"This Is How Bush Brings The Troops Home" Please help our soldiers! [View All]

[Tinoire]

Monica Benderman, who posts along with her husband Kevin, under the name of monicab (see my sig link for a thread) asked me to post this here... It is a cry for help from another military wife. It was meant to be part of this thread (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3858179 and I posted it there) but in view of the effect this had on me, I really wanted to create a separate thread for it.

We can't fail our soldiers! They are our brothers, our sisters, our nephews, nieces, fathers, mothers, friends...

Please- regardless of how you felt about this war, how you feel about it now, how you feel about occupation- please read this and think about how this is affecting an entire generation. Please read this and see if there's anything you can do, any support you can give.

It was heart-breaking to post this.


Kevin, Monica, Dawn-Marie and David Beals :toast:

I pray you all have strength to get through this. I am ashamed of what our country has done & is doing to you.

======================

THIS IS HOW BUSH BRINGS THE TROOPS HOME:




BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!



An Army Where You Are Lied To, Mistreated, Over Worked And Under Paid Only To Be Told That You Are Pieces Of Crap

From: Dawn Marie Beals

To: GI Special

Sent: June 10, 2005

He told my husband that he was going to deploy that week if he had to go from the hospital to the plane in shackles and chains.

All I can do is ask you to help my Soldier and all other Soldiers in his situation. And I can just pray that someone will finally stand up and take responsibility before he becomes another statistic of an American suicide in Iraq.

June 9, 2005


Dear Congressman,

My name is Dawn Marie Beals. I am the wife of SPC. David Beals, Bravo Company, 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart, Georgia.

Previously Fox Company, 2-7 Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division

I am writing this letter in concern for my Soldier as well as the thousand other Soldiers suffering the way my husband has and is currently suffering.

My husband is currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Balad, Iraq.

My husband suffers from Combat Stress Disorder.

This is his second deployment with the 3rd Infantry Division to Iraq. He has suffered with this horrible disease since August 2003. On 7 January 2005 my husband tried to take his own life.

That night after having received treatment and stabilized at a local hospital his superiors had him transferred to Winn Army Medical Center and admitted him into the psychiatric ward. He was admitted to Winn under a suicide watch in fear he would try to take his life again. My husband has had many symptoms showing that he was suicidal and that he was suffering from CSD.

He had asked his superiors on numerous occasions for help and tried to speak with them about what he was feeling. To no avail he was never helped.

In the weeks leading up to this incident I had myself called and spoke to Chaplains regarding my husband and my fear that he was to the point of being verbally abused by his superiors and suffering from this disease that I thought he may try to take his own life and I was worried for his safety as well as the safety of others around him.

In the hospital his team chief openly admitted to CSM William Grant that my husband had shown signs and had asked for help.

He said that my husband was a great Soldier who never got into trouble and who had just passed the promotion board to be promoted to Sgt. Effective 1 February 2005. He admitted that Soldiers were being told things and treated very badly by the Platoon Leader whom we had already made numerous complaints against.

Yet, no one investigated them and still has not to this day.

When my husband was at Winn, before even being properly evaluated he was told by Dr. Capp, that he was just malingering like all of the rest to get out of the deployment and that he would be charged with malingering.

He told my husband that he was going to deploy that week if he had to go from the hospital to the plane in shackles and chains.

Now, tell me is this how we are now treating our Veterans? If, so we should be ashamed. He was not even properly evaluated or counseled before receiving such accusations and marks.

These Drs do not know my husband, they have not been in combat where he had been. Who are they to make the decision of if he is malingering before they even know who he is?

Another physician who evaluated my husband wrote that he suffered from Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety with the disturbance of mood, emotion, and conduct. On 11 January my husband was picked up by one of his Non Commissioned Officers to go home to pack his bags so that he could deploy. Yes, deploy only 4 days after attempting suicide.

