’re trying to figure out, how do we better connect with him? How do we better keep him informed? How do we better prepare leaders for what I would argue is one of the most difficult tasks in our Army?”

Lt. Gen. Frank G. Helmick, the commanding general of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, ordered the investigation after an advocacy group told him in February that soldiers in the battalion were being overmedicated, poorly treated and unfairly discharged.

The inspector general’s report was not released, but Garrett summarized the inspector general’s findings in a news conference on the post April 17. He told reporters they can request the report from the Inspector General’s Office at Army headquarters under the Freedom of Information Act. Army Times has made that request but had not received the report by press time.
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