US Military Handing out "OTHD" like they are candy...

This a MASSIVE article by The Gazette, definitely a must read though.

DISPOSABLE

After the longest period of war in American history, more soldiers are being discharged for misconduct than at any time in recent history, and soldiers with the most combat exposure are the hardest hit. A Gazette investigation based on data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shows the annual number of misconduct discharges is up more than 25 percent Army-wide since 2009, mirroring the rise in wounded. At the eight Army posts that house most of the service's combat units, including Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, misconductdischarges have surged 67 percent. All told, more than 76,000 soldiers have been kicked out of the Army since 2006. They end up in cities large and small across the country, in hospitals and homeless shelters, abandoned trailers and ratty apartments, working in gas fields and at the McDonald's counter.

The majority of them have TBI, but of course the ARMY says their is no scientific evidence that the condition even exists. Riggggggggghhhhht...
What an absolutely despicable way to be fiscally responsible whilst at the same time, morally reprehensible.

One blast, long-term damage...

Mice in a laboratory were exposed to a blast designed to mimic an improvised explosive device, or IED. After recovering for two weeks, the mice were placed in a circular maze. Healthy mice were also tested in the maze. The red line tracks their search for the exit. While both groups struggled at first, by the 16th try, the healthy mice were able to quickly find the exit, but the blast-exposed mice showed little progress. Researchers say the blast-exposed mice had significant cognitive problems and physical brain damage.

The heads of the military have been watching Trump TV too much....you're fired. I remember when people used to get layed off and only people who did bad things got fired. Maybe the business owners are also watching too much Trump and the same with the new people in charge of Unemployment. I guess terminated is less used now since Arnold S isn't doing much action films anymore.

Just babbling.

Seems like the government is trying to get out of paying retirement benefits. I think we are going to see more of that in the future with businesses, if they fire someone for an allowable reason, they do not get retirement sometimes.

You would have thought that we would be treating our Returning Vets better after Vietnam.

For all the lip service of Politicians, they don't give a damn about our Military Men and Women.

Congress should have to serve some time at the front lines.

Disgusted but hardly surprised that our Leaders treat our Soldiers this way.

I'd love to respond, since I support our military; however, I don't know what OTHD means NOR what TBI means! This is one of my pet peeves: People using acronyms/abbreviations and expecting everyone else to know of what they speak! I am rather busy today and don't feel like doing research to POSSIBLY ascertain the meanings of OTHD and TBI, so that I can perhaps make a reasoned response. Besides, it's your thread and it's your responsibility to be clear.

Nothing against you personally, OP--I complain about this issue a lot!

reply to post by Habit4ming


OTHD= Other Than Honorable Discharge

TBI= Traumatic Brain Injury

How on Earth can they even try to say that there is no scientific evidence that TBI exists????!

My son has TBI. You wanna know how we know? You can SEE the little dead spots all over his brain in an MRI! Not to mention, I'm sure there are plenty of neurosurgeons out there who would vehemently disagree with this ridiculous statement. A statement that is obviously made only to obscure the truth!

How is it that the federal government will allow someone with TBI to apply for and receive disability payments FROM the gov, while in the same breath say that the there is no proof that the condition even exists? Talk about "Talkin' out both sides of your mouth!"

TBI is very real, make no mistake. This is simply a way to get out of paying benefits to these soldiers.

It makes me sick.

reply to post by canDarian

After the longest period of war in American history, more soldiers are being discharged for misconduct than at any time in recent history, and soldiers with the most combat exposure are the hardest hit.

Many of them have multiple deployments. Even when not actually in situations they are still on alert mentally. This is stress induced by repeated exposure to danger or potential danger.

How much do they expect people to take?

reply to post by canDarian


Connecting the dots.

This may explain part of the reason Obama has fired so many generals this year.

9 Generals Fired, 2 Military Leaders Suspended

Nine commanding Generals have been fired, and two other leaders are on suspension, in a historic military shake up.

In our story from last week, we covered the historic occurrence of two top-ranking nuclear chief’s fired....

