Liquamen II

Today I’m going to talk about something that you might not want to hear or see. I surely didn’t. It is an issue that has made me angrier at my country than I think I have ever been.

I joined the United States Marine Corps in 1998; an idealistic young man who wanted above all to serve his country. I had wanted to be a Marine since I was seven years old, and when I graduated from high school, I shipped out. While I was in high school, my patriotism and desire to be a Marine must have rubbed off, because a number of my friends, most of whom were younger than me, also joined the Marines. I had a good career in the Corps; I loved being in the Marine Corps. But I left to move on to bigger and better things. Many days since my discharge, I’ve regretted leaving. I missed it. As of this moment, that is no longer the case. See, I was indoctrinated with the belief that Marines and the Marine Corps take care of their own. Sure, I always knew that in the bigger picture this wasn’t really the case; it wasn’t always practical, because the needs of the Corps always outweigh the needs of the troops. Nevertheless, I felt that it was a noble idea; it is generally an idea that is practiced at the small unit level. But yesterday evening, my self-imposed blindness was assaulted. It is impossible for me to ignore what I’ve always known.

Mike, a friend that I’ve known since he was in middle school, was one of the young men who somewhat followed in my footsteps. Yesterday, he posted a Myspace bulletin about a Marine that he served with while he was in (Mike is since out as well). That bulletin was about United States Marine Corps Sergeant Carmelo Rodriguez. Rodriquez’s is a story that is incredibly painful for me to tell, not only because it is about a person who I consider a Brother despite having never met him, but because his story fundamentally undermined my belief in my Corps and my government. Sergeant Rodriguez is dead.

He did not die in an IED attack. He wasn’t killed by a sniper. He didn’t jump on a grenade and save his men. He wasn’t accidentally run over by a Hummer or killed by equipment that has fallen from a 5-ton truck. He did not die in a plane or a helicopter crash. He didn’t drown in a training exercise. His death did not occur in the line of duty at all, in any way. Dying in the line of duty, while always a tragedy, is to die with dignity and honor, and in doing so, our military and our nation usually, USUALLY, treats such troops with the honor and respect. Sergeant Rodriguez died needlessly. His death was a waste because it could have been easily avoided. And this is only part of what angers me. Sergeant Rodriguez died because of military medical malpractice; misdiagnoses. Sergeant Rodriguez had melanoma, skin cancer. Sergeant Rodriguez did not have a wart.

In 1997, Carmelo Rodriguez enlisted in the US Marine Corps. During his pre-entry physical, the doctor noted skin abnormalities, and made a notation that said, very clearly, “melanoma on the right buttocks.” Rodriguez was not told to follow up with another doctor. This was 11 years ago. While Rodriguez was in Iraq in 2005, he went to see a “doc”, most likely a Navy Corpsman. This doc indicated to him that his condition was nothing more than a wart and that he should see a doctor when he returned stateside in five months. He didn’t know it at the time, but this doomed him.

Eventually, inevitably, the truth of Rodriguez’s condition became clear, and the hard-charging Marine was forced to retire. This, I believe, was not out of malice, but it is what happens when a Marine can no longer perform his duties. I was nearly forced to retire because of an arthritic condition in my knee. Regardless, Sergeant Rodriguez was doomed at this point. He had Stage IV melanoma. In 18 months, a supremely physically fit Marine was reduced to a mere 77 lbs as the cancer ravaged his body.

This was about the time, three months ago, that Rodriguez asked CBS news to come to his home to interview him and Byron Pitts was sent by the network to do so. As the CBS news crew was setting up for the interview, a mere eight minutes after Pitts met the 29 year old Marine, Rodriguez died. He was unable to give his story. His family, however, was interviewed, and they relayed to Pitts Rodriquez’s reasons for wanting to speak out. He wanted his story to be known; he wanted other troops to know that they might very well be neglected by the government they had sworn to support and defend.

But while malice may not have been intended when Rodriguez was made to retire, the results of this decision is nothing short of malicious. By making Sergeant Rodriguez retire, the military was no longer obligated to take care of him. I’m still trying to look into what obligations the military has in regards to cancers, but have not been overly successful at this point. It’s possible that the military, or the government in the form of the VA, had to pay for his treatment and hospital/hospice care. I do not know. It’s also possible that they simply argued that his was a preexisting condition and were not obligated to pay for treatment. This happens all the time. Most insulting, however, is the fact that because of Rodriguez’s retirement, the military was not obligated to pay for the military funeral that he rated. His family did. His seven year old son, who will receive 55% of his father’s retirement benefits, was presented with an American flag, while a bugler played “Taps” and Marine riflemen gave him a gun-salute. Let me say it again: his family had to pay for something that the government should have been obligated to do as a result of his service.

