Shining example of how U.S. military treats its own soldiers

[shemp]

Ousted Green Beret Was Sick (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/24/health/main585170.shtml)

This is the story of a young man who was kicked out for dereliction of duty. In truth, he was dying from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is similar to mad cow disease.

Moral of the story: if you're in the U.S. military, don't get sick, or you'll be treated like dirt.

[Agammamon]

Be fair, none of these guys new he was sick, and how prevalent is VCJ that anyone would think to look for it. It's quite possible that his superiors thought he no longer wished to put forth the effort required for SF duty and were understadably upset with this idea. On the other hand I would have thought he would have been sent back to the RA if his performance wasn't up to par.

We have the benefit of looking back on event with the knowledge of his illness but don't let that color your judgement of these people. Remember, the actions they took were in response to a colleague going all wonky, not someone with a fatal degenerative illness.

If you want an example of the Army being overly generous to it's troops, look into the rather large number of reservists whose units were actived but are not capable of deploying. They are sitting in an (admittedly overcrowded) base on the est coast having their problems looked at (rather than, oh say, being discharged)

[Kodiak]

Anecdotal propaganda

[Doubt]

Originally posted by Agammamon
Be fair, none of these guys new he was sick, and how prevalent is VCJ that anyone would think to look for it.

He is being every bit as fair a Fox news. Not exactly a standard that one should aim for.

[specious_reasons]

Originally posted by Kodiak
Anecdotal propaganda

True, although, "propaganda" might be a slight exaggeration, because it is, after all, Shemp.

But, as an anecdote, it's not proof. If I don't think Richard G should get away with it, no one else should, either.

(I read the story, it's about as balanced as it can be while still trying to pull at your heartstrings.)