A need to study link between service injuries, behavior

"U.S. Representative Mike Coffman is a Marine Corps combat veteran with a combined 21 years of military service." He wrote a piece on The Gazette about the discharges going on when the servicemen and women need help instead of being kicked out. It is a great article however it appears he only knew about this problem reading it in a newspaper. Don't they get reports from the military? Aren't they supposed to know about what is going on? Do you think all this misery inflicted on our troops could have been avoided if THEY PAID ATTENTION ALL ALONG?

A need to study link between service injuries, behavior
The Gazette
Mike Coffman
Published: July 21, 2013

Recently, as the House Armed Services Committee was writing the initial draft of the Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act - the annual defense bill - I came across a highly informative piece of investigative journalism in The Gazette entitled "Other Than Honorable" which effectively captured what is unfortunately an all too familiar occurrence in the military,

The report describes how the number of soldiers discharged from the Army for misconduct has risen to its highest rate in recent years and provides several examples of wounded combat troops who have lost their medical care and other veterans benefits because of other-than-honorable discharges. Those who lose such benefits have a difficult time getting treatment for their grievous bodily injuries and/or service-connected mental disorders. Without such benefits these veterans can find themselves destitute, with nowhere to turn.

The investigative report is based on Army data which found that annual misconduct discharges have increased more than twenty-five percent in since 2009, mirroring the rise in wounded. It studied soldiers who have served multiple tours and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Some soldiers were cut loose for minor offenses the Army acknowledges can be symptoms of PTSD and TBI.
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