Gates concedes fight against 1.9% pay raise
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 20, 2010 16:16:56 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates waved the white flag Thursday over the House Armed Services Committee’s decision to boost the Pentagon’s basic pay raise request for fiscal 2011 by half a percentage point, saying he would not recommend a presidential veto if the proposal is included in the final defense spending bill.
“I want change,” Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. “But I’m not crazy.”
The bill that came out of committee this week included a 1.9 percent raise in base pay effective Jan. 1. Congress has added one-half point to every Pentagon basic pay raise request since 2000 in an effort to narrow a perceived pay gap between average military and civilian wages.
If the Pentagon’s 1.4 percent proposal somehow survived, it would be the lowest raise in the history of the all-volunteer era that began in 1973.
read more hereGates concedes fight against pay raise
Showing posts with label Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Gates praises troops in southern Afghanistan
Gates praises troops in southern Afghanistan
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 9, 2010 7:15:51 EST
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a hard-hit battle unit Tuesday that its heavy losses have helped the U.S. begin to push back against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.
Gates visited a small, remote outpost 30 miles north of Kandahar, where the Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker unit has lost 22 men and suffered an additional 62 wounded since arriving here last summer.
The latest injuries came Monday night, and the latest death three days ago.
Gates praised the 800-soldier unit and told the troops that as the fight shifts toward securing Kandahar itself later this year, they will again be "at the top of the spear."
Gates flew to Kandahar early Tuesday for meetings with U.S. and British generals overseeing the current military campaign in Marjah. He presented Silver Stars for valor to two Army aviators before his visits with U.S. forces at bases elsewhere in the south.
read more here
Gates praises troops in southern Afghanistan
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Mar 9, 2010 7:15:51 EST
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a hard-hit battle unit Tuesday that its heavy losses have helped the U.S. begin to push back against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.
Gates visited a small, remote outpost 30 miles north of Kandahar, where the Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker unit has lost 22 men and suffered an additional 62 wounded since arriving here last summer.
The latest injuries came Monday night, and the latest death three days ago.
Gates praised the 800-soldier unit and told the troops that as the fight shifts toward securing Kandahar itself later this year, they will again be "at the top of the spear."
Gates flew to Kandahar early Tuesday for meetings with U.S. and British generals overseeing the current military campaign in Marjah. He presented Silver Stars for valor to two Army aviators before his visits with U.S. forces at bases elsewhere in the south.
read more here
Gates praises troops in southern Afghanistan
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Saving lives on the front line
When traumatic events happen in our communities, crisis teams rush in because it has been found to be a preventative to PTSD. The availability of having someone to talk to, someone who will not judge or minimize what the survivors are going thru is a Godsend along with opening up with other survivors of the unique event they have in common. There is finally a change coming in the military as they try to approach PTSD in the troops more proactively.
Secretary of Defense Gates said this morning on the Today Show, the role of the Chaplains should not be minimized. This grated on my nerves a bit when the fact is, too many Chaplains do not know what PTSD is.
They know about spiritual crisis but understanding PTSD is out of reach for most of them. They have not lead the kind of lives that will allow them to understand without someone explaining it to them fully.
In yet another attempt to get the local clergy involved in stepping up to help the veterans and their families heal, a minister would not be moved to begin to understand. After all, how could he really? He knew all of his life what he wanted to be. He never drank or smoked, touched drugs or gambled. He never really had his faith tested beyond passing his classes at the seminary. He never had to worry about paying bills because his family provided him with everything he needed. He never had to risk his life for someone else. He never had to see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell or watch so many die as horribly as a soldier after an IED has blown him into pieces or witnessed the blood surrounding the body after a machine gun has pumped bullets into them. While he may care about the veterans, he is not willing to be aware of the kind of care they need from him.
At a Chaplains conference a military Chaplain admitted he knows very little about PTSD but was with the Marines in Iraq. Considering PTSD is an emotional wound and spiritual healing is vital in healing it, the military Chaplains should be fully educated on how to spot it and treat it as soon as they show signs they need help. We know the sooner we respond to the survivors after traumatic events, the lesser PTSD has the ability to invade into the soul. Having someone to talk to works wonders as long as the listener knows what to do with what was just said instead of just being there.
If they understand PTSD then they know they have to listen to what is being said as well as what is not being said. They need to pick up on the tone of voice knowing if the survivor is trying to release a deep, dark secret. They need to take the survivor back over the event and help them to see what happened was not their fault, or as with most of the time, they couldn't have done anything differently. Even in cases where they truly believe they were at fault, they need to be brought back to what happened before so they can stop seeing themselves as monsters.
They need help to see the big picture like suicide car bombers putting them on edge when a car comes too close too fast. They need to see that when an IED has taken out some in their convoy, they are watching for the next one at the same time they are watching for snipers and they react under stress. Their intention at the time is forgotten about and they need to be reminded what compelled them to do what they did.
Addressing PTSD is complicated but if the provider/responder knows what PTSD is, why it strikes some and not others, then most of what comes after is common sense. It would be a wonderful day if all military Chaplains were fully educated on PTSD as well as members of the local clergy. The spiritual wound is so deep that it changes every aspect of the veteran as well as the family, thus the community as well. Chaplains deployed need to know how to help as soon as possible and the clergy need to know how to help as well as possible for the sake of the veteran as well as the family.
Saving lives on the front line
Images: Photographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.
U.S. troops carry Sgt. Maj. Patrick Corcoran of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion to a helicopter on Aug. 12, 2009. He suffered extensive spinal cord injuries when the armored vehicle he was traveling in hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, in Wardak province. Corcoran, who is now being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center., had been with the military for about 20 years.
Before being shipped out of Afghanistan, Corcoran received treatment at the 8th Forward Surgical Team trauma center in a remote corner of Logar province.
