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Hernando Today

When Will Anger Turn To Fury?

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Frances Earl

Call to Patriots

Published: May 7, 2008

Broken sewage pipes and areas flooded with contaminated water. Gas pipes broken away and walls, stairways, railings and floors covered with mold.
This is Fort Bragg, N.C., where our troops were assigned on their return from tours of duty in the Mideast. You would not, unless you were totally inhumane, house your dogs in such horribly unhealthy quarters, but it is somehow considered a suitable place to house our troops.
The Bush Administration again feigns surprise to learn of these deplorable conditions, which can only translate in one of two ways. They knew what the condition of Fort Bragg was and sent our soldiers there anyway, or their attention to the care and protection of these men and women is so unimportant that they do not bother to keep informed or spend the money necessary to safeguard their health.
This administration, however, continues to push to make the tax breaks for the wealthy and the corporations permanent, an approach heartily endorsed and supported by U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville. She claims to be the guardian of our vets, yet apparently is not aware of their tawdry treatment or, perhaps, does not care as long as nobody finds out about it!
If there is no money to provide safe quarters for our troops and, since it apparently took almost the full extent of this act of aggression to even provide proper armor to protect them against horrendous wounds and/or death, can we say the administration and Brown-Waite are "supporting" the troops?
When conditions at Walter Reed Hospital were discovered to be so abysmal, again feigned surprise and lack of knowledge of those conditions was the response. I have not seen any follow-up at Walter Reed to determine if all these problems were addressed and corrected in full or in part. Where is the media when no stories to indicate anything has been done to safeguard our soldiers fail to appear? Guess they just hope that with all our economic woes, we will shove these inhumane conditions under the rug?
An article on the editorial page of St. Pete Times dated Monday, May 5, lauds Defense Secretary Robert Cates as "strong leadership at Pentagon." He has criticized his commanders for allowing deplorable living conditions at military barracks. He seems to claim that many soldiers avoided counseling for mental health problems, placing the blame for their lack of care, which has caused many to commit suicide, squarely on the soldiers suffering from trauma.
I have spoken to several of our soldiers and was told, more than once, that if they were interviewed about post traumatic stress disorder, they were asked if they had a "few beers" once in a while and, when most naturally said "sure," their file was marked "alcoholism problems" and the problem was considered solved. No acknowledgement of trauma at all.
How long do we continue to elect to Congress the amoral people who collect their paychecks, enjoy the best of health care benefits, while pretending to care about our country and specifically our troops, while all they really do is run around every election year giving out medals to our older vets?
How long do our older vets refuse to see that our bravest are nothing but fodder to the madmen in charge of our country's destiny and that they, as well as our currently active men and women, are being dismissed as an army being run on the cheap and as older guys who can be bought off with a piece of tin instead of demanding our brave men and women be treated with dignity and gratitude for their sacrifices?
As Americans, we should not feel beholden to support any member of Congress, any senator, any president, but to support our country, our people, our servicemen and women. Rape of our female soldiers has become an issue and my husband, a vet, pointed out that when a commander makes no bones about it that such actions will be severely punished, such actions do not occur.
But for at least two years, our services have lowered their requirements for enlistment and now accept convicted felons. Not guys who went to jail for DUI, for shoplifting a 12-pack of beer, but those convicted for robberies and for rape.
"Must the hunger become anger and the anger fury before anything will be done?" — John Steinbeck.

Frances Earl, former vice president of the Hernando County Democratic Executive Committee, can be contacted at fearl@tampabay.rr.com.

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