Remember, as (former White House chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel said, never waste a crisis,” a senior retired general told
TheBlaze on the condition of anonymity because he still provide services to the government and fears possible retribution.

“Even as a retired general, it’s still possible for the administration to make life miserable for us. If we’re working with the government or
have contracts, they can just rip that out from under us,” he said.

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely, an outspoken critic of the Obama administration, said the White House fails to take action or
investigate its own, but finds it easy to fire military commanders “who have given their lives for their country.”

“Obama will not purge a civilian or political appointee because they have bought into Obama’s ideology,” Vallely said. “The White House protects their own. That’s why they stalled on the investigation into fast and furious, Benghazi and Obamacare. He’s intentionally weakening and gutting our military, Pentagon and reducing us as a superpower, and anyone in the ranks who disagrees or speaks out is being purged.”....

Clinton sell our military secrets to China, SEE LINK

And in case you do not believe that because it is a blog, here it is spelled out by the New York Times:

...Releasing many of America's nuclear secrets was seen as an essential part of this strategy, since it would signal a new global order in which nuclear know-how was suddenly and irreparably devalued and real security would lie in the collective knowledge that nobody was able to push weaponry beyond the known boundaries. What had been gold would become dross, and the atom would lose power and prestige. Driven by such logic, the Administration made public masses of generalities about nuclear arms, even as specific weapon designs were kept secret.

[n]Now, however, critics charge that the gamble failed -- that the explosion last year of nuclear devices by India and Pakistan and the reports that China has stolen America's top designs for nuclear arms have demonstrated that the test ban is fatally flawed. The depth and breadth of China's spying, they add, makes the world's largest state seem quite hungry for a thoroughly modernized nuclear force, test-ban treaty or no....
www.nytimes.com...

A real one two punch by our TRAITORS - in - Chief.

Our young men are nothing but cannon fodder for the banksters!
Top Senate Democrat: bankers “own” the U.S. Congress Dick Durbin's confession ought to be major news, yet it won't be. Why not?

Probably because the banks OWN the news media too.
JP Morgan: Our next big media player?

They neglect to mention that JP Morgan bought out the News Media in 1915.
Congressional Record: JP Morgan & Co purchased all major media for propaganda: 1917. And now...? (well worth the read)

The Congressional Record documenting the moves by JP Morgan was dated 1917 but the buyout used to get the USA in WWI was before that in 1915.

The actual time line is
Dec 1913 - Federal Reserve Act becomes law.

July 1914 - Income tax Amnendment said to be ratified.

1915 - JP Morgan buys major news papers.

April 6, 1917 - U.S. Entered World War I

Prior to 1917 the USA had an isolationist attitude of mind your own. After 1913 there was a way to get citizens to pay the bankers for wars. American soldiers have been Cannon Fodder for the international Elite ever since.

This is pretty common when you move from war time to peace time. Believe it or not is a much harder transition coming from a war zone to garrison than the other way around. While deplyed lots of the BS stuff goes away and you feel like you are doing something important. When that ends it is very hard to come back to the daily grind and things you see as a waste of time. It is the same problem people have getting out and then taking a job somewhere and having to take orders from somebody they see as never having done anything. You have many soldiers who in wartime excell but, in peacetime they just do not fit. Sad but, true. Seen it many many times.

Cherryontop
reply to post by Habit4ming

 

OTHD= Other Than Honorable Discharge

TBI= Traumatic Brain Injury

thank you, I didn't know what these were either! Will go and re-read the post now that it will make more sense.

reply to post by MrSpad


It is common to some extent, but the numbers that are being seen have never happened, ever...
It's clearly showing that what's being done is an attempt to keep the military on budget, by any means necessary.

I was originally looking to do a post on the discrepancy of medical care between soldiers, when I came across this story.

I just had to post it.

And it states in many places in the article what the acronyms are but I will edit the post if it will make it easier.

Or not, 4 hours sure go by fast...

