Fort Hood Warrior Transition Unit Improves Care But Complaints Increased

Soldier Describes Improvement at Fort Hood's WTU After NBC 5 Investigation Exposes Complaints of Mistreatment 
Internal Army memo still shows increase in “dignity and respect” complaints Army-wide in 2014, not just at WTUs
NBC 5 News Dallas
By Scott Friedman
September 4, 2015

There are signs of change at Fort Hood where an NBC 5 investigation uncovered serious concerns about the mistreatment of injured soldiers.

James Moffatt hoped for a lifelong career in the Army, but his plans changed on the battlefield in Afghanistan and Iraq when he suffered head and spinal injuries and developed post-traumatic stress.

• INVESTIGATIVECongressional Committee Orders Investigation of Army WTUs

"PTSD is like a monster that lives inside of you. You can contain it for a little while,” said Moffatt. “It’s going to rear its head eventually.”

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But NBC 5 Investigates obtained an internal Army memo written last summer by outgoing Army Inspector General Peter Vangjel.  The memo said, “In the first half of (Fiscal Year) FY14, the Army recorded 23,975 complaints and requests for assistance. Command and leadership issues comprise a third of those complaints. Within the command/leadership complaint spectrum, there has been an increase this FY in the number of dignity and respect complaints …”

According to the memo, those complaints are Army-wide, not just issues at WTUs.

The memo goes on to say that soldiers have more “ … confidence that their complaints will be heard and acted upon.  What was tolerable language by most soldiers before — shouting, cursing and name calling — is simply no longer acceptable. Junior and senior leaders must demand excellence without verbally or personally attacking the soldier.”