Made of plywood and housed in a small tent, the center may not look like much, but it became the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan during photographer Erin Trieb’s six-week visit in mid-2009.
TODAY reports from Afghanistan
Dec. 8: TODAY's Matt Lauer and Al Roker report from Afghanistan as part of a two day special titled TODAY in Afghanistan and travel with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Secretary of Defense Gates said this morning on the Today Show, the role of the Chaplains should not be minimized. This grated on my nerves a bit when the fact is, too many Chaplains do not know what PTSD is.
They know about spiritual crisis but understanding PTSD is out of reach for most of them. They have not lead the kind of lives that will allow them to understand without someone explaining it to them fully.
In yet another attempt to get the local clergy involved in stepping up to help the veterans and their families heal, a minister would not be moved to begin to understand. After all, how could he really? He knew all of his life what he wanted to be. He never drank or smoked, touched drugs or gambled. He never really had his faith tested beyond passing his classes at the seminary. He never had to worry about paying bills because his family provided him with everything he needed. He never had to risk his life for someone else. He never had to see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell or watch so many die as horribly as a soldier after an IED has blown him into pieces or witnessed the blood surrounding the body after a machine gun has pumped bullets into them. While he may care about the veterans, he is not willing to be aware of the kind of care they need from him.
At a Chaplains conference a military Chaplain admitted he knows very little about PTSD but was with the Marines in Iraq. Considering PTSD is an emotional wound and spiritual healing is vital in healing it, the military Chaplains should be fully educated on how to spot it and treat it as soon as they show signs they need help. We know the sooner we respond to the survivors after traumatic events, the lesser PTSD has the ability to invade into the soul. Having someone to talk to works wonders as long as the listener knows what to do with what was just said instead of just being there.
If they understand PTSD then they know they have to listen to what is being said as well as what is not being said. They need to pick up on the tone of voice knowing if the survivor is trying to release a deep, dark secret. They need to take the survivor back over the event and help them to see what happened was not their fault, or as with most of the time, they couldn't have done anything differently. Even in cases where they truly believe they were at fault, they need to be brought back to what happened before so they can stop seeing themselves as monsters.
They need help to see the big picture like suicide car bombers putting them on edge when a car comes too close too fast. They need to see that when an IED has taken out some in their convoy, they are watching for the next one at the same time they are watching for snipers and they react under stress. Their intention at the time is forgotten about and they need to be reminded what compelled them to do what they did.
Addressing PTSD is complicated but if the provider/responder knows what PTSD is, why it strikes some and not others, then most of what comes after is common sense. It would be a wonderful day if all military Chaplains were fully educated on PTSD as well as members of the local clergy. The spiritual wound is so deep that it changes every aspect of the veteran as well as the family, thus the community as well. Chaplains deployed need to know how to help as soon as possible and the clergy need to know how to help as well as possible for the sake of the veteran as well as the family.
Saving lives on the front line
Images: Photographer Erin Trieb spends six weeks with the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan.
U.S. troops carry Sgt. Maj. Patrick Corcoran of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion to a helicopter on Aug. 12, 2009. He suffered extensive spinal cord injuries when the armored vehicle he was traveling in hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, in Wardak province. Corcoran, who is now being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center., had been with the military for about 20 years.
Before being shipped out of Afghanistan, Corcoran received treatment at the 8th Forward Surgical Team trauma center in a remote corner of Logar province.
Made of plywood and housed in a small tent, the center may not look like much, but it became the U.S. Army's busiest trauma center in Afghanistan during photographer Erin Trieb’s six-week visit in mid-2009.
TODAY reports from Afghanistan
Dec. 8: TODAY's Matt Lauer and Al Roker report from Afghanistan as part of a two day special titled TODAY in Afghanistan and travel with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sec. Gates:TBI and PTSD "widespread, entrenched and insidious"
Gates: Wounded troops face too much bureaucracy
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 26, 2009 14:32:05 EDT
Gates: Wounded troops face too much bureaucracy
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 26, 2009 14:32:05 EDT
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that troops injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face too many bureaucratic hurdles.
Paperwork alone for them can be “frustrating, adversarial, and unnecessarily complex,” Gates said.
Gates spoke at a mental health summit with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. By appearing publicly together, they sought to reinforce their commitment to tackling veterans’ health issues and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.
Earlier this year, they pledged with President Barack Obama to create a system that would make it easier for the Pentagon and VA to exchange information so there is less of a wait for veterans to get disability benefits. The VA is struggling with a backlogged disability claims system with hundreds of thousands of claims that need to be processed.
Among U.S. troops who have fought in the recent wars, Gates says brain injuries and mental health ailments are “widespread, entrenched and insidious.” He noted that a RAND Corp. study last year estimated that there could be more than 600,000 service members with traumatic brain injuries or mental health issues.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_wounded_gates_102609/
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 26, 2009 14:32:05 EDT
Gates: Wounded troops face too much bureaucracy
By Kimberly Hefling - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 26, 2009 14:32:05 EDT
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that troops injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face too many bureaucratic hurdles.
Paperwork alone for them can be “frustrating, adversarial, and unnecessarily complex,” Gates said.
Gates spoke at a mental health summit with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. By appearing publicly together, they sought to reinforce their commitment to tackling veterans’ health issues and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.
Earlier this year, they pledged with President Barack Obama to create a system that would make it easier for the Pentagon and VA to exchange information so there is less of a wait for veterans to get disability benefits. The VA is struggling with a backlogged disability claims system with hundreds of thousands of claims that need to be processed.
Among U.S. troops who have fought in the recent wars, Gates says brain injuries and mental health ailments are “widespread, entrenched and insidious.” He noted that a RAND Corp. study last year estimated that there could be more than 600,000 service members with traumatic brain injuries or mental health issues.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_wounded_gates_102609/
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Soldiers Question the Defense Secretary About Long Deployments
Soldiers Question the Defense Secretary About Long Deployments
Washington Post
By Walter Pincus
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Outside the military, not much attention is paid to the personal problems of families caught up in the endless rotational deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan that mark serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Last Friday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates dealt with a handful of those problems in a town hall meeting at Fort Drum, N.Y., in front of Army units that either were coming from Southwest Asia or preparing to go there.
Many of the questions focused on disparities among units when it comes to "dwell time" -- time spent at home between deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan. With 130,000 troops remaining in Iraq through the end of the year and 68,000 more scheduled to be in Afghanistan during the same period, pressures on military family life have grown.
An Army sergeant opened by pointing out that one brigade has alternated between one year at home and one year deployed over the past five years, whereas another brigade in the same division has been spending two-year stretches at home. He asked whether anything could be done to even out the dwell time.
read more here
Soldiers Question the Defense Secretary About Long Deployments
Washington Post
By Walter Pincus
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Outside the military, not much attention is paid to the personal problems of families caught up in the endless rotational deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan that mark serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Last Friday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates dealt with a handful of those problems in a town hall meeting at Fort Drum, N.Y., in front of Army units that either were coming from Southwest Asia or preparing to go there.
Many of the questions focused on disparities among units when it comes to "dwell time" -- time spent at home between deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan. With 130,000 troops remaining in Iraq through the end of the year and 68,000 more scheduled to be in Afghanistan during the same period, pressures on military family life have grown.
An Army sergeant opened by pointing out that one brigade has alternated between one year at home and one year deployed over the past five years, whereas another brigade in the same division has been spending two-year stretches at home. He asked whether anything could be done to even out the dwell time.
read more here
Soldiers Question the Defense Secretary About Long Deployments
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Gates won’t ban tobacco on front lines
Gates won’t ban tobacco on front lines
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 15, 2009 18:00:32 EDT
Smokers on the front lines need not fear any effort to ban the habit — as long as Defense Secretary Robert Gates is on the job.
A recent report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, called for eliminating tobacco sales at all military installations and setting a “specific, mandatory date by which the military will be tobacco-free.”
But while Gates “shares [the report authors’] concern about the health and well-being of the force,” Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Wednesday, “you should not expect him to take any action which would restrict the use of tobacco products by … our service members in conflict zones.”
read more here
Gates will not ban tobacco on front lines
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 15, 2009 18:00:32 EDT
Smokers on the front lines need not fear any effort to ban the habit — as long as Defense Secretary Robert Gates is on the job.
A recent report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, called for eliminating tobacco sales at all military installations and setting a “specific, mandatory date by which the military will be tobacco-free.”
But while Gates “shares [the report authors’] concern about the health and well-being of the force,” Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Wednesday, “you should not expect him to take any action which would restrict the use of tobacco products by … our service members in conflict zones.”
read more here
Gates will not ban tobacco on front lines
Friday, May 1, 2009
White House Kicks off Wounded Warrior Ride
WH Kicks off Wounded Warrior Ride
May 01, 2009
Military.comby Bryant Jordan
They numbered 40. Some walked from the White House on legs of alloy and cable, some rolled out in wheel chairs. Some bore wounds unidentifiable by any prosthesis, chair, cane or crutch.
But all had inside them the steel that served themselves and their fellow troops so well on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and which propelled them to take part in an annual Soldier Ride sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. The event, dubbed the "White House to the Lighthouse" ride because it runs from Washington and Annapolis, raises funds for Wounded Warriors programs.
"These wounded warriors didn't get to choose the direction their lives would take the instant they were injured, but now they choose to prove that life after injury isn't about what you can't do -- it's about what you can," President Barack Obama said. "They choose to keep their faith with the future. They choose to keep fighting for their brothers and sisters and show them that they're not alone.
As of posting time the White House was unable to furnish Military.com with complete names, service branches or unit affiliations of the participants.
The ride is now in its fifth year, and this year's marks the third between Washington and Annapolis.
Obama was accompanied at the podium by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth. Shinseki, who was Army chief of staff until he retired, had been wounded in Vietnam. Duckworth, who was confirmed to her post only recently, was a helicopter pilot who lost both her legs when she was shot down in Iraq.
go here for more
WH Kicks off Wounded Warrior Ride
May 01, 2009
Military.comby Bryant Jordan
They numbered 40. Some walked from the White House on legs of alloy and cable, some rolled out in wheel chairs. Some bore wounds unidentifiable by any prosthesis, chair, cane or crutch.
But all had inside them the steel that served themselves and their fellow troops so well on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, and which propelled them to take part in an annual Soldier Ride sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. The event, dubbed the "White House to the Lighthouse" ride because it runs from Washington and Annapolis, raises funds for Wounded Warriors programs.
"These wounded warriors didn't get to choose the direction their lives would take the instant they were injured, but now they choose to prove that life after injury isn't about what you can't do -- it's about what you can," President Barack Obama said. "They choose to keep their faith with the future. They choose to keep fighting for their brothers and sisters and show them that they're not alone.
As of posting time the White House was unable to furnish Military.com with complete names, service branches or unit affiliations of the participants.
The ride is now in its fifth year, and this year's marks the third between Washington and Annapolis.
Obama was accompanied at the podium by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth. Shinseki, who was Army chief of staff until he retired, had been wounded in Vietnam. Duckworth, who was confirmed to her post only recently, was a helicopter pilot who lost both her legs when she was shot down in Iraq.
go here for more
WH Kicks off Wounded Warrior Ride
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Army pledges more work to lower suicide numbers
Army pledges more work to lower suicide numbers
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, March 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — Military officials promised to conduct more suicide prevention education and hire more psychiatrists to stem an alarming rise in the number of servicemembers who have killed themselves in recent years.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff for the Army, called the suicide figures for his service "unacceptable" and fixing them "the most difficult and critical mission" of his military career.