My husband went AWOL that day. He stated that he felt like he wouldn't make it if he deployed with the people who wouldn't help him and didn't feel at this time he could do it. He stated he didn't have a problem with going back but felt he needed and as a Veteran deserved help first.

Now, he stayed gone 9 days, but from day 1 he stayed in continuous contact with his Commander D. Tavares, telling him that all he wanted was the help he needed before they threw him on a plane and this escalated more than it already had. He stated he felt numb, like he had no control and just felt like he couldn't take it anymore.

He made several statements he font felt he wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

He stated to Cpt. Tavares that he was concerned with his mental well being and said he felt that he needed treatment and did not think that he could make it thru another deployment again without such. He then on his own returned himself to his Commander at Ft. Stewart. He was told he would receive treatment before being made to deploy. That he could stay as long as mental health felt he needed treatment.

Now, my husband went to his counselor Mrs. Barnett, she said that he suffered from CSD and needed to be in her treatment program which would run into April so he would have to stay at least thru then for the treatment. She also sent us home with pamphlets on ways to cope with CSD and Depression etc. She asked him what his Commander would need to keep him here. Cpt. Tavares said a phone call will work.

Mrs. Barnett called Cpt. Tavares on 22 February 2005. My husband never heard a response from anyone regarding his mental health class, so I sent an email and asked Cpt. Tavares if she had contacted him. He said yes, she had called and he would deploy on 15 March 2005, that he could get his treatment for this disease in 2 weeks instead of the 5 weeks she had told him he would need.

My husband was given an Article 15, he lost his promotion to Sergeant and he has been tagged by his subordinates as someone who went AWOL. They punished him under UCMJ, AFTER he went AWOL for being threatened by Doctors, never helped by his NCOs, trying to commit suicide and STILL mistreated as if some common criminal.

Is this how you as a Congressman think our Veterans should be treated.

Because my husband is not the first and will not be the last Veteran to be treated this way by the 3rd Infantry Division.

My husband was deployed to the same individuals who would not help him in the beginning. Only 2 months after attempting to take his own life, put on a plane to deploy to these individuals and still VERY suicidal.

When he was received in country, he had comments made to him by 1SG D. McClinton, that Rear Detachment had lied to him (He was given written order when he deployed he would not have to go back to this company.)

Now, he was also ignored by the other Soldiers in country. Then when he confronted one of the Soldiers as to why he had no friends when just 2 months prior he had many. The Soldier stated that the Platoon Sgt had held a briefing before his arrival informing them that he had ran off and went AWOL and that he was a loose cannon and everyone was to stay away from him.

AGAIN, is this how we are now treating our Veterans?

Yet, he left out the suicide part that they had no idea about, or the CSD, or anything else that had happened in the last 2 months. Just that he had ran so he didn't have to deploy.

Then he was put in a talk, to sit because they didn't think he should be in the motor pool. The 1SG would pop his head in and out regularly and ask if he was ok, "you aren't going to hurt yourself are you?" and laugh and leave the room. Did everyone forget?

He wasn't running, he was asking for help and scared and no one would do as they should have and helped him? Since when is the Soldier the common criminal? He asked for help, no one would help, he got scared and ran. Why is this the Soldiers fault? This is the Commanders fault, the 1SG's fault, the NCOs' fault. This Soldier was not a bad Soldier, he had not been in trouble, they were promoting him. HE JUST NEEDED HELP.

Finally after receiving emails from my husband stating he wanted to crawl in a hole and die and the kids and I were the only thing that made him not want to die I emailed numerous people and spoke with plenty, but no one eager to help.

So, finally after getting in contact with CSM Dixon of the 3rd FSB, I stated the situation to him and he sent out orders for the Command to pack my husband up and move him out. He was to be transferred to where the Division mental health would be. He could receive mental health treatment, be under a new Command etc. He said that it was deemed a rehabilitative transfer. My husband was transferred from Tikrit to Balad, Iraq, where he is currently still stationed.

