Sgt. X had no idea that the little machine in his pocket was about to capture recorded evidence of something wounded soldiers and their advocates have long suspected — that the military does not want Iraq veterans to be diagnosed with PTSD, a condition that obligates the military to provide expensive, intensive long-term care, including the possibility of lifetime disability payments. And, as Salon will explore in a second article Thursday, after the Army became aware of the tape, the Senate Armed Services Committee declined to investigate its implications, despite prodding from a senator who is not on the committee. The Army then conducted its own internal investigation — and cleared itself of any wrongdoing.
When Sgt. X went to see McNinch with a tape recorder, he was concerned that something was amiss with his diagnosis. He wanted to find out why the psychologist had told the medical evaluation board that handles disability payments that Sgt. X did not, in fact, have PTSD, but instead an “anxiety disorder,” which could substantially lower the amount of benefits he would receive if the Army discharged him for a disability. The recorder in Sgt. X’s pocket captured McNinch in a moment of candor. (Listen to a segment of the recording here.)
“OK,” McNinch told Sgt. X. “I will tell you something confidentially that I would have to deny if it were ever public. Not only myself, but all the clinicians up here are being pressured to not diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS [instead].” McNinch told him that Army medical boards were “kick[ing] back” his diagnoses of PTSD, saying soldiers had not seen enough trauma to have “serious PTSD issues.”
#19 Yes! This plan seems workable, and nothing would force them to fix this problem faster than a big hit on recruitment.
# 16 debegray said, on April 8th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Alfred1, it sounds like you are using this to go off on a political tangent, when what’s really important is how people who sacrifice for our country are treated. This shameful disregard for our soldiers’ mental health has been going on through many administrations. As someone whose father spent his first year back from Vietnam throwing himself under the bed any time a helicopter was overhead, I personally don’t care who is in office when it comes to this issue. I just want the government to do the right thing.
You have to care…if your letters to your congressmen, both houses, will reach their destinations.
Obama is spending us into bankruptcy, it does not surprise me his administration gave the order to short change the troops…
The floated a trial balloon to do something similar a few weeks ago.
With Obama, what he says is “just words,” what he does is what he actually believes.
# 17 Phydeau said, on April 8th, 2009 at 7:14 am
What’s the big deal?
The military is getting an early exposure to Obama’s Universal Health Care rationing program.
Atta boy Benson… way to support the troops. Not.
Precisely correct…and Benson’s way is the perfect way to support the troops…to fix a problem, one must identify it first, then to get people to understand how the problem fits in the scheme of things, one must contextualize it, simple enough for the masses to understand…recall they are victims of liberal education…
Benson’s comment does what is good for the troops, what supports them, admirably.
# 9 Mr. Fusion said, on April 8th, 2009 at 5:20 am
#3, Alphie, the Quaalude Queen,
Queenie, how many effen times do you need to be told, READ THE ARTICLE. Get your head out of your bible and into the real world,
For more than a year he’s been seeking treatment at Fort Carson …
the article implies this recording was made very recently…Bush is playing golf…and been doing so more than 2 months now…
Therefore Obama is to blame…
change you can believe in…not me.
# 13 ethanol said, on April 8th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Alfred1 (#7),
Darn right says me! As a veteran of the US Army in 1991 with a reconstructed left shoulder, I can speak with great certainty on this issue. Are you a veteran with an injury?
Nope…just as one doesn’t have to drink poison to know it can kill you…or touch a hot stove to know it will burn…so also I don’t have to be a victim of Obama care…to know it will be deadly to lost of folks above 50 years old…
In all socialist medicine, Europe, Canada, Cuba, China, etc…there is a test to see if it make sense you are treated…
If an twenty year old illegal alien needs a transplant, and you a crusty senior citizen veteran, the illegal alien will get it…you will get pain medication till you die…budget permitting.
That’s the way it will work…Obama care will probably do you in, eventually…
Recently a British family had to do a 24 hour vigil over their grandmother…lest she be euthanize….
So while the enemy didn’t get you, Obama care will, if you are elderly.
“So while the enemy didn’t get you, Obama care will, if you are elderly.”
…Because we love and adore our elderly in this country soooo much. “Over the age of 60 grandpa? Well time to ship you off to the old folk’s farm and forget all about you. Have a nice time losing your mental faculties!”
Dang, Alfred is one sick puppy. Whatever the Republicans do, he’s automatically in favor of, even when it’s screwing the troops out of the health care they need.
I guess the bible told you so, eh pal?
#14, Benson,
The military is getting an early exposure to Obama’s Universal Health Care rationing program.
Another one that didn’t read more than the headline. THIS HAPPENED UNDER BUSH’S WATCH. IT IS NOT OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION THAT DID THIS.
My cousin is leaving on Thursday for his first tour in Afghanistan…
These bastards should be hung from their testicles (or ovaries)…
From the clinicians up to the decision makers, they need this to be done to them, at least to limit propagation of their genes in the gene pool.
#25 They are practicing forced euthanasia in the UK? Really? Have a link or something to support that?
# 28 Mr. Fusion said, on April 8th, 2009 at 11:17 am
#14, Benson,
The military is getting an early exposure to Obama’s Universal Health Care rationing program.
Another one that didn’t read more than the headline. THIS HAPPENED UNDER BUSH’S WATCH. IT IS NOT OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION THAT DID THIS.
Who shouts the loudest wins?
