The REAL story of the soldiers wounded at Walter Reed

[Mari333]

leaking out from a whistleblower
got this on email, its also found at www.bringthemhomenow.com

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February 4, 2004

Please post my message. Alas, I fear posting my name as the retribution might be severe or insidious.

I am an Army Nurse Corps Captain stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington D.C., and I feel compelled to share with anyone who will listen what I have seen. You see, when OIF troops are evac'd out of Germany, the huge majority are brought here to WRAMC by the Air Force flight nurses and docs. I do not have access to any of the numbers of how many wounded and what types of injuries, etc, but I can honestly tell you that the OIF wounded occupy more than half of our two major intensive care units (SICU and MICU) at any given time.

At times, we get so full and are expecting more to arrive, that we have to hound the docs to transfer somebody out of our unit to a ward upstairs so we have some beds for these soldiers. Most of these wounded soldiers come in to our unit on a ventilator breathing for them, with severe wounds caused by IEDs (improvised roadside bombs) or AK-47 GSW (gun shot wounds). Many, many soldiers have already lost arms, limbs, or eyes before they even get to us, and many have received dozens of units of blood before they left Germany.

I am very proud that I am privileged to take care of these brave men and women, but it breaks my heart to realize that the incredible loss that they and their loved ones will have to deal with for the rest of their life seems to have not been for the good of our country. Rather, their pain and sorrow has merely allowed a few greedy souls to make a power grab for more wealth and control. One of my dear friends has tried to convince me that this is all part of God's plan, and the death and pain is for some greater purpose that our leaders are not telling us yet.

I wish I could believe her. It would make my job and daily life much easier, but I cannot buy it. I apologize to the reader for my tangential thought processes, but this never ending situation is getting to many military nurses. Anyway, the following is my main point in reaching out to you.

As you might be aware, the press is being tightly controlled and what is being reported from a medical standpoint is only a fraction of the true reality. Yes, I do believe the daily number of killed that CNN and whoever report is accurate. What I am saying is that the walking wounded are being sorely ignored. Don't believe me? Walter Reed is an open base, not a tightly controlled fort. Just have a valid ID and consent to a vehicle search. Then park, and walk inside. You will see so many 20 something mostly men missing arms, legs, and eyes. The blinders covering your eyes will be ripped away as you see the poor families making their daily walk from the Malogne house to the wards and units to see their son's or husbands.

It is so sad to see a young wife or fiancee cry over her honey who was in Iraq less than one month before losing both legs and has had several abdominal surgeries which leaves his belly crisscrossed with staples, and now he is fighting for his life from the infection that the injuries have caused. And that is just one example of what I saw this week. I will spare you any more wrenching true stories.

God help our men and women in uniform. Please do something to end this madness.

Name withheld by request
posted 08 feb 2004

[MrPrax]

1. Additional Background

Washington conceals US casualties in Iraq
By David Walsh
Feb 8, 2004, 10:40

February 4, 2004-The Bush administration is deliberately concealing from the American people the number and condition of US military personnel who have been wounded in Iraq. The efforts by those few politicians and media figures who have pursued the issue make this clear.

Estimates on the number of US soldiers, sailors and Marines medically evacuated from Iraq by the end of 2003 because of battlefield wounds, illness or other reasons range from 11,000 to 22,000, a staggering figure by any standard. Thousands of these young men and women have been physically or psychologically damaged for life, in turn affecting the lives of tens of thousands of family members and others. And the war in Iraq is less than one year old.
(snip...)
The largest estimate of the number of medical evacuations from Iraq is to be found in a December 30 article by retired US Army Col. David Hackworth, "Saddam’s in the slammer, so why are we on orange?"

Hackworth writes, "Even I...was staggered when a Pentagon source gave me a copy of a Nov. 30 dispatch showing that since George W. Bush unleashed the dogs of war, our armed forces have taken 14,000 casualties in Iraq—about the number of warriors in a line tank division." The former colonel adds that the figure "means we’ve lost the equivalent of a fighting division since March. At least 10 percent of the total number" of available personnel—135,000—"has been evacuated back to the USA!"

http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_5036.shtml

Great article covering a lot of the investigations into the military wounded -- including enquiries made by Rangel and Graham regarding the awarding of Purple Hearts

[proud patriot]

2. :-( Thanks for posting :-(

So important we get the word out .