You can read the CBS news story HERE, and I hope that you will. I will warn you, however, the video that accompanies the story is disturbing; watch at your own risk. Another version, one less small, is available HERE. I am telling you, beware. The images presented within the video bothered me, and I am not easily shaken. And this is how I force you to watch, because watching might be the only way you’re compelled to act.

By all accounts, Rodriguez was a good Marine. My friend Mike served with him in the 8^th Communications Battalion, Headquarters and Service Company, Motor Transport. Mike met Rodriguez when he (Mike) first checked into the Fleet Marine Force, and was immediately drawn to him. A Corporal at the time, he was a gung-ho, 300-PFTing “Devil Dog” who was a hard-core-motivator. Mike looked up to him; wanted to emulate him. They frequently spoke of their love of art, and Rodriguez mentioned that he’d like to pursue their shared dream when he got out. He mentioned his work as a part-time actor who once shared the set with Katie Holmes on “Dawson’s Creek.”

Here we see such a promising individual, a verifiable asset to our nation and society, discarded as if his service meant nothing. And the worst part, my dear readers, is that there is no recourse for this gross violation of justice. None. Whereas you can sue your doctor for misdiagnosing you and causing undue harm, Rodriguez’s family can do no such thing. The Feres Doctrine, as decided in 1950 by the Supreme Court, prevents any service member from suing the government for injuries sustained while in active duty. This doctrine is generally a good thing, as family members would be constantly suing the government for the deaths of their loved ones in the line of duty. But this surely cannot be the spirit of the law, can it? Was it really designed to protect the government from complete and total negligence? I would contest that it is not. And I implore our legislature to act to protect our service members from such malpractice. Such malfeasance.

We can do something about this. You can write your Congressmen and Senators, just like I will be doing over the coming days and weeks. Contacting the people you pay to represent you needn’t be limited to this issue; contact them liberally. But I hope you will, at the very least, do so on Sergeant Rodriguez’s behalf. We need to make sure that we’re taking care of our Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen. To do otherwise is unconscionable. We ask them to sacrifice for us, and it is our responsibility to make sure they are getting what they need, be it guns, bullets, armored vehicles, or quality health care, and failing that, the ability to be taken care of if the government fails them so utterly. To plagiarize from Barack Obama, this is change that we can believe in. A change far more substantive than anything he has suggested. Write your representatives, all of them, and ask that the Feres Doctrine be reexamined. We shouldn’t let what happened to Sergeant Rodriguez and what has happened to countless others continue to happen. Send us to war, send us to die, sure. We accept that. But do not treat us as animals. Do not throw our lives away needlessly. And pay your debts to us with the same equity as we serve you unquestionably.

Morning Coffee (71)

The Morning Coffee has been serving up hot, steaming cups of opinion and fact, sans cream and sugar, for almost 13 months now; 70-ish editions. The Coffee Pot was out of order for about six months, so if you take out that period of time, my numbers look a lot better – basically 10 editions per month. See, stats really CAN do anything. Anyway, the Morning Coffee is proudly back online, in blog form, and will be updated as I brew. It is current now, up to the most recent edition. Here’s the link: http://the-morning-coffee.blogspot.com. Someone check it, because I cannot do so at present. That also means that I cannot post the MC to the blog in the mornings.

Moving on. I was worried that I would suffer from performance anxiety with the new blog commitment, but it seems that there’s a lot to write about today, and I want to do each topic justice. Just don’t get used to the length or frequency.

Afghanistan Revisited:

Marine Corps Commandant General James Conway would like to draw down Marine forces in Iraq and redeploy them in Afghanistan. You remember Afghanistan, right? It’s that place right between Pakistan and Iran. It’s easy to forget about the first battlefield in the so-called War on Terror, what with all the excitement in Iraq. Besides, the Taliban were utterly wiped out right after 9/11, and Afghanistan is a stable democracy with a thriving economy based on the production and export of benign agricultural goods. Unfortunately, the entire last sentence is false, and Conway knows this. It appears that not many other people know this, however. The ones who do seem too focused on the political.

The Marine Corps was sent to one of the most troublesome spots in Iraq (al-Anbar), and after a time, their tactics yielded remarkable results. The Army has begun to use some of these tactics as well. But Afghanistan is growing increasingly problematic, with a resurgent Taliban in the southeast. Every year, poppy production sets a new record, and the government of Afghanistan is having a difficult time dealing with either by itself. With little attention paid to the Crossroads of Civilization by our leadership, we run the risk of losing whatever we’ve worked for there. The Corps would like to prevent this, and bring an actual combat element (a so-called “kinetic bent”) to bear in Afghanistan.

This plan is not received with open arms by many in the military and government. For one, some think that it’s the Marine Corps’ attempt to disengage from Iraq while the going is somewhat good and get involved in Afghanistan, taking a leading role in the theater that has the most public support. A mere PR move, basically. But in addition to this, there are fears that the military would lose a great deal of experience in dealing with the various factions in al-Anbar. Probably true. But perhaps more importantly, the Army would feel that it is shouldering the burden of Iraq alone, and if things got worse there, it would then shoulder the blame – alone. And if the Marine Corps went to Afghanistan and had the same success as it did in Anbar, well, that wouldn’t look good on the Army, and the Corps, which virtually never has the recruiting problems the Army has, would further endear itself to the American public and the public of Afghanistan.

