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Stories tagged with “Ray Odierno”

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Army To Review PTSD Diagnoses At All Medical Facilites | The Army announced a review of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other behavioral issue diagnoses since 2001 at all its medical facilities nationwide. The probe comes after a review of 400 cases of reversed PTSD diagnoses at Washington state’s Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Of those cases, 100 had their PTSD diagnoses restored. “Reviewing our processes and policies will ensure that we apply an appropriate standard at every installation — one that is influenced only by the opinion and expertise of our medical professionals,” said Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno in a statement. Fears circulated that the Army reversed diagnoses because of the cost of treatment.

By Ali Gharib on May 16, 2012 at 5:17 pm

Security

Veterans Group Urges Army Chief Of Staff To Cancel West Point Event Featuring Islamophobic General

By Amanda Peterson Beadle on Jan 30, 2012 at 12:10 pm

Last week, VoteVets called on West Point last week to cancel a planned speech by ret. Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin, who has a long history of issuing hate-filled rhetoric about Muslims. In the past, Boykin has said Muslims worship an “idol” and that “Islam is a totalitarian way of life, it’s not just a religion.” Last week, the military academy stood by its decision.

Now, the veterans’ organization is now asking Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno to cancel the National Prayer Breakfast in February. “LTG Boykin’s values are inconsistent even with current Army doctrine,” they write in a letter to Odierno. The group is calling on its 100,000 members to also email Odierno urging him to cancel the event.

FreeThoughtBlogs reports that West Point cadets and faculty members are beginning to organize in protest to Boykin’s appearance.

The Forum on the Military Chaplaincy, a group led by retired chaplains, and including members from many faiths represented in the military chaplaincy, today called on the West Point Chaplain to reconsider the invitation for Boykin. “A prayer breakfast isn’t an academic discussion, where controversial views can be challenged and debated,” pointed out Tom Carpenter, former Marine and co-chair of the Forum. “Nor is it an appropriate place to present views, however cloaked, that disrespect those Muslims and gays who are honorably serving in the U.S. military.”

Yglesias

Obama and the Generals

By Matthew Yglesias on May 16, 2009 at 8:26 am

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Tom Ricks reports that “General Odierno’s objections to the timing of the release of a new round of photos of detainees being abused in Iraq were decisive” in Barack Obama’s decision to flip-flop. He remarks:

I wasn’t so taken aback in February when he went along with his generals and abandoned his campaign promise to withdraw a brigade a month from Iraq this year, and instead endorsed a plan that kept troop levels there pretty steady this year. But to get rolled twice — well, he must think he is running up some pretty big chits with them. I know he is trying to do the right thing but at some point he is going to have to say, My way or the highway.

I think you can probably put slow-walking change on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the same box. But is Obama really going to have to say something like that at some point? Realistically, the political damage to a Democratic President of off-the-record grousing by the brass could be large. With major health care and energy reforms live in congress, I think generals will be getting things “their way” for a while yet.

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