"The reality is, there is no simple solution," he said. "It is going to require a multi-disciplinary approach, and a team effort at every level of command."
According to the Army, there were 140 confirmed suicides last year and another seven probable suicides still under investigation. That’s up from 115 in 2007, and 101 in 2006.
click link for more
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, March 20, 2009
WASHINGTON — Military officials promised to conduct more suicide prevention education and hire more psychiatrists to stem an alarming rise in the number of servicemembers who have killed themselves in recent years.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff for the Army, called the suicide figures for his service "unacceptable" and fixing them "the most difficult and critical mission" of his military career.
"The reality is, there is no simple solution," he said. "It is going to require a multi-disciplinary approach, and a team effort at every level of command."
According to the Army, there were 140 confirmed suicides last year and another seven probable suicides still under investigation. That’s up from 115 in 2007, and 101 in 2006.
click link for more
Monday, November 3, 2008
Palin: Do Democrats think 'terrorists have become good guys'?
Dear Gov. Palin,
You have said some pretty terrible things during your campaign, because you fail to notice that you are not the top of the ticket, McCain is, but this is really the lowest a person can sink.
Maybe you don't care that while our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, billions of dollars has gone unaccounted for. Any idea what that kind of money could do for the wounded veterans standing in line to have their wounds treated or for the families who have to travel to be with them while giving up their jobs to do it? Ever once think of what that kind of money could have done to protect the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with the proper equipment?
Billions more have gone to Halliburton, KBR and other defense contractors with no accountability. If you had bothered to read the reports out of the GAO, you'd know that. So much for watching out for tax payers money or the troops.
I happen to be a Democrat and unlike you, I have taken all of this very seriously. Most Americans have and we're really tired of people like you calling us terrorist supporters when we are trying to get answers out of politicians like you. We're tired of being called anti-military when we care about the lives sent, the reason they are sent, the plans they have to live with and what happens while they're gone just as much as we care about what happens to them when they come home. See, Sarah, we don't just care about the people in our own family, we care about all of them. That's the difference between Democratic elected and what the Republicans have become. They used to care as well. There was a time when the Republicans cared about the troops as much as they cared about the defense contractors, but those days are long gone. They all had the information and the time and the power to take care of all these wounded troops, but they didn't. They had a chance to take care of the tax payers who have to pay for all of this, but they didn't. The only people they wanted to take care of were the rich and corporations.
What are you going to say when the old news about General Petraeus and Secretary of Defense Gates want to talk with the Taliban? Are you going to call them terrorists too? Anti-military? Anti-American?
The cut in military spending is not cutting the military or their equipment or anything they need. It's cutting the wasted billions and holding contractors accountable. It's to stop spending money in Iraq when Iraqis have billions in surplus but have not problem bleeding our economy dry. It's about taking that money and investing it right here for our own people for a change. Too bad you and your supporters don't seem to care about any of this.
You have said some pretty terrible things during your campaign, because you fail to notice that you are not the top of the ticket, McCain is, but this is really the lowest a person can sink.
Maybe you don't care that while our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan, billions of dollars has gone unaccounted for. Any idea what that kind of money could do for the wounded veterans standing in line to have their wounds treated or for the families who have to travel to be with them while giving up their jobs to do it? Ever once think of what that kind of money could have done to protect the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with the proper equipment?
Billions more have gone to Halliburton, KBR and other defense contractors with no accountability. If you had bothered to read the reports out of the GAO, you'd know that. So much for watching out for tax payers money or the troops.
I happen to be a Democrat and unlike you, I have taken all of this very seriously. Most Americans have and we're really tired of people like you calling us terrorist supporters when we are trying to get answers out of politicians like you. We're tired of being called anti-military when we care about the lives sent, the reason they are sent, the plans they have to live with and what happens while they're gone just as much as we care about what happens to them when they come home. See, Sarah, we don't just care about the people in our own family, we care about all of them. That's the difference between Democratic elected and what the Republicans have become. They used to care as well. There was a time when the Republicans cared about the troops as much as they cared about the defense contractors, but those days are long gone. They all had the information and the time and the power to take care of all these wounded troops, but they didn't. They had a chance to take care of the tax payers who have to pay for all of this, but they didn't. The only people they wanted to take care of were the rich and corporations.
What are you going to say when the old news about General Petraeus and Secretary of Defense Gates want to talk with the Taliban? Are you going to call them terrorists too? Anti-military? Anti-American?
The cut in military spending is not cutting the military or their equipment or anything they need. It's cutting the wasted billions and holding contractors accountable. It's to stop spending money in Iraq when Iraqis have billions in surplus but have not problem bleeding our economy dry. It's about taking that money and investing it right here for our own people for a change. Too bad you and your supporters don't seem to care about any of this.
Palin: Do Democrats think 'terrorists have become good guys'?
Nick Juliano
Published: Monday November 3, 2008
With time running out, Sarah Palin has delivered what might be the most incendiary line of the entire presidential campaign.
Not content to just disagree with her opponents on policy, the Republican vice presidential nominee has accused Democrats of outright sympathizing with terrorists.
"What do they think? Do they think the terrorists have all the sudden become the good guys and changed their minds?" she asked a crowd in Jefferson City, Mo. "No, the terrorists still seek to destroy America and her allies and all that it is that we stand for: freedom, tolerance, and equality. The terrorists have not changed their minds."
go here for more and for video
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Palin_Do_Dems_think_terrorists_are_1103.html
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Gates acknowledges stress on families
Gates acknowledges stress on families
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 23, 2008 17:25:43 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates today acknowledged the stress that the extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are placing on military families, saying the Pentagon is concerned and monitoring “very closely” the domestic violence that can result.
