What do you think of the rehab Center For the Intrepid for Iraq vets who are amputees or burns victims?

Question

Isn't it a shame on the US government that this center was only built with private donations when they spend so much on the war iteslf?

Answer 1

Inevitably, organizations like Intrepid have raised questions about whether the Bush administration—committed to two wars—is too stretched to properly take care of returning veterans. "It’s surprising to us that there needs to be a facility that’s privately funded, and we hope that the Congress and the Bush administration will recognize that we need to meet these goals of the severely injured," says Peter Gayton, director of veterans affairs and rehabilitation at the American Legion. “The fact that the Intrepid Center needs to exist shows that the VA is not receiving enough funding."

The debate is being fueled by syndicated radio host Don Imus, who has donated $250,000 and has made raising money for the fund a regular feature on his morning show. On Friday he told listeners he doesn't know why "the government wouldn't just simply pay for [the center], considering the extraordinary amount of money they spend on ... this idiotic war." And later said "We have a tradition in this country, well, going back to the Civil War, in which we send off young people to fight these wars. Stuff happens to them. They lose their arms and legs. And we just discard them. You know, like they are iPods of old telephones or something."

One issue may be the number of wounded returning from America's two ongoing wars. “I don’t think anybody in the world expected the numbers of wounded coming back [from Afghanistan and Iraq],” says Bill White, the Intrepid Fund’s president. “In Vietnam, they would have died. And it’s wonderful that they’re alive, but they’ve survived catastrophic injuries that require them to get special help to rehabilitate.” According to U.S Senate research, the amputation rate has doubled from previous wars to 6 percent of those injured. Since 2000, the demand for prosthetic services has increased more than 30 percent, and is now funded at $1 billion annually by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Answer 2

Yes it is very embarassing that the United States spends more money on Iraq's people and seems to care more about Iraq than people in the United States.

I guess I should say that it is the current adminstration that is the embarassing part of the United States and not the whole government.

I think it is WONDERFUL that someone did this with private money. It warms my heart that someone stepped up and took care of this situation.

Answer 3

Actually, there is a very large VA hospital already San Antonio and there is a large state of the art burn unit at one the Air Force Bases there as well. I think it's nice that people chipped in for a good cause.

Answer 4

I think it's wonderful ! Yet there are other facilities for the Vets that do the same thing. Remember this: "Only" 500 amputees from the present conflict. We are going to need it because we haven't seen anything yet.

Answer 5

I think it sends a wonderful message to the injured soldiers that the American public actually contributed the money voluntarily to build that remarkable place. It took the efforts of a couple of dynamic businessmen to make the whole thing a reality, but the Army provides the staff to run it.

Answer 6

call your wellbeing practitioner, tell him you're out of city and you prefer your inhaler. Have the drugstore and make contact with variety obtainable and that they are able to call you in a prescription. I even have finished this myself greater cases than i will count variety.

Answer 7

You have the answer in your question, "They spent so much on the war". They had nothing left to spend on this center. IMHO it is a good start because the Vietnam veterans had nothing like this when they returned home.

Answer 8

yeah, i use to work down there at BAMC where they built it. I hate that is was private donations, but i am glad that government funding is keeping it staffed.

Answer 9

No matter how it was built and with who's funds as a veteran I say it is about time!!!! Hurrah

Answer 10

I think it is great and it just proves the it is the citizens that support the troops and not those that send them off to die for a lie.