Army Investigating Fort Hood Wounded Soldiers "Dirtbag" Malingerers

This is one of those times when reporters gave a damn and told the truth about what was happening to wounded in the Warrior Transition Units. They were more willing to believe soldiers than the military and their efforts may end up saving lives of soldiers as well as reducing the number of veterans committing suicide in the future.

If you want to know why suicides have gone up after "all the Army did for them" then here's a huge part of it. Leaders allowed ranking soldiers to call PTSD wounded soldiers "Dirtbags" and treat the with such disrespect they were regretting trying to get help. Others noticed. So much for the Army getting it.

Army to investigate mistreatment claims by injured, ill soldiers at Fort Hood
Dallas Morning News and NBC5
By DAVID TARRANT, SCOTT FRIEDMAN AND EVA PARKS
Published: 20 February 2015

Ilana Panich-Linsman/The New York Times
Soldiers fold a lowered flag at Fort Hood on Dec. 30 to mark the official end of the war in Afghanistan.

But at a recent Pentagon media briefing, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho responded to questions about an investigation involving a soldier found to have been mistreated by behavioral health professionals at Fort Carson, Colo. Horoho said that the soldier had not been treated with dignity and respect but that there wasn’t a systemic problem.

The Army has ordered an investigation into allegations of harassment and mistreatment inside the Fort Hood unit where wounded or ill soldiers are sent to heal, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the inquiry.

Two Army officers were assigned recently to look into the problems first raised in a joint investigation published in November by The Dallas Morning News and aired on KXAS-TV (NBC5).

An Army spokesman would not provide details, saying, “We do not comment on pending investigations so as not to prejudice the integrity of the investigation.”

Complaints from wounded soldiers at Fort Hood and two other Texas Army bases described constant friction between their medical requirements and the demands of a military culture based on order and discipline. The News and NBC5 focused on three Texas Warrior Transition Units where injured or ill soldiers go to heal. The Army has 25 such units for recovering soldiers.

Soldiers taking high-dosage medication at night for sleep disorders complained of being forced to make early-morning formation, which entailed driving to work while sedated. Others said they were required to pull 24-hour guard duty despite medical orders requiring them to get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Still others described a drill-sergeant-type culture within the WTUs where words like “dirtbag” and other slang terms for malingerers were used by some staff.
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Thankful for NBC and Dallas Morning News Cover Mistreatment of PTSD Soldiers