Gates Acknowledges Mistakes In Treatment Of Troops

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said the military had made mistakes in treating returning combat troops including in their physical and mental health care and by providing some sub-standard housing.

In a visit to Fort Bliss, Texas, Gates announced a change in government procedures to encourage troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) without fear of losing their security clearances and harming their careers.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[repugnicansfearme]

Gates is a drunkard of legendary proportions. Those in the biz who know him shuddered when they found out this buffoon was going to be the head dude in the Pentagon. He continues to live up to his own low standards.

[nellieh]

That is a really damning statement to make! We made mistakes!.If that is the best he can do in assessing the dispicable treatment of returning troops he is full of sh*t. Walter Reed, other hospitals, lowballing evaluations suicides, PTSD and sub-standard housing? Mistakes? It shows they just don't give a damn about them. After all they are ONLY volunteers. Just F'n pitiful.

[BeamMeUpScotty]

"The MILITARY has made mistakes." You note Gates didn't say anything about the REAL perpetrators of crimes - the administration he serves. The military take their orders from Bush, so Bush is the Criminal-in-Chief. Just as the military is the fall guy for the torture at Guantanimo (even though the Bush administration authored all the paperwork to subvert the law), you Mr. Gates will be sacrificed (if necessary) to pay for the sins of Bush/Cheney.

[LOL123]

Gates another sack of cow patty-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said the military had made mistakes in treating returning combat troops including in their physical and mental health care and by providing some sub-standard housing. THE MILITARY made mistakes, ohhhh I think it was the commander in chief. I don't see an increase in military spending for health care issues, but I did see a clip..two days in fact for wanting money for infrastructure (pipelines ) for America. Yeah now that takes pecedent. He forgot to mention we also just increased several hundred US MARINES this week to engage the Talivan in Helmand province near Garmser far south in Afghanistan, but we did hear and read about the Princes visit...that also takes precedent.. COW PATTY.

[MikeDu]

The Air Force fired a total of 783,514 rounds of 30mm API in the Gulf War. Since each round contains approximately 0.66 pounds of DU (depleted uranium), the Air Force expended a total of 259 tons of DU in the Gulf. Since DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, there is very little decay of those DU materials. When you think 'DU' think 'heavy metal', like arsenic on steroids. The current report of U.S. 4,000 deaths and 30-40 thousand 'casualties' waaaaay under reports the damage currently being done to our people in uniform. I'm reminded that 9-10 years after Gulf War 1 the journal the Lancette pegged the cause of 'Gulf War Syndrome' as wind-blown nerve agents coming from airstrikes against Saddam's stockpiles. If this is to be believed this pushes the casualty count in that 'quick & easy war' in '91 to some 200,000+ American servicemen and women. We're going to be living with the health effects of the Iraq war for the next 50 years.

[Stella01]

What is it with these people? After all this time, they are STILL ignoring the obvious: if we cannot properly arm, house, treat and support troops going into a war of choice, we do not send them, PERIOD. To act in any other way is to mistreat and abuse them, their families and loved ones, and the U.S. taxpayer, who will be saddled with trying to catch up after the fact, and paying a consequently larger tab. In a larger sense, the nation's psyche suffers as well, for we all feel guilt by extension when our armed forces do not have what they need and deserve. I'd say the average scout leader has a better sense of "being prepared" than so many of our so-called experts at the Pentagon. Aarrrggghhhh!!!!!!!

[MikeDu]

Remember after the apparent 'success' of Gulf War 1 the conventional wisdom was 'we're finally out from under the cloud of Vietnam'. Here we are 33-ish years after Vietnam, 17-ish years after Gulf War 1, stuck in a quagmire being run by bureaucratic incompetents with a 'guns & butter' domestic fiscal policy. Oh yeh, to make this similarity complete we're also looking into the black hole of 70s-style stagflashion too. To being Vietnam full circle let's bring back Country Joe and the Fish too:

"And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die."

[lornejl]

Mistakes were made, mistakes are still being made, but the baby jesus forgives y'all.

[dax49]

these aren't mistakes ! this is inhuman treatment by a criminal administration

[mfsomom]

Since President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq 5 years ago, there have been an additional 3924 casualties, and counting...These are not just numbers folks, these are our sons and daughters. What are their stories, who were they, what were their dreams and what would they have accomplished had their lives not been sacrificed and cut short so carelessly? As divided as our nation continues to be over the war, as a decent society, we must pay attention, pull together and care for those amongst us who are living this nightmare. It continues to be inexcusable that we are failing to properly care for our soldiers and their families, and unconscionable that we have yet to hold accountable those who are responsible for this quagmire. We must end the occupation of Iraq, engage in diplomacy abroad and here at home, and reclaim a national identity we can all be proud of. This 5th anniversary is but another sad, tragic day in a string of seemingly endless sad, tragic days.

Peace

[nancytheragingliberal]

They treat our young, brave, teen-aged soldiers like crap under their fingernails. I would like to think that I speak for all Americans when I say, we would be proud, honored, and happy to give our troops nothing but the best with our tax dollars. That lying beast, W., put our troops in harm's way, with his phony, war for oil. The fact that he sleeps like a baby each and every night for the last eight years makes me crazy, but the fact is he is crazy, mean-spirited, and has no soul. How else can you explain his lack of compassion for our 4,050 dead troops, millions maimed, millions of dead innocent Iraqi, men woman, and children, and millions of poor Iraqi's fleeing their country? The W. beast did this all in our name. Weep for the dead, because the W. beast and his administration will not. Why, they are planning to bomb Iran, as I write.

[Tom95134]

the military had made mistakes in treating returning combat troops ....

"Rick, I'm shocked that there's gambling going on here!"

What else would you expect when the man at the top went AWOL when his country needed him and the #2 man in charge used every ploy he could to stay out of the military (He, "had better things to do.". These "mistakes" are due to an attitude that started with Bush viewing the troop and nothing more than pawns to be used for political purpose and personal revenge and continued all the way down to the SecDef (Rummy)

[deke33]

Mistakes? Mistakes in treatment of troops? Now one wonders how all these patriotic Americans, particularly those Republican Chickenhawks with their flags in their lapels and their constant references to "our brave troops" could make such mistakes as the shoddy treatment of wounded and whole returning troops. Truth be known, they could care less after the troops leave the battlefield. Just take a look at what the VA leaders have said and what they have done.

[dreamgypsy]

MISTAKES?!?!?! playing Commander in Chief/Thief and Secretary of Defense with brave warriors lives and the lives of their family and the safety of these United States is just one more HIGH CRIME that even Rummy shouldn't get away with! Gates another soul-less sorry butt excuse for a human being!
Leavenworth should be readying lots of cells starting from the Shrub down period
Moment of silence please for all of the brave souls that HONOR and continue to HONOR their Oaths unlike their 'superiors'!
peace

[Manuel]

The mistake is easily remediable. Maybe, the SECDEF should ensure that all personnel return home to a good micro-brewery brew.

Calgary's Big Rock Brewery comes to mind. They make a killer brew by the name of Grasshopper.

Manuel

[desthmoneses]

Perhaps some of these troops feel guilty about what they did in Iraq and that's why they have so much PTSD.

[LOL123]

I don't believe it's a collective "guilt" since you mention troops. The soldier is in it to survive and protect the soldier right next to them, lets see you try it and not come away scared.