thedrifter
04-04-07, 01:25 PM
Marines stand up wounded regiment
WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marines Wednesday announced the creation of a special regiment assigned to advocate for all Marine wounded through the military medical system.
The effort began months before the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal highlighted the problems of military wounded in navigating the confusing health care bureaucracies of the Defense Department and Veterans Administration.
Col. Gregory Boyle is the regiment's first commander, responsible for accounting for, tracking and meeting the needs of wounded, ill and injured Marines, from medical care through benefits, and transitioning to civilian life if they can not return to active duty.
"This brings oversight to the whole process to eliminate possible seams or cracks where Marines may fall through the system," Boyle said Wednesday.
On any given day there are about 370 wounded Marines either at Landstuhl medical center in Germany, Bethesda Naval Medical Center, Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton.
Boyle said the Marine Corps will also be in contact in an organized way with Marines wounded since 2001 who have left the service.
"My vision is to reach out to them on a monthly basis ...," he said.
"I want these Marines to feel, you know, that they're the center of the universe and that we care about them and we're concerned about them," he said.
That said, Marines in the regiment are not babied.
"They have reveille at 0530, and they get in uniform, those
who are able to, and they fall out. And they are expected to conduct
themselves like Marines ... and they get haircuts," he said. "They're given duties that are commensurate with their abilities."
Some answer phones and man desks; some Marines work at a local elementary school as part of their therapy.
"Two of them left the Marine Corps to go be teachers, and so I thought that was pretty good," Boyle said.
Ellie
WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marines Wednesday announced the creation of a special regiment assigned to advocate for all Marine wounded through the military medical system.
The effort began months before the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal highlighted the problems of military wounded in navigating the confusing health care bureaucracies of the Defense Department and Veterans Administration.
Col. Gregory Boyle is the regiment's first commander, responsible for accounting for, tracking and meeting the needs of wounded, ill and injured Marines, from medical care through benefits, and transitioning to civilian life if they can not return to active duty.
"This brings oversight to the whole process to eliminate possible seams or cracks where Marines may fall through the system," Boyle said Wednesday.
On any given day there are about 370 wounded Marines either at Landstuhl medical center in Germany, Bethesda Naval Medical Center, Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton.
Boyle said the Marine Corps will also be in contact in an organized way with Marines wounded since 2001 who have left the service.
"My vision is to reach out to them on a monthly basis ...," he said.
"I want these Marines to feel, you know, that they're the center of the universe and that we care about them and we're concerned about them," he said.
That said, Marines in the regiment are not babied.
"They have reveille at 0530, and they get in uniform, those
who are able to, and they fall out. And they are expected to conduct
themselves like Marines ... and they get haircuts," he said. "They're given duties that are commensurate with their abilities."
Some answer phones and man desks; some Marines work at a local elementary school as part of their therapy.
"Two of them left the Marine Corps to go be teachers, and so I thought that was pretty good," Boyle said.
Ellie