The main-stage may be in Iraq, but along with the glory are the searing lights; the glare of public and governmental scrutiny. It seems as if the Army is worried that success might not be attainable (with or without the Marine Corps), and they want someone to share the inevitable blame that will be doled out to the military. The success the Corps had in Anbar merely builds the legend further. Near single-handed success on the side-stage (but nevertheless, in a WHOLE COUNTRY) by the Corps would make the Army feel bad. And we cannot have that. We cannot even run the risk of hurting feelings, no matter how important Afghanistan may be geopolitically, and let’s not forget, strategically. No matter the Corps’ goals and intentions, this is pure CYA. I doubt if the proposition will even be seriously entertained by the powers at be simply because, well, this sort of talk is bold and radical. See yesterday’s edition for snide remarks on the prospects for the bold and radical.

Side note – the US Air Force also feels bad that it’s not taking an active role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s worried that funds will be cut because of this. The latter is probably true, due to the unfortunate short-sightedness of our elected officials. But to address the USAF for a second, I suggest this: keep on practicing bombing things to devastating affect, and keep working to achieve air superiority against all enemies. I have a feeling we’ll be in need of your services in due time.

Army Recruiting Revisited:

I wrote a bit about this yesterday, but a new article by the Wall Street Journal has given me more to discuss. In this article, it is revealed that the Army has realized that it must assuage the fears of “mom and dad” before it can sink its hooks into America’s children. You know, like, “what will my kid do when he gets out of the Army”, that sort of thing. The Army has the answers, and the answers are slick.

The “Army Advantage Fund” (not to be confused with the “Army Disadvantage Fund” in which you are divested of your limbs in return for service) is being rolled out which will give enlistees money for the purchase of homes or the starting of businesses upon the completion of service. Do 18-year-olds think about mortgages and business ventures? No. But 45-year-old parents do, hence the desire to go after “influencers.” Not bad when you consider Col Sterling’s statement: “In marketing terms, the Army’s core product – military service – is a tough sell right now. That means the Army needs to develop new ways of reaching people. We need a new kind of competitive advantage.” That’s a fact. Serving your country, as discussed yesterday, just ain’t what it used to be. There’s simply no glory in it.

You may have noticed the Army has gone through a few recruiting slogans recently. “Be All That You Can Be” was a winner. But it apparently didn’t reach the “Me Generation.” So they moved onto “An Army of One” which sounded more like it belonged on a trailer of a Rambo movie. Since that one sucked, they started using “Army Strong,” as in, “you made him strong, we’ll make him Army strong.” Frankly, I don’t really know what that means. With the lowered standards, does it mean, “we’ll expose him to organized crime, gangs, arsonists, make him fat and morally bankrupt?” Of course, I exaggerate, but does anyone know what that means? With the Army Advantage Fund, the next slogan should simply be, “We’ll Give You Everything You Need. Period.” Never mind giving you the mindset necessary to make something of yourself when you leave, we’ll just give it to you.

Honor:

This is a great story; one of the shining examples of honor and courage. Bill Krissoff’s son, Marine Lt (1^st or 2^nd I don’t know) Nathan Krissoff, was killed in Iraq. Bill is an orthopedic surgeon with a well-off practice, and he wanted to honor his son by joining the Navy as a combat surgeon. Can you believe this?! A 61 year old man leaving a life of luxury because he wanted to honor his son who died in combat while serving his nation. But, he’s 61, and a bit too old. What to do?

In Reno, Bill was in a room with a bunch of families who also lost loved ones in Iraq. They were meeting with Bush. The President asked if there was anything he could do, likely a question for which he wanted no answer. But he got one from Bill: “Yeah, there is one thing. I want to join the Navy medical corps and I gotta get some help here.” The Navy called him three days later; his waiver was granted. Bill has been commissioned a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. Unbelievable courage and honor. It’s what we need more of.

Word of the Day: Kvetch (intransitive verb (also used as a noun)): to complain habitually.

On This Day in History: The UN General Assembly passed UN Resolution 37/37 which stated that the Soviet Union should withdraw forces from Afghanistan (1982). Clearly, that worked, since the Soviet Union stayed until 1989 – what a waste of time – a mere suggestion Perhaps a resolution stating that the sun should not set would be worthy of UN consideration.

“...the glorious memory of brave men is continually renewed; the fame of those who have performed any noble deed is never allowed to die; and the renown of those who have done good service to their country becomes a matter of common knowledge to the multitude, and part of the heritage of posterity.” – Polybius. If only this were the case…

“The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits.” – Plutarch