Military Chooses Money Over Troops
Over the past six years the Army has diagnosed more than 5,600 soldiers because of “personality disorder,” and the entire US armed forces have discharged over 22,500 in the same length of time.
It is called Regulation 635-200, Chapter 5-13: “Separation Because of Personality Disorder,” in the Army’s separations manual, and it is to be used to give soldiers who have pre-existing conditions an honorable discharge from the Army. Other branches of the military have similar regulations.
The military, however, has been handing out personality disorder discharges as a substitute for troops suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and side-effects of combat that are not specifically war wounds, such as dizziness or hearing loss.
Why? To save money. As a pre-existing condition under Chapter 5-13, the VA is not required to provide medical care to these soldiers. Nor can they collect disability pay. And if the soldier has not served out his contract, he must give back part of his reenlistment bonus. Thus, many soldiers discharged under Chapter 5-13 find themselves actually owing the Army for their service.
Military affairs advocates say that the doctors are not only withholding this information from the troops, but are actively pushing them to accept Chapter 5-13 as a viable alternative: a quick way out of the military and VA benefits to be retained. The doctors refute this accusation.
It is estimated that the military has saved as much as $8 billion in the past six years by handing out personality discharges, and will save an additional $4.5 billion in future medical care.
But what of the personal cost to the troops themselves What of their broken lives, ruined relationships, inability to find and hold a job? How do they pay for their own medical care? Many of these discarded heroes are left to rot on the street, their purpose served and their lives effectively over.
All in the name of the Almighty Dollar. And every dollar saved is spent on bigger, better machines of war, so that we can continue to send more troops to fight other enemies. Is this the freedom, the democracy the President keeps promising? It is a travesty of justice; one of many, but worse than most.