“We’re obviously very concerned about stress on the force, and particularly those [troops] that have deployed multiple times,” Gates told reporters following a day of briefings during his first-ever visit to Fort Bragg, N.C. “We obviously want to stop all kinds of violence among our soldiers and their families.”
Three Fort Bragg female soldiers and one Marine have been killed off post in the past year. While no definite link has been established between those deaths and combat stress, many experts and analysts point to numerous incidents nationwide in concluding that the wars’ long deployments and shorter recuperation times are increasing levels of alcohol and drug abuse, and the domestic violence that can result.
Gates said he receives a monthly report from the Army, the most heavily deployed force, on levels of domestic violence, alcohol-related incidents and divorce rates.
“We and the Army are monitoring it very carefully,” he said. “We have a lot of programs in place to try and deal with this.”
Those programs, he said, seek ways to better identify and treat post-traumatic stress disorder, which “often can lead to some of these problems.”
Gates said the Pentagon is committed to better understanding PTSD as well as traumatic brain injury — both hallmark injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan due to insurgent attacks with roadside bombs. A total of $900 million has been budgeted in the new fiscal year to combat and treat PTSD and TBI, with $300 million of that devoted to research, he said.
go here for more
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_gates_combatstress_102308w/
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 23, 2008 17:25:43 EDT
Defense Secretary Robert Gates today acknowledged the stress that the extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are placing on military families, saying the Pentagon is concerned and monitoring “very closely” the domestic violence that can result.
“We’re obviously very concerned about stress on the force, and particularly those [troops] that have deployed multiple times,” Gates told reporters following a day of briefings during his first-ever visit to Fort Bragg, N.C. “We obviously want to stop all kinds of violence among our soldiers and their families.”
Three Fort Bragg female soldiers and one Marine have been killed off post in the past year. While no definite link has been established between those deaths and combat stress, many experts and analysts point to numerous incidents nationwide in concluding that the wars’ long deployments and shorter recuperation times are increasing levels of alcohol and drug abuse, and the domestic violence that can result.
Gates said he receives a monthly report from the Army, the most heavily deployed force, on levels of domestic violence, alcohol-related incidents and divorce rates.
“We and the Army are monitoring it very carefully,” he said. “We have a lot of programs in place to try and deal with this.”
Those programs, he said, seek ways to better identify and treat post-traumatic stress disorder, which “often can lead to some of these problems.”
Gates said the Pentagon is committed to better understanding PTSD as well as traumatic brain injury — both hallmark injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan due to insurgent attacks with roadside bombs. A total of $900 million has been budgeted in the new fiscal year to combat and treat PTSD and TBI, with $300 million of that devoted to research, he said.
go here for more
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/10/military_gates_combatstress_102308w/
Defense secretary lauds wounded warrior care improvements
Picking Robert Gates is one of the best moves Bush could have made. People are even talking about how he should be kept on no matter who the next president is. Things have been changing for the better, but there is still much more that needs to be done.
Defense secretary lauds wounded warrior care improvements
by Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
10/23/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The military has made "some significant steps forward" in caring for wounded warriors, the Defense secretary said during a Pentagon Channel interview broadcast Oct. 22.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said inpatient care provided to wounded warriors always has been world-class.
"We've never had a problem with that," he said, "and the medical treatment that our Soldiers and Marines and Airmen and Sailors get from the battlefield to these hospitals has no peer anywhere in the world."
The military has made "some significant steps forward" over the past year, Secretary Gates said, citing the services' creation of wounded warrior transition organizations.
"I think that the services have really taken a lot of forward steps in terms of improving care, having care managers who make sure that appointments get made and that they're sequenced correctly," he said.
Other improvements are under way with the disability evaluation system that's used to determine how much money injured servicemembers receive after they're discharged, Secretary Gates said, as DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs officials work together toward streamlining that process.
"We have a pilot (disability rating) program where there is just one exam and one rating between us and the VA, but it is just a pilot program," he said.
The secretary acknowledged that still more can be achieved in caring for wounded warriors.
"Part of the problem is we make decisions here and we budget money here for things, and it takes awhile, often, for that to trickle down to individual posts and bases and to the individuals involved," Secretary Gates said. "So, while I think we've accomplished a lot and we are headed absolutely in the right direction, there's no question that we still have further to go, and there's still a gap between where we want to be and where we are."
About $900 million in resources have been earmarked for treatment and research of servicemembers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, he said, and DOD officials will establish a Center for Excellence at Bethesda, Md., that will specialize in research and development in finding new treatments for PTSD and TBI.
go here for more
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123120828
Monday, July 21, 2008
Gates questions combat training by contractors
Has anything not been "outsource" in Iraq to contractors?
As for Blackwater, go here to read how they are getting out of this kind of business and then you won't have to wonder why they are.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Blackwater plans shift from security business
Blackwater plans shift from security businessBy Matt Apuzzo and Mike Baker - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Jul 21, 2008 17:54:50 EDTMOYOCK, N.C. — Blackwater Worldwide executives said Monday that they plan to shift away from the lucrative security contracting business because government scrutiny and negative media attention have made the business too costly.“The experience we’ve had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk,” company founder and CEO Erik Prince told The Associated Press during a daylong visit to the company’s North Carolina compound.go here for morehttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_blackwater_072108/
Gates questions combat training by contractors
By Erica Werner - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Jul 21, 2008 20:02:22 EDT
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to know why his military uses private contractors for combat and security training, and how widespread the practice is.
He’s asking for answers from the Pentagon’s top military officer, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen.
“In my mind, the fundamental question that remains unanswered is this: Why have we come to rely on private contractors to provide combat or combat-related security training for our forces?” Gates wrote in a memo to Mullen that was released Monday to The Associated Press by the office of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.