[Corgigal]

3. Have a doctor

who just came back and he said the wounds of these soldiers are the worst he has ever seen in his life. He's going to get out of the guard as quick as he can. He use to talk politics with my husband with the door closed but since he came back from Iraq he says what he likes and doesn't care who hears him. Speaking of righteous, he's seen it and tried to patch it up. Good for him.

[For PaisAn]

4. It's just so devestating

I will be sending this out to all I know. Will also be attending the Bring Them Home rally/march on march 20th in NYC. Don't know what else to do to end this madness.

[pfitz59]

5. Congressman DOCTOR Jim McCermott warned of this!

He saw the horrors of Vietnam as a staff Psychiatrist at a Naval Hospital during Vietnam. He knows the score, unlike El Chimpo! What did the presstitutes do? Called him "Bhagdad Jim" and laughed off his words. Doctor Jim was right.

[opihimoimoi]

6. Our Brave Soldiers are Pub Pawns, expendable. The chicken hawks

are evil.

[Laughing Mirror]

7. The only way to support our troops is to bring them home now

I have been out of the country for the past six months and I can't believe that only National Public Radio has been on this.

Radio? That's nice. You can talk about it, just don't show it.

Where are the TV cameras? Too busy repeating over and over again flashes of some entertainer's half-exposed nipples at a football game, some presidential candidate's Crazy Eddie scream after getting knocked down a few pegs in the polls.

I have written to C-Span demanding that they bring their cameras to Walter Reed and to Fort Stewart and show us just exactly what the ugly truth is.

We have to keep the pressure on the media, particularly TV, where most people turn for their news, to keep this story out there for people to see and be as disgusted with as we are.

One thing that turned people against the Vietnam war was seeing the carnage on the TV screens every evening while they were trying to have dinner.

PBS nightly news flashes pictures of soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. But the pictures they flash on the screen for one second are pictures of the dead soldier alive, high school yearbook type perfect pictures of smiling soldiers in crisp uniforms.

Instead of those airbrushed perfect memories the public needs to see the tears, the wounded, the maimed, the horrible tragedy of the thousands of our young men and women whose personal and family lives are forever ruined for the profit of our Bechtels and Halliburtons.

We have to keep the pressure on. We have to demand to see the truth.

[prolesunited]

11. Great points

Especially this one:
"One thing that turned people against the Vietnam war was seeing the carnage on the TV screens every evening while they were trying to have dinner."

And that is exactly why we will NOT be seeing those images. Instead, we get a daily dose of Peterson and Jackson.
:mad:

[Mari333]

17. Total blackout on the news

and the news whores wont show them
Ill tell you what. Every drop of blood thats shed in this war is because of not only the chickenhawks in the WH, but the corporate whores who WONT show it..they dont want *bU$h out of the WH..he makes all of them wayyy too much money
The CEOs who run the newsrooms are hiding the truth to keep the boyking in power..they make a lot of MONEY by hiding the truth from the US public, and THEY are JUST as responsible for the wounded soldiers and the dead soldiers AND for all who died in this occupation..
Blackhearted bastards.

[Mari333]

23. I sent a scathing email again to CNN

and let them have it..Im tired of the mediawhores laughing and making jokes about "being angry at Bush" like I saw today on CNN

I pretty much let them have it..told them they cared more about infotainment and short term profits and sucking up to CEO profits then they did about my kid going to Iraq or the thousands wounded and hundreds dead and how they never cover the truth..
I also told them they were biased bastards
Im so angry every day.

[Mari333]

24. C Span didnt even cover the military families who marched

during the SOTU address...nothing
its being blacked out folks..all of it..even on C Span the military families are ignored.

[leftchick]

8. This should be sent to ALL members of congress...

Thanks for this Mari.....This madness has to stop!

