Michael's Dispatches

Check out the details and timeline of this issue in the article published by MEDEVACmatters.org and republished here at https://michaelyon-online.com/word-games.htm. On the very same day - October 8, 2008 - you'll see that the Army Judge Advocate General's office issued an opinion specifically authorizing removing or covering the Red Crosses and arming MEDEVAC helicopters. Within 90 days the Army Surgeon General lied to the Deputy Chief of Staff when he stated that doing so was a violation of international law.

So, yes - the Army Surgeon General CHOSE to not only ignore this legitimate life-saving option, but to deliberately mislead top Army officials about the JAG authorization to implement the changes to get an order issued to ban change.

Curious as the decision to not arm the helicopters might be, I argue that the willingness of a Lt. General to lie to the Deputy Chief of Staff about FACTS - not opinions - without fear or repercussions is very troubling.

The unwillingness of the Army Surgeons General over a decades long period of time to make decisions in favor of implementing changes that were documented as saving LOTS of lives speaks to an internal senior AMEDD leadership culture that places something(s) higher in priority than saving our wounded troops.

I remind readers that the current Army Surgeon General has placed a very high priority in 2012 on getting a pedometer on every soldier's waistband. She is VERY proud to run the "world's 5th largest HMO".

Is this the time to ask the Veterinarian sitting at the table of senior advisers to the Army Surgeon General to relinquish his seat to someone representing MEDEVAC? Or maybe the Family Medicine representative could step aside during times of war? How about the immunologist or dermatologist? The OB/GYN or the pediatrician? The artillery officer? OK then, can we agree that the sociologist is less important in period with more than a decade of uninterrupted war than a MEDEVAC/truama specialist? This is the **ARMY** first, not an HMO - right?

Because they are written for general officers who actually don't understand the subject being briefed. It used to be don't kid a kidder. Now, it's bullshit a bullshitter.

I assume that this is all about funding and turf and has nothing to do with saving soldiers. Do these general officers actually believe the Geneva Convention has any bearing against a non-state enemy. It's not even relevant to WWII or Korea. Either they are abysmally ignorant or there is a hidden reason we do not understand. BTW, medics have armed themselves since WWII.

If general officers believe their bullshit, I suggest that they remove their body armor, put on a Red Cross armband, and take off their sidearm. Then get in a Red Cross marked helicopter,; fly below 2200' AGL and land at a Dustoff site and join the ground troops. On the way back, he/she probably won't be aware what they are flying home on.

Greg,

Understood your point, thank you. A separate and very important issue is that top brass have been clearly saying that ground commanders have not asked to arm any MEDEVAC birds. Obviously this has been proven false. They have asked and been denied.