“Further, are we comfortable with this practice, and do we fully understand the implications in terms of quality, responsiveness and sustainability?”
Gates’ memo came after Webb raised concerns about the role of private contractors and specifically Blackwater Worldwide, which opened a new counterterrorism training center in San Diego last month over the opposition of city officials.
Webb had been blocking Senate consideration of four civilian Defense Department nominees while waiting for answers. On Monday, Webb told Gates he was lifting his opposition to the nominees.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_contractors_gates_072108/
As for Blackwater, go here to read how they are getting out of this kind of business and then you won't have to wonder why they are.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Blackwater plans shift from security business
Blackwater plans shift from security businessBy Matt Apuzzo and Mike Baker - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Jul 21, 2008 17:54:50 EDTMOYOCK, N.C. — Blackwater Worldwide executives said Monday that they plan to shift away from the lucrative security contracting business because government scrutiny and negative media attention have made the business too costly.“The experience we’ve had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk,” company founder and CEO Erik Prince told The Associated Press during a daylong visit to the company’s North Carolina compound.go here for morehttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/ap_blackwater_072108/
Friday, May 2, 2008
Fort Bliss PTSD work praised by Gates
Military's policy for dealing with post traumatic stress disorder changing, defense secretary says
By Chris Roberts/For the Sun-News
Article Launched: 05/02/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
Bracing against a blasting wind that reminded him of his native Kansas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spent a day at Fort Bliss touring a mental health center, watching a demonstration of the Army's newest technology, and meeting with soldiers and community leaders.
Gates said the recent announcement that two additional brigades will come to Fort Bliss as part of a plan to expand the Army "will be the final major additions for the time being."
The total increase in the number of soldiers expected to be stationed at the post since the Base Realignment and Closure process in 2005 is nearly 30,000.
Gates had high praise for a Fort Bliss center designed to treat soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and return them to their units, which he said would serve as a prototype for the Army.
"They are doing some amazing things here in terms of helping soldiers who want to remain soldiers but who have been wounded with post traumatic stress disorder," Gates said of the Restoration and Resilience Center. "I think it's an extraordinary program. I think it's a prototype. And one of the things that I will carry back to Washington with me is the question of whether we can replicate this at other posts
around the country."
During a morning press conference in front of the center, Gates also formally announced a change in government policy he said will allow soldiers to seek help for PTSD without hurting their careers. Getting help for PTSD related to the "combat environment" will no longer be a reason to deny security clearances, he said.
The Fort Bliss center also is looking at finding ways of helping soldiers in combat zones deal with stress, Gates said, adding that those techniques "are clearly worth additional attention as well."
go here for more
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_9126689?source=rss
By Chris Roberts/For the Sun-News
Article Launched: 05/02/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
Bracing against a blasting wind that reminded him of his native Kansas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spent a day at Fort Bliss touring a mental health center, watching a demonstration of the Army's newest technology, and meeting with soldiers and community leaders.
Gates said the recent announcement that two additional brigades will come to Fort Bliss as part of a plan to expand the Army "will be the final major additions for the time being."
The total increase in the number of soldiers expected to be stationed at the post since the Base Realignment and Closure process in 2005 is nearly 30,000.
Gates had high praise for a Fort Bliss center designed to treat soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and return them to their units, which he said would serve as a prototype for the Army.
"They are doing some amazing things here in terms of helping soldiers who want to remain soldiers but who have been wounded with post traumatic stress disorder," Gates said of the Restoration and Resilience Center. "I think it's an extraordinary program. I think it's a prototype. And one of the things that I will carry back to Washington with me is the question of whether we can replicate this at other posts
around the country."
During a morning press conference in front of the center, Gates also formally announced a change in government policy he said will allow soldiers to seek help for PTSD without hurting their careers. Getting help for PTSD related to the "combat environment" will no longer be a reason to deny security clearances, he said.
The Fort Bliss center also is looking at finding ways of helping soldiers in combat zones deal with stress, Gates said, adding that those techniques "are clearly worth additional attention as well."
go here for more
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_9126689?source=rss
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Tell Gates and McCain "retention" is no reason to shaft troops
Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized Webb’s bill as a detriment to service retention efforts in an April 29 letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Gates also endorsed key features of the Graham bill without citing the bill by name or number. Clearly the Bush administration hopes that Graham and colleagues have put enough alluring features in S 2938 to draw bipartisan support away Webb’s bill. S 22 already has 58 co-sponsors in the Senate and 250 House members back a companion bill, HR 5740.
In battle over GI Bills, Webb still holds high ground
By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, May 3, 2008
In perhaps any other year, the new Republican plan for enhancing the Montgomery GI Bill, which Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) introduced this week with Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.) and John McCain (Ariz.), would win high praise from advocates for service members and veterans.
But as momentum builds on Capitol Hill to pass S. 22, Sen. Jim Webb’s hefty new GI Bill to replace MGIB for any service member – active, Guard or Reserve – with qualifying active duty service since the attacks of 9-11, the Republican plan still might be a few critical features short of an acceptable replacement for S 22 among leaders of GI Bill reform.
Graham’s bill, the Enhancement of Recruitment, Retention and Readjustment through Education Act (S 2938), is cleverly crafted and will seem generous in comparison to a more basic MGIB reform bill, HR 5684, which the House Veterans Affairs Committee endorsed April 29th.
go here for more
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54499
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sec. Defense Gates not happy with VA
Gates: Improvements to VA care ‘uneven’
By Lisa BurgessStars and Stripes
ARLINGTON, Va. — Improvements to the veteran’s health care system aren’t always making it from policy writers’ pens to the clinics and hospitals where they’re needed, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.“My impression is, it’s still uneven, in terms of implementation at the local level,” Gates told Pentagon reporters after a lunch meeting with Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake and other military health care officials.
Gates said the Pentagon and the VA are working to adopt 400 recommendations collected from numerous task forces and study groups that will streamline and simplify the veteran’s health care system.
But “it’s one thing to get the procedures and the policies fixed here in Washington,” Gates said. “It’s another thing to get it implemented right down to the local level, so that the individual soldier, sailor, airman or Marine is seeing the impact of this on the ground.”
go here for more
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfAPR08/nf041608-1.htm
Things have not changed much in over a year
VA Facilities Provide Good Medical Treatment, But Vets Face Long Claims Backlog
DALE CITY, Va., Jan. 11, 2007
(CBS) Sean Lewis lost his right leg to a mortar shell in Iraq. But as CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports, he proudly shows off his state-of-the-art prosthetic. Lewis has nothing but praise for how his injury was treated, both by the Army and the Veterans Administration. But the way the VA handled his claim for disability is a much different story."Probably the worst thing in the world," Lewis says of the way his claim was handled. "On the medical side, you can't rave enough about it. On the benefit side, you don't have anything but complaints."
Lewis is upset because eight months after his discharge from the Army, the VA still hasn't determined his final disability rating. That delay has given him $1,000 a month less than he was owed and given him trouble with the mortgage. He adds that he has "problems with bills, stress in the relationship because you are having problems with the money." When Lewis left Walter Reed Hospital, his disability records were supposed to be transferred immediately. Instead, he says, the VA lost his files, a charge the VA denies.
"I didn't expect eight months of people having me chase my own tail around in circles," Lewis says. According to the nation's top veterans organizations, Lewis' long wait to get what he's owed is typical. In a report on the needs of young veterans, the groups said the VA benefits system suffered from "inadequate funding" and "insufficient manpower."
The problem, everyone agrees, is the overwhelming numbers. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have already filed 176,000 new disability claims, but have run into a VA backlog of more than 400,000 cases. VA officials say reducing this backlog is their top priority. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/11/eveningnews/main2352706.shtml
New idea offered for easing VA claims backlog
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 19:36:07 EDT
With the veterans’ disability claims system sagging under the weight of a growing backlog, partly caused by new claims from Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, a Harvard University professor recommends a radical overhaul that would automatically pay disability compensation to any war veteran who applies.
Linda Bilmes of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, who has been studying veterans’ medical care and disability benefits, said the current backlog of about 600,000 claims has overwhelmed a system that already was too slow and that things are only going to get worse. She predicts 250,000 to 400,000 claims will be filed over the next two years by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, creating a situation that she said “will rapidly turn the disability claims problem into a crisis.”
Her solution, which she discussed at a Tuesday congressional hearing, is that the VA “should accept and pay all disability claims” filed by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, accepting at “face value” a veteran’s statement that he or she has a service-connected disability. Since 88 percent of disability claims are approved anyway, Bilmes said that some spot-checking and audits would be enough to ensure the system is fair.
Bilmes said it takes two or three years to hire and train claims processors, providing little comfort to veterans who are looking for financial aid now, which is why she has more radical ideas.
Ronald Aument, the VA’s deputy under secretary for benefits, said it takes an average of four months to process a disability claim under the best of circumstances, and that priority is being given to processing claims for the most severely disabled combat veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. The average processing time is 177 days, and the VA has a goal of cutting that to about 145 days, he said.
Aument said the VA handled 774,000 claims last year but received 806,382, which is why gaining ground is difficult. The number of veterans receiving disability claims has climbed from about 2.3 million in 2000 to 2.7 million in 2006, he said.
The claims backlog, along with other problems in medical care in the military and VA, are having a lasting effect on new veterans’ attitudes toward their government.
Brady Van Engelen, a wounded Iraq war veteran, said veterans and their families are suffering. “We may end up with an entire generation of veterans who have no faith in our VA because those running it — as well as those overseeing it — were unable to hold up their end of the bargain,” he said.
“We did not prepare for this, and it is painfully evident,” said Van Engelen. “My generation is going to have to pay for this, and we will be paying for years and years.”
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/03/tnsvaclaims070313/
Growing Claims Backlog Frustrates Veterans
From battling the enemy oversees to battling the system back home; it's a frustration all too familiar to American war veterans.
Now a KFOX investigation reveals how a growing backlog of disability compensation claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs has left many veterans waiting years for benefits they expected and needed much sooner.
One of those waiting is Army National Guard veteran Jimmie Brand. After a tour of duty in Iraq during the first Gulf War, doctors diagnosed him with a number of ailments including a separated disc in his back, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Brand said the problems are a result of his service, but he's been fighting the VA for ten years for benefits. He said he's waited three years for the VA to arrange a doctor's exam that he needs for his claim to be processed. He describes the anxiety caused by the delay as "a nightmare."
VA workload reports for early February 2007 show that more than 600,000 disability compensation claims are waiting to be answered. In the VA office that handles El Paso claims, more than 21 percent of the 24,000 claims have been pending for at least six months.
In New Mexico, 28 percent of the 4,700 claims are also still pending after six months.
Veterans' advocates say the backlog means veterans must wait to get money and medical care owed to them that many desperately need. They blame staff shortages at the VA, the aging population of America's veterans, and the influx of claims from troops injured in the Iraq war.
The National Service Director for Disabled American Veterans, Randy Reese, says older veterans are often waiting the longest.
"The average age of those veterans is way up there, and there's a lot of them who are dying while they're waiting for the adjudication of their claims," he said.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson tells KFOX there's a bigger backlog because there’s been a substantial increase in the number of claims applications.
He says the VA is hiring more claims processors and improving their training.
"We're expanding," he says, "but we can't do it overnight."
Secretary Nicholson expects a reduction in the claims backlog by the end of next year, but Jimmy Brand is hoping he'll get an answer much sooner. "I just want them to make a fair decision." he says.