After getting to Balad, he was finally able to see a mental health Dr. The Dr. prescribed him medications and asked how he was deployed to begin with. He also set up regularly scheduled visits.

Now, that's a good question? How was he deployed? How was he punished when in the Dr's own words he had disturbance of mood, emotion and CONDUCT? Should a Soldier be punished and lose promotions, face and the worth of his name because he was mentally unstable? And it is confirmed? Is this the way our Soldiers should be treated?

When my husband went AWOL he had a flag placed on his personnel file for adverse action, the day the punishment he received was imposed the flag should have been lifted.

Yet, the Command failed to do this as well.
The flag was not lifted until last week when I finally once again made a trip to visit Ft. Stewart.

My husband even appealed his Article 15, yet the Commander never forwarded this paperwork to the Major for his review and never gave my husband a final copy of such appeal or Article 15.

My husband has been told in the past few weeks that he was going to be sent back to the Company he came from, because the Command cannot find where his Article 15 went to show he actually was punished and that his old command will promote him to Sgt.

And just punish him again for the incident as a Sgt.

Once, again I believe I have gotten this cleared up as well, but how long is the administration going to allow for our Soldiers to be treated this way?

How many more Soldiers have to be mistreated and take there own lives in Iraq and raise the statistics before someone will say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Help them, don't hurt them. My husband will probably never receive a promotion to SGT while he remains at Ft. Stewart because he has been tagged not for his disease but for AWOL. That is all anyone sees. Even though under Army Regulations my husband's incident nor his punishment should have ever went forward to his new company. It is to be left at the old company.

If the Commanders had kept there mouths shut and did there jobs then at least he would have some peace in having a fair chance to get a rehabilitative start, but they took it upon themselves to gossip and forewarn the new Command. He is a good Soldier, with a good track record. So, why is he the criminal?

The DOD states that new guidelines mandate counseling for Soldiers immediately before and after deployment to a combat zone. A third counseling is required 3-5 months after deployment as well. My husband did not receive this treatment or we would not be where we are today. In this mess.

Maybe someone should spend their money on a poll of the Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division to find out just how many did receive this treatment. Being that there is already a inquiry into medical records being changed at the hands of the Command so that mentally unfit Soldiers can deploy.

No wonder the Army cannot recruit new Soldiers.

Why would anyone want to be in an Army where you are lied to, mistreated, over worked and under paid only to be told that you are pieces of crap.

To be told by your platoon leaders that half of you will not return home from war and that they don't want to have to deal with shipping your Sh** back home to your families.

Why would anyone want to sign up for that I ask myself.

Yet, after everything my husband still wants to be a Soldier. He is the better man. So, I am asking you. When is enough enough and when are Congressman, Senators, Democrats, Republicans, The President and the American People going to start holding the true criminals accountable for their actions instead of the Soldiers with only good marks who need help and never receive it.

So, I am asking you today to inquire into the conduct in this case and situation at Ft. Stewart, Ga.


I am asking that you help the Soldiers who should not have to suffer anymore from something they have no control over.

Help this Soldier get the promotion he deserves, help him get the treatment for his illness that he deserves.

If nothing else, why not offer him a suicidal compassionate re-assignment. When his Commander knew he was being honest and was not lying about his emotions, why not give this Soldier that option instead of punishing him? And yes, it is an option, it works the same as a compassionate re-assignment, except it is just for Soldier who have attempted suicide.

All I can do is ask you to help my Soldier and all other Soldiers in his situation. And I can just pray that someone will finally stand up and take responsibility before he becomes another statistic of an American suicide in Iraq.

Very Sincerely,

Dawn Marie Beals

"In war there are no un-wounded Soldiers"



From: Dawn Marie Beals

To: GI Special

Sent: June 10, 2005


"I don't care what I have to do, I want to and will protect my husband" DM in Savannah Morning News.



I wish I could go and personally bring them all home! Thanks T

:cry: :cry: :cry: