Rumsfeld has some explaining to do!

[Gimpy]

Donald Rumsfeld Has Some Explaining To Do
Why Is The Pentagon Sidestepping A Law That Protects Our Soldiers?


Editor's Note: There was a late development in the story reported below. At 6:20 pm EDT on Tuesday, April 29 -- hours after the story was posted and long since an ad based on it was submitted to The New York Times for publication on April 30 -- the Pentagon abruptly switched its position on medical testing of troops, the subject of this story. More details below.



Public Law 105-85 requires the Pentagon to collect health data on troops before and after deployment to a war zone. But troops headed to Iraq were not examined as the law specifically requires -- through physical exams and blood tests -- as The Kansas City Star first reported in March.
Pentagon officials admit they haven?t followed the law. They say a short questionnaire suffices in place of a medical exam. They say there?s no sense testing a generally healthy population of soldiers. They say there wasn?t time for exams in the rush to war, and troops returning home won?t sit still long enough for an exam.
These excuses haven?t impressed Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.). He convened a hearing on March 25.
"From my standpoint, you?re not meeting the letter of the law, clearly, and I don?t think you?re meeting the spirit of the law," Shays told a Pentagon representative who testified.
Doctors who advised the military on protecting soldiers? health also registered concern at the hearing. The law is an "important mandate," said Dr. Manning Feinleib, but "implementation has been fragmented." Dr. John Moxley, III, said Pentagon practices did not incorporate recommendations made by his and other advisory panels.
Those suggestions shaped the law, passed in 1997 after the sad experience of Gulf War veterans. Tens of thousands of them waited years before getting the government-provided health care they earned as soldiers. Why? A lack of basic health data delayed a Pentagon decision that their maladies -- now known collectively as "Gulf War Syndrome" -- were related to their service.
"Laws designed to protect soldiers on the battlefield are being ignored," testified Steven Robinson, a former Army Ranger who now runs the National Gulf War Resource Center. "Service members are being set up to face another round of delay, denial and obfuscation regarding possible service-connected medical conditions or disabilities."
Several members of Congress have asked the General Accounting Office to investigate. While we await its report, due this summer, perhaps Mr. Rumsfeld would tell us: Can the Pentagon ignore ANY law it thinks is mistaken?


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[HARDCORE]

GIMPY

You said just about it all!!

[reconeil]

Now we're talking the same language (ie. apolitically distinguishing between right and wrong), plus whatever is best for: "America's Finest". So, and in that context, shame on Old Rumsfeld. Still, don't believe his failure at protecting Soldiers properly was purposeful. Believe, such was due more so to political ignorance, even though "He" is as good a political-type showman and/or one whom wishes to please most everyone (The Military inclusive) as it gets.

Regardless though and after all, and since so much tonnage (about 20 years worth) of CBR type weapons are being searched for in Iraq,...it's only logical assuming that The Biological Ones (some Chemical Ones also) have already been inadvertantly discovered. Also, who-the-hell knows how much Chemical or Biological stuff has been run over, missed or even possibly booby-trapped for Americans. Besides, some contaminants don't even show-up for years to come, unless looked for initially.

Hey Fellas,...only fools can argue the merits of: "Early Treatments" and "All That Jazz". Don't you think?

Dr. Neil (Couldn't find a smily with a stethoscope.)

[phuloi]

More importantly,me thinks,is that they give each and every trooper deployed a complete physical upon return to CONUS,and don`t sweep the results under the rug.I think it will be up to us,as veterans,to make sure the fox isn`t guarding the henhouse.We owe this fine generation their due..their health.

[reconeil]

Well stated Friend. Besides, and since all on the same team,...how could any American not want what's best for America's Warriors and Protectors? If you don't fix it now, it must be fixed later anyway. Plus, there are little things like children and families being effected,...if not nipped-in-the-bud RIGHT NOW!

Neil

[judyvillecco]

Rumsfeld ignored the law in the 70's and he doesn't care about it now. The Leopard hasn't changed his spots! he's a loose canon, have we forgotten his statements of the 70's he doesn't give a damn what the constitution says?

[reconeil]

Just curious. What was Rumsfeld in The Seventees, and what did he do that was bad in The Seventees??

Neil

[colmurph]

What do you mean they weren't tested? They all got a pre-induction physical didn't they? I believe that would satisfy the letter of the law. I don't believe that the law requires that everybody be given a physical immediately prior to deployment. The cost of doing something as stupid as that would be staggering and the military does not have enough medical personnel to do it. Let's get realistic here, ok?

[billr]

"SEC. 765. IMPROVED MEDICAL TRACKING SYSTEM FOR MEMBERS DEPLOYED OVERSEAS IN CONTINGENCY OR COMBAT OPERATIONS.

(a) SYSTEM REQUIRED- (1) Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1074e (as added by section 764) the following new section:

`Sec. 1074f. Medical tracking system for members deployed overseas

`(a) SYSTEM REQUIRED- The Secretary of Defense shall establish a system to assess the medical condition of members of the armed forces (including members of the reserve components) who are deployed outside the United States or its territories or possessions as part of a contingency operation (including a humanitarian operation, peacekeeping operation, or similar operation) or combat operation.

`(b) ELEMENTS OF SYSTEM- The system described in subsection (a) shall include the use of predeployment medical examinations and postdeployment medical examinations (including an assessment of mental health and the drawing of blood samples) to accurately record the medical condition of members before their deployment and any changes in their medical condition during the course of their deployment. The postdeployment examination shall be conducted when the member is redeployed or otherwise leaves an area in which the system is in operation (or as soon as possible thereafter).

`(c) RECORDKEEPING- The results of all medical examinations conducted under the system, records of all health care services (including immunizations) received by members described in subsection (a) in anticipation of their deployment or during the course of their deployment, and records of events occurring in the deployment area that may affect the health of such members shall be retained and maintained in a centralized location to improve future access to the records.

`(d) QUALITY ASSURANCE- The Secretary of Defense shall establish a quality assurance program to evaluate the success of the system in ensuring that members described in subsection (a) receive predeployment medical examinations and postdeployment medical examinations and that the recordkeeping requirements with respect to the system are met.'.

(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1074e (as added by section 764) the following new item:

`1074f. Medical tracking system for members deployed overseas.'.

(b) REPORT- Not later than March 1, 1998, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress an analysis of the administrative implications of establishing and administering the medical tracking system required by section 1074f of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). The report shall include, for fiscal year 1999 and the 5 successive fiscal years, a separate analysis and specification of the projected costs and operational considerations for each of the following required aspects of the system:

(1) Predeployment medical examinations.

(2) Postdeployment medical examinations.

(3) Recordkeeping."

I actually watched some of this hearing on C-SPAN on March 25th, and the Committee members were definitely not pleased with the responses they were getting from the DOD people

[Gimpy]

Sounds "realistic" to me that Dumbsfeld (oops, I meant Rumsfeld---well maybe I didn't after all) is just as "arrogant" as a lot of the folks who used to work at the pentagon say he is! Wonder how many OTHER laws he thinks it's OK to "ignore, huh?