If you're a veteran struggling to get a claim answered, veterans service organizations like Disabled American Veterans, VFW, and American Legion will provide a representative to advocate on your behalf to the VA.
It's a free service, but you may have to sign a power of attorney allowing the representative to obtain your records. You'll need to have your DD-214 form and relevant medical records. Letters of support, referred to as "buddy letters," from witnesses to your injury and its aftermath are also helpful.
DAV spokesman Tim Wilborn says, "No one wants to negotiate the bureaucracy of the VA alone."
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news//11036515/detail.html
$728 veteran alone at 50%
http://www.vba.va.gov/BLN/21/rates/comp01.htm
That is what it would cost per month to approve a claim at 50% today and get rid of the backlog of claims. The odds of getting 50% and having it pro-rated are a lot greater than having a claim approved at 100%. They usually have to fight for the additional rating. So let's just cut the bullshit out and state it point blank.
As you can see from the above the backlog is not getting better. As a matter of fact, there was a report that the backlog was over 800,000. This was in a report about the IT departments cutting back staffing.
VA claim backlog at 816,211 but IT cut back? WTF
Vets' groups urge IT budget boost for benefits processing
By Bob Brewin bbrewin@govexec.com February 13, 2008 Veterans' services organizations have urged Congress to provide a sharp increase in the information technology budget of the agency that handles their compensation and pension claims.
The fiscal 2009 IT budget request for the Veterans Benefits Administration is about 18 percent less than the fiscal 2008 proposal. The overall IT budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, VBA's parent agency, jumped 18 percent in President Bush's latest request.VBA's pending compensation and claims backlog stood at 816,211 as of January 2008, up 188,781 since 2004, said Kerry Baker, associate legislative director of the Disabled Veterans of America, during a Wednesday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
So here's the plan
1. Approve every claim today at 50% for a single veteran. That $728 a month will help the avoid becoming homeless. Most claims are eventually approved and very few are found to be fraudulent.
- Then take the claims and put them through the process to make sure there are no fraudulent claims mixed in.
- Take the date the claim was filed and use that to pay back retroactive payments according to what the claim merits. If it's higher than 50%, then pay the difference back to the veteran.
- When a claim is approved, then calculate in the funds that should have been paid for the spouse and the children they have.
- If a claim runs out of appeals and it is found to be a fraudulent claim then either charge them with a crime that can be proven in court, or drop it.
2. Hire claims processors and mental health staff to address the need already here
- Audit claims to see how many have been approved that need further information.
- Use new processors to collect the missing information and use the experienced processors to deal with the new claims efficiently.
- Begin training new processors for the long term in order to be able to deal with the new claims coming in for the long term. As we've already seen, older veterans end up seeking VA care when no one expects them.
These steps will help the veterans financially today and take some of their extra stress off of them. But this is not all that has to be done.
Veterans Centers
There are empty commercial buildings all across America. Select one in every city and put in a center staffed by veterans as paid employees for those who are still able to work and allow disabled veterans to act as volunteers when they cannot work a regular job. Even a veteran in a wheel chair still has his mind to help other veterans. Each one can contribute in one way or another. Opening Veteran's Center will take some of the load out of the VA hospitals when they do not need medical attention. Veteran's Centers are also a lot more appealing to veterans who have become distrustful of the government.
Support groups
Establish support groups in VA hospitals and Veteran's Centers to assist the veterans needing them. Some do not do well in a support group and will not participate. Support groups have been used in all walks of life and have proven to be beneficial. Make sure the family members are also provided with the opportunity to have their own support group because they are on the front line taking care of the veteran. Support groups for families will also reduce the isolation they feel and in turn reduce the divorce rate.
They can talk all they want about what they are doing, which will take years to show up when the need is great today. I don't blame Gates one bit. Do you? My plan is not perfect but it comes from doing this for a lot longer than I should have had to do this. 25 years working on this and living with it has given me some details the "exerts" have no clue is needed now.
Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Friday, February 15, 2008
Gross mismanagement caused deaths and injured in Iraq
Study: Lack of MRAPs cost Marine lives
By RICHARD LARDNER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds of U.S. Marines have been killed or injured by roadside bombs in Iraq because Marine Corps bureaucrats refused an urgent request in 2005 from battlefield commanders for blast-resistant vehicles, an internal military study concludes.
The study, written by a civilian Marine Corps official and obtained by The Associated Press, accuses the service of "gross mismanagement" that delayed deliveries of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected trucks for more than two years.
Cost was a driving factor in the decision to turn down the request for the so-called MRAPs, according to the study. Stateside authorities saw the hulking vehicles, which can cost as much as a $1 million each, as a financial threat to programs aimed at developing lighter vehicles that were years from being fielded.
After Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared the MRAP (pronounced M-rap) the Pentagon's No. 1 acquisition priority in May 2007, the trucks began to be shipped to Iraq in large quantities.
click post title for the rest
By RICHARD LARDNER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds of U.S. Marines have been killed or injured by roadside bombs in Iraq because Marine Corps bureaucrats refused an urgent request in 2005 from battlefield commanders for blast-resistant vehicles, an internal military study concludes.
The study, written by a civilian Marine Corps official and obtained by The Associated Press, accuses the service of "gross mismanagement" that delayed deliveries of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected trucks for more than two years.
Cost was a driving factor in the decision to turn down the request for the so-called MRAPs, according to the study. Stateside authorities saw the hulking vehicles, which can cost as much as a $1 million each, as a financial threat to programs aimed at developing lighter vehicles that were years from being fielded.
After Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared the MRAP (pronounced M-rap) the Pentagon's No. 1 acquisition priority in May 2007, the trucks began to be shipped to Iraq in large quantities.
click post title for the rest
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