Shills are Us

The time is fast approaching when to call a man a patriot
will be the deepest insult you can offer him.
Patriotism now means advocating plunder in the interest
of the privileged classes of the particular State system
into which we have happened to be born
--Leo Tolstoy

Nowhere to run to, baby
Nowhere to hide
--Nowhere to Run, Martha and the Vandellas
__________

From the recent Army Echoes, the bulletin for retired soldiers and their families, comes a whining rant under a title which suggests an article focused on the soldier, ''Army Works to Correct Walter Reed Problems" (May-Aug 2007).

"The problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) received widespread media coverage. The Army's work on correcting these problems does not seem to be getting the same amount of coverage.

"What can retired Soldiers and spouses do? Help the Army tell the rest of the story in your community. How big is your voice? See the box below.''

The box refers to a "Portrait of Retired Soldiers and Spouses," which is not really a portrait at all, but a tallying of retired soldiers receiving retired pay and survivors receiving a DoD annuity, along with a "gray area" of Reserve Retired Soldiers.

I'd say what the whole thing amounts to is a thinly veiled attempt to extort propaganda from grateful pensioners. But retired Army personnel and survivors are not the ones being subjected to the Walter Reed fiasco.

Well this is one retired soldier that doesn't buy the Army institutional crap. Leadership requires a denigration of the official Army cover story for this sorry mess.

''Media attention brought to light problems with facilities and processes." Indeed, media attention, and praise be unto them. Where was the Army leadership lurking?

If the Army was attending to its business, the media would have nothing detrimental to report. If it is a skunk, it stinks, and no amount of 4-Star tap dancing will change the fact.

Part of the Army's attempt to make nice is their Wounded Warrior Brigade. "Squad leaders assigned to every nine Soldiers will look after those Soldiers, and make sure they are making appointments and getting needed care." So this is their sorry attempt to make things better. What a mealy-mouthed bunch of garbage.

Any hospital that uses squad leaders [E-5's] rather than nurses, social workers and counselors is a sorry excuse for a medical program.

These wounded soldiers are beyond the capabilities of E-5 squad leaders at this point, and the Army knows this. This is a feel-good PR ploy to hide the problems from the tax paying public. Professional care is required. Squad leaders. . .give me a break.

"Further support is being provided by a One Stop Soldier and Family Assistance Center. The Center will ensure quick and easy access to case managers, family coordinators, finance experts and representatives from key support and advocacy organizations. . ."

This should have been the case since day one. Why have there been no disciplinary actions in this dereliction of duties?

The words and actions of the Army in this matter are not indicative of leadership values. A good squad leader knows this.