thedrifter
03-02-07, 01:57 PM
Commander of Wounded Warrior Regiment named
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 2, 2007 13:35:07 EST
Commandant Gen. James Conway’s plan to track all wounded leathernecks to ensure they receive needed medical care is one step closer to fruition now that he’s named Col. Gregory Boyle as commander of the still-forming Wounded Warrior Regiment.
Boyle, commander of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii-based 3rd Marines, was tapped for the new post last week, Conway told a House Armed Services Committee panel March 1.
Citing recent reports of veteran neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, lawmakers pressed for more oversight over care for the wounded.
“We clearly have a horrific disconnect in our care for soldiers and Marines coming back from Iraq,” Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., said. “Sometimes, it’s in the hand off between the Navy-Army medical system and the [Department of Veterans Affairs]. We owe it to these Marines … to make sure they’re not falling through the cracks. And clearly they are falling through the cracks.”
Conway acknowledged the past problems, which he aims to counter by standing up the Wounded Warrior Regiment. He said the unit will be fully operational by spring.
“I think where we drop ... is when a Marine goes out on convalescent leave and he then has to go to the local medical facility for his treatment,” Conway told the panel. “There’s not a Marine in the chain, and I don’t know that he receives the priority that we would like to see him have.”
Ellie
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 2, 2007 13:35:07 EST
Commandant Gen. James Conway’s plan to track all wounded leathernecks to ensure they receive needed medical care is one step closer to fruition now that he’s named Col. Gregory Boyle as commander of the still-forming Wounded Warrior Regiment.
Boyle, commander of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii-based 3rd Marines, was tapped for the new post last week, Conway told a House Armed Services Committee panel March 1.
Citing recent reports of veteran neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, lawmakers pressed for more oversight over care for the wounded.
“We clearly have a horrific disconnect in our care for soldiers and Marines coming back from Iraq,” Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., said. “Sometimes, it’s in the hand off between the Navy-Army medical system and the [Department of Veterans Affairs]. We owe it to these Marines … to make sure they’re not falling through the cracks. And clearly they are falling through the cracks.”
Conway acknowledged the past problems, which he aims to counter by standing up the Wounded Warrior Regiment. He said the unit will be fully operational by spring.
“I think where we drop ... is when a Marine goes out on convalescent leave and he then has to go to the local medical facility for his treatment,” Conway told the panel. “There’s not a Marine in the chain, and I don’t know that he receives the priority that we would like to see him have.”
Ellie