And while I'm at it..

[docwebster]

Somebody want to try and put a positive spin on this?

The above, by the way, was snagged from tsjafo.

Comments

Not an exuse but more of an explination...

[hellodali.livejournal.com]

Ok well I used to be stationed at Ft. Stewart. The place they are talking about is the National Guard area. It is at the end of the post and are very basic, almost summer camp/camp ground style barracks that the National guard has used for their 2 week summer training for decades. I think these guys are having to stay there because there is no other space for them on the perminent party side of things as that stays full of regular Army folks who are stationed at Ft. Stewart. So the National Guard area is really intended for only short term occupation.

Reguarding the Doctor issue I have no clue unless they are just seriously short handed. Like I said the National Guard area usually only has folks in it for a few weeks during the summer. So it's possible that they don't have the people to accomidate what is basically a whole another Army post.

But I'd say that since Ft. Stewart it's self is an entirely seperate intaty from those Reserve units, who themselves are a conglomerate of individual units not nececarilly associated with one another, who are forced to stay at in the only space availible to them, I'd say that this problem is being caused beause the soldiers are having to deal with burocratic higher ups who are not dealing with the situation properly because they don't have to live there and wait it out with the troops.

But if it means anything to you. Normal open bay barracks are oblong with single rooms with rows of bunk beds that hold 50-60 people. That is normal. I lived like that more than once in the Army. When I was at Ft. Gordon they were tin instead of concrete and we had no air conditioning but we did have those huge industrial fans at either end of the bay, which I suspect these guys do, only they didn't say so in the article, but again this is not out of the norm.

Please excuse my spelling.. :)

[hellodali.livejournal.com]

I went to do a spell check but posted it instead, oops :)

[gunhed.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's pretty much on par with the Army making wounded soldiers pay for their meals while in the hospital (which has been changed as noted here (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/10/01/troops.meals/index.html)) and making them pay to get home once they're back in the U.S. on leave. Some airlines are doing a good thing about that, though, as noted here (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/2003/09/30/business/6893258.htm).

It makes me wonder how much the current administration really supports the troops.

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

Well, with the first, the expectation to pay allegedly comes from an allotment that these soldiers are given (24 dollars or 16 dollars a day or something like that) specifically to cover meals. Instead of taking the allotment away and providing free meals, the Army charges the same amount as the allotment..

That sounds fair to me.

[gunhed.livejournal.com]

On the face of it yeah, I agree that it seems fair. The soldiers get a "basic subsistence allowance" of $8.10 per day to cover their meals. They don't have to pay for their meals while in the hospital so the Army is simply asking them to return that money.

What bugs me about it is that Bush wants to send $87 billion to help rebuild Iraq and the Army is quibbling about $324 per day (according to a spokesman for Walter Reed Hospital)? Surely the public relations value of letting them keep the money is worth that amount.

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

Yup, now that pisses me off.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

That is horrific. It makes me want to cry.