Thursday, after the Army became aware of the tape, the Senate Armed Services Committee declined to investigate its implications,
Democrats have controlled both houses since 2006, dickhead.
#31 You seem to be under the impression that the SASC should waste time and money investigating something that is common knowledge. The more difficult question is, how do you correct the problem? This PTSD denial has been an issue for going on 40 years now, one made only worse by the deplorable condition of the VA over the last 8 years or so. A mere investigation isn’t going to solve it; rather, a complete overhaul of the veterans services system is in order, to bring it in line to the standards of care expected by, say, congressmen. But until we can stop spending money on silly boondoggle weapons systems that are basically useless and lack interoperability with extant systems, the resources to fix this issue probably won’t exist. Of course, that is made near impossible by the howls of protest every time they even attempt to decrease the rate of growth of military spending, even though we spend 10x anyone else on Earth to produce a fighting force that Sweden could probably wipe the ground with. There is a good reason that the terms ‘FUBAR’ and ‘clusterfuck’ came from the US military. . .
By the way Alfie, got a link on that forced euthanasia in the UK story yet? I didn’t think so. . .
First deny coverage to vets promised by the country
Second, misdiagnose any adverse, to the government, disability
Third, wait until most the victims (soldiers, sailors, sailors) die so benefit payments are minimized
Has anybody heard of Agent Orange before – lost a friend to that non-disability.
Send the review boards, doctors, and all willing participants in this fraud to the front lines until killed in action – or otherwise.
A country of liars has no honor.
<i.# 32 Li said, on April 8th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
#31 You seem to be under the impression that the SASC should waste time and money investigating something that is common knowledge…
Ur begging the Question…DEMOCRATS refused to change the policy…if indeed its the policy…DEMOCRATS…OBAMA…they have been in charge of these things since 2006
Obama owns this recession…he could have done real stimulus…instead of throwing trillions away on pork and liberal loon entitlements…
he could fix any problems with vet care…but he and his democratic enablers refused to do so…
AND incredibly you want to talk about me and my impressions…
Alfie, really! Do you think that Obama is a magic negro who can just put his healing hands on the VA and belch out all the badness in the form of moths? This is a serious, systemic problem, the reaches into the depths of the military establishment, from it’s broken procurement, to the money drain from the industrial complex, to it’s pervasive mission creep. It’s been growing like a cancer on our military since Eisenhower warned us about the growing power of the military industrial complex. And the fact that people like you howl every time they try and change the money flows into the MIC (which is pre-requisite for fixing any of this) makes finding solutions all but impossible.
You want to hear my solution? Cut spending by 90% for five years. Have the military sell off property, resources and worthless weapon systems to whatever idiots will purchase them. Put the marines in charge of all ground ops, and transfer the procurement people from that service to the army proper where they can whip that system into shape a bit. Cut the Air Force to the bone; why do we need all of those expensive 200 million dollar planes when drones are doing most of the actual fighting? Build a bunch of new A10′s, since those see the most action, are dirt cheap, and are desperately needed now. Focus the remaining money on infantry equipment, and reforming the VA.
But if anyone ever tried to do that, people like you would be calling them anti-american and anti-military and all that rot. Meanwhile, Sweden could kick our ass because their infantry are well equipped, well armored, and have decent close air support.
We have the most expensive military in the world, almost more expensive than every other military combined, and we can’t even manage two measly imperial occupations in countries that have been blown to hell for decades on end. Do you really think that is the Democrat’s fault? Or even the Republican’s, for that matter?
Have vets been abused in the past? Yes.
However the buck stops at the White House and the guy in charge now is named Obama. He can fix it or let it go. So far he’s let it go. That means, just like all the other people that let it go, his ethics bleep.
Sure you can say others let it go but if they bleeped for doing it so does Obama. Let’s see if he’s really a step up from these other people many of you like to call bleeps shall we?
*Li’s head explodes*
# 35 Li said, on April 8th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Alfie, really! Do you think that Obama is a magic negro who can just put his healing hands on the VA and belch out all the badness in the form of moths?
No, in 2006 he was a Senator…and these issues were regulated by the democratic congress…and it was democrats who refused to change things then…and it was democrats who refused to change this just a few days ago…
And now President Obama…with a word, can change the policy…if indeed it is policy…
But he won’t…he wants money for ACORN workers…and homes…he give a squat about those he believes are child killers.
He’s a radical community organizer…his actions are right out of Saul Alinski’s handbook for radicals…Rev. Wright…he’s gonna bring to ACORN people the money wrongfully denied them…even if it means bankrupting the country to do it.
We owe them a check…its only fair…after all, everything you have was built upon slavery.
YOU, chairman Li, will pay along with the rest of us…your dear leader will spread the poverty to all, including you…
*sweeps up the floor*
“And now President Obama…with a word, can change the policy…if indeed it is policy…”
And what would that word be? Abracadabra?
Alphie, the Quaalude Queen,
C,mom Queenie, get a life. On another thread you made the claim that you run a business. Yet, you have zero comprehension of anything. In a matter of a few very short weeks, you have eclipsed Cow-Patty’s trolling level.
Yes, the Democrats were the majority in the House and held a very slight majority in the Senate. BUT, Congress does not and did not run the government. That is the Administration’s business. All Cabinet department heads report to the President, not to Congress.
Bloviate all you like, it won’t change that you are just a stooopid troll with no clue on what you state.
BUT, as Li asked, I too would like to see where the health care in Europe is forcing euthanasia on the elderly. Please post a link to back up your claim.