Stop Loss: The Disposable Poor, Part II

[babylonsister]

Stop Loss: The Disposable Poor, Part II
by Mark Biskeborn | February 26, 2008



Continued...SEE: Stop Loss, Part I here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x341088


Alas, like New Orleans’ redevelopment disaster, W’s pledge to revamp military healthcare has become equally scandalous. Almost one year to the day after Dubya commissioned a report on military healthcare, Veterans for America, a veterans advocacy group, delivered a report recently to the New York Times, entitled: “Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance.”

“The system is very much overburdened,” said Jason W. Forrester, director of policy for Veterans for America. “These problems are going to continue as long as we have units, such as the Second Brigade Combat Team, that have seen high-intensity combat, extended deployments and inadequate time between deployments.” NYTimes and other reports remind us that W has once again dropped the ball.

Child Custody Lost

On top of decrepit healthcare, returning soldiers often lose their families while ‘over there.’ Military family advocates say a growing number of soldiers are losing custody of their children, not because they're bad parents but because of extended missions in Iraq. Like many other soldiers, when reservist Tanya Towne was stop-lost to extended missions, her family broke up and she lost custody of her son.

Only last month W signed a bill to help protect service members and their families. Though legal experts say some military moms and dads, absent for so long, still lose custody of their kids, (NPR).

Debt Collectors Take Aim at Soldiers

To add insult to injury, while on stop loss, many soldiers have to deal with the bill collectors knocking on the door at home—as the NYTimes reports.

more...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/13086