Vets Say Visits Restricted To U.S. Wounded

[Oilwellian]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the nation's leading veterans' service organizations accuses the Pentagon of severely restricting" its counselors from visiting wounded and injured service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

As of January 7, the Pentagon said 2,431 military personnel have been wounded in action and an additional 383 wounded in non-hostile incidents in Iraq.

Most service members severely wounded in Iraq and returned to the United States are treated at Walter Reed.

In a letter sent this week to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Dave Gorman, executive director of Disabled American Veterans, complained that the DAV is being blocked from carrying out its congressionally chartered mission.

Gorman questioned measures that require hospital pre-screening and approval of all visits, and full-time escorts during those visits, according to the letter a copy of which CNN obtained. Gorman said because of those escorts there is a lack of privacy over matters the counselors discuss with patients and their families at Walter Reed.

He said the monitoring of these conversations "is particularly unnerving and inappropriate as all conversations between a representative and client are confidential in nature."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/07/sprj.irq.dav.complaint/index.html

[whathappened]

1. this bunch of

asses need to have there balls cut off for doing this , it is just not right to stop these people from getting the help they need from the ones who were in the trenches and no how to deal with this kind of recoverey

[Ilsa]

2. I've sent this link out.

What the hell are they afraid of?

[asjr]

3. Probably

afraid some wounded soldier will say unkindly things about the CIC. The want someone there to monitor the conversations.

[Oilwellian]

4. That's what I found so sad about this story

Here are wounded soldiers who paid a huge price while fighting in this war based on lies, and our government can't trust what they'll say (or hear) after returning home. The paranoia is stunning.

[aquart]

5. It's not paranoia.

They know they're criminals. They know the soldiers know they're criminals.

They don't want the rest of us to know.

[truthspeaker]

6. They're afraid DAV will tell them what their benefits are

and how to apply for them.