[IkeWarnedUs]

9. How about a road trip

From the nurse's letter:

"Walter Reed is an open base, not a tightly controlled fort. Just have a valid ID and consent to a vehicle search. Then park, and walk inside."


Thousands and thousands went to DC to protest. Anyone up for a trip to see, talk to and document the wounded at Walter Reed?

[Laughing Mirror]

10. Excellent idea

These people are being forgotten and ignored, and it is a crime. A big organized protest on Walter Reed would bring media and maybe the public's horror at what we are allowing to happen and what we are responsible for.

I think that if it can be brought to the public's attention in a simple way what they are really throwing their money away on, they might make noise and change things. People may not be informed on all the issues, but they are bright enough to be repulsed by where their tax dollars are going.

[LeahMira]

15. How about...

A big organized protest on Walter Reed would bring media and maybe the public's horror at what we are allowing to happen and what we are responsible for.

How about asking doctors and nurses what's needed, and maybe organizing some group of people who can be helpful to the wounded or to the staff.

OK, this is goofy, but years ago I used to teach simple magic tricks to people with disabilities. It was fun, and it gave them a skill that able-bodied people didn't have.

Very Special Arts is located in DC. That's a group that helps people with disabilities to develop skills in the arts... music, drama, visual arts, and dance (yes, there are people who do wheelchair dances that are quite compelling!). They are affiliated with the Kennedy Center, so Teddy could get involved maybe.

You know, if a group of people were able to volunteer to go in there and do some good... not just one day but over some time... the news would pick it up with a bit of nudging. Americans would get to see.

Anyone live in the area and know their way around there? Anybody an organizer?

[nostamj]

19. if you create an event at Walter Reed

make it about the media. make media failure to report the truth of Iraq/Afghanistan the story.

an anti-war event, even if it is conceived and promoted as a SUPPORT THE TROOPS/BRING THEM HOME, will be spun to our disadvantage.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

21. I think this is an important issue...

I'm going to contact BTHN and see if they want to sponsor just such an event.

[G_j]

12. we can not let these people be forgotten

and swept under the rug!
I wonder if anyone has attempted to bring hidden cameras into the facility.
Also I wonder if interviews are allowed.

[Mari333]

18. Mark my words:

History will someday show the NEWS MEDIA as being the complacent ass kissing bastard CEOs they are in this occupation..
It will show the CEO News Media as the whores they are for the bU$h administration
and History will determine this period in the US as the darkest in US History concerning the blackout of truth in corporate media.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Has you representative visted Walter Reed?

I think we should ask all of our reps in DC to go pay a visit to these kids whose lives they've destroyed supporting W's megalomania.



http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.htm

http://www.senate.gov/

[rasputin1952]

14. One of the hardest things about war...

is having to deal with the images. That is why this admin is so intent on keeping things under wraps. They know that just as the pictures of after action during the CW forced people to look at the reality of war; right up to the on the field photography on VN; reality of war is horrendous.

With the exception of Colin Powell...no one in this admin has known the stench of war, the carnage. To this day, they do not visit the wounded, it would bring attention to them, and that would bring the entire fiasco into question.

Cher had the decency to show up ar Walter Reed. I remember the call to C-SPAN. But our 'fearless leaders' hide in the darkness of their collective souls.

I will send this out to all on my e-mail list.

O8)

[Laughing Mirror]

22. Yes Cher did call and she was great.

Peter Slen kept her on the phone trying to get her to identify herself, but she was more interested in telling what she had seen. She was very good describing very simply the crappy cheap equipment the soldiers were forced to use, in their rattletrap Humvees for example, which in many instances offered no protection at all and in fact contributed to the damage the soldiers received.

To organizers: Cher might be a very good person to get in touch with for this event. She seemed quite disturbed and impassioned about these peoples' lives. I'm sure she'd be happy to pitch in and do something. (She already has.) She's an American icon too, remember.

[G_j]

16. kick

[donsu]

20. Bring the Troops Home Now

and here at home the states are cutting services to the disabled because state govs. are broke.