TBI is acknowledged as a condition. Are you saying the lines are blurred between that and PTSD, with the later not being as 'bad' when it comes to benefits and reputation for the government? If so - that makes sense. It's not worth it to join the military anymore - they really make it attractive as a career don't they?

reply to post by rickymouse


In most states, the term "At will" applies. An employer doesn't need a reason to fire someone. Any employee can be fired anytime for no reason.

Dianec
TBI is acknowledged as a condition. Are you saying the lines are blurred between that and PTSD, with the later not being as 'bad' when it comes to benefits and reputation for the government? If so - that makes sense. It's not worth it to join the military anymore - they really make it attractive as a career don't they?

It is an acknowledged condition, but the ARMY states there is no medically verifiable way to determine who has "Traumatic Brain Injury" or "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder", this absolutely not the case...

PTSD and TBI, especially TBI can be verified through imaging of the brain, PTSD is definitely more tricky, but once again there are a list of widely accepted symptoms and criteria in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

"We don't have any clear diagnosis or any way of showing what functions of the brain the injury affects," said Col. Dallas Hack, director of the Army's Combat Casualty Care Research Program, based in Maryland. "

But the true number affected is hard to know. While the Army tracks how many soldiers are kicked out for misconduct, it does not track how many of them are wounded, a Pentagon spokesman said. Even if the service did, the count would likely be inaccurate because science still has no objective way to identify who is truly injured when it comes to TBI and PTSD.

canDarian
reply to post by MrSpad

 

It is common to some extent, but the numbers that are being seen have never happened, ever...
It's clearly showing that what's being done is an attempt to keep the military on budget, by any means necessary.

I was originally looking to do a post on the discrepancy of medical care between soldiers, when I came across this story.

I just had to post it.

And it states in many places in the article what the acronyms are but I will edit the post if it will make it easier.

Or not, 4 hours sure go by fast...

edit on 25-10-2013 by canDarian because: (no reason given)

The numbers are numbers being seen are the largest since our last major conflict. Of course this current one has been the longest in our history. Many people simply can make the change back. And no real system exists for them.

reply to post by MrSpad


Vietnam still is the longest conflict on record at 14+ years with Afghanistan a close second at 12 years.

Vietnam conflict US :58,220 dead 303,644 wounded
Afghanistan US :2,271 dead 23,500 wounded
Iraq US :4,487 dead 32,226 wounded

These numbers only take into account "active duty" personnel, basically a whole other story there.

This shows just how low the US Government will go...
The Big Lie

reply to post by canDarian


Thanks for sharing. I'm the kid of a Vietnam vet and I can not only tell them from clinical experience but from day to day experience what PTSD looks like. It can harm generations if undetected - and the literature shows this. Children of parents with PTSD are more likely to develop anxiety disorders themselves. I didn't post a reference but the studies are out there. They turned their backs then and they are repeating it now. I truly believed the government had learned a lesson. Think I need to talk to my kid about his ambitions for joining the corp. Use them and throw them away afterwards.

reply to post by intrptr


I never had an issue with blood pressure in my life, nor is it in my families medical history, but after 2 deployments to Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan I had to start taking meds for it. The stress really does wear away at you.

reply to post by BobM88

...after 2 deployments to Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan...

I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like for you. In WWII, one deployment was considered enough. In Vietnam, two maybe. I hope the upper echelons get a clue at some point how hard they are working the "volunteers" amid the mental and emotional costs piling up.

"If only you can see what I have seen with these eyes."

reply to post by intrptr


It was tiring, man, it was honest-to-God physically exhausting. But I'm home for good now.

The brass and the politicians know the effects of repeated deployments does, but there's no choice given the status quo. There's no stomach politically to reinstitute the draft, and there's no stomach politically to stay out of everyone else's business. The bosses know they need more, but they answer to their political masters, and when they don't toe the line smartly, they're dismissed.

I am taking nothing away from us, the current soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. But our fathers and grandfathers had to deal with the aftermath of their wars too. It's an ugly thing, but until humanity can figure out how to not constantly try to kill one another off I think its a cycle we will repeatedly endure.