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thedrifter
04-04-07, 02:24 PM
Montel Williams Ditches Soldier Who Wouldn't Complain About Treatment
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on April 4, 2007 - 13:40.

See Updates Below

In the post-Walter Reed world, the MSM is on the prowl for stories that fit the template -- troops suffering at the hands of an indifferent military health bureaucracy. Yesterday's episode of the Montel Williams show demonstrates what happens when a soldier doesn't stick to the victimization script.
Have a look at this article from the Grand Junction [Colo.] Sentinel, which reports on the appearance on the Williams show of Kelli Frasier, a resident of Clifton, CO in the Grand Junction area. Frasier, who served 11 months in Iraq, was invited onto the show to discuss her experiences in Iraq and once she returned home. According to the article, "Frasier suffers anxiety attacks and bouts of unexplainable anger and has been diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." But while Williams was eager to emphasize the problems Frasier has encountered, according to the article:
When she told Williams she was treated well by the Department of Veterans Affairs, he seemed to lose interest and moved quickly to another segment, she said.

During a commercial break, though, he gestured to her and commented, “This soldier’s not going to complain,” Frasier said.

She was whisked away to the airport and never spoke again to Williams, she said.

“It was absolutely nothing like I expected it to be,” she said of the show. “He didn’t ask me any of the questions I was prepared for.”

On the other hand, she said, “Maybe I was able to educate people about what soldiers go through when they come home.”

The MSM: all the news that fits the Bush-bashing paradigm.

UPDATE - CNSNews.com, sister organization to NewsBusters, has a story on the matter with additional details.

UPDATE - This is apparently not the first time Williams has tried to frame the facts to fit his desire to portray an uncaring military health establishment. Have a look at this article regarding another Montel show. H/t AndisWorld.

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net


Article


Clifton’s Frasier an example of the future, Montel says

By GARY HARMON The Daily Sentinel

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The United States might have to turn again to the Keli Frasiers of the nation to go to war, Montel Williams suggested Tuesday on “The Montel Williams Show.”

Keli Frasier, meanwhile, sat in front of the television with her mother, Audrey Babbel, curled up beside her.

“This is an example of America’s troops today,” Williams said, gesturing to Frasier, the 24-year-old Clifton mother who served 11 months in Iraq and returned home with her unit and appeared on the talk show to talk about her experiences in Iraq and back home.

Frasier suffers anxiety attacks and bouts of unexplainable anger and has been diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

She has been unable to hold a job since returning, but did marry and has a son, 8-month-old Evan. Once Evan is ready for school, Frasier has said, she might consider returning to work or Mesa State College.

Evan toddled and crawled along the floor as his mother was asked whether she wakes up in the middle of the night, sweating and remembering the three attacks she survived.

For Frasier, the sharpest memories are of moments that never made the air from the show taped in New York.

When she told Williams she was treated well by the Department of Veterans Affairs, he seemed to lose interest and moved quickly to another segment, she said.

During a commercial break, though, he gestured to her and commented, “This soldier’s not going to complain,” Frasier said.

She was whisked away to the airport and never spoke again to Williams, she said.

“It was absolutely nothing like I expected it to be,” she said of the show. “He didn’t ask me any of the questions I was prepared for.”

On the other hand, she said, “Maybe I was able to educate people about what soldiers go through when they come home.”

Gary Harmon can be reached via e-mail at gharmon@gjds.com.

Another Article

Talk Show Lost Interest When Vet Wouldn't Complain
By Fred Lucas
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
April 04, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - A syndicated television talk show was less than receptive to positive comments about the American government's response to veterans' needs, according to an Iraq war veteran who was a guest on the show.

According to Keli Frasier, an Army Reservist who served 11 months in Iraq, Montel Williams, host of "The Montel Williams Show," quickly moved to the next segment after she made positive comments about the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"This soldier isn't going to complain," she quoted Williams as saying to other talk show staffers during a commercial break.

Frasier also said the portion of the taped interview in which she praised Veterans Affairs was cut out when the show aired Tuesday.

Last Thursday, Frasier, 24, left her hometown of Clifton, Colo., along with her husband and eight-month-old son for the taping in New York City of what she believed would be an interview about veterans and their post-war injuries or illnesses.

"I got there, and it was a political roundtable," Frasier told Cybercast News Service Wednesday.

The theme of the show, she said, turned out to be promoting the notion that Veterans Affairs and other government agencies weren't doing enough to help veterans and others.

"I understand the VA can take a long time with some people, but I told him, in my case, they took a little while, but they did just fine," said Frasier, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a common problem among war veterans.

She stressed that the interview was, overall, a good experience and that the staff treated her well. The Williams show contacted her after she was featured in a New York Times article about veterans with PTSD and other problems.

"The show just definitely was not what I expected," Frasier said. "They talked about the presidential candidates and how the government is not doing enough to make things better."

A public relations firm representing "The Montel Williams Show" asked Cybercast News Service Wednesday to submit questions by email but has yet to respond.

Other guests on the episode of the talk show included former New York Gov. George Pataki. Frasier recalled that another guest whom she spoke to after the program had also expressed surprise about the angle of the show.

Matt Burns, spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said Wednesday he had been disappointed to hear about the reported incident.

"If this report is accurate about the treatment of a veteran and a hero who tried to describe her experience, I see it as an insult to the 235,000 people who consider it an honor to care for American veterans," he said.


Ellie

MGySgtSki
04-04-07, 02:48 PM
I don't watch the stupid show, but I could've sworn ol Montel used to be a Navy officer. Guess he's been Murtha-ized.

S/F

RLeon
04-04-07, 02:56 PM
Montel is a Marine.
From Wikipedia.
Williams enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1974 and completed his recruit training at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina. While training at Twentynine Palms, he was selected for training at the Naval Preparatory School and a year later, he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy.[1] In 1980, he graduated with a degree in engineering (and a minor in International Security Affairs). Upon graduation, Williams was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy.

He served on board the USS Sampson during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. His awards include the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, two Navy Expeditionary Medals, two Humanitarian Service Medals, a Navy Achievement Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals. He retired after 22 years' service.

ZSKI
04-04-07, 03:01 PM
I don't watch the stupid show, but I could've sworn ol Montel used to be a Navy officer. Guess he's been Murtha-ized.

S/F No unfortunately he was a Marine. And yes i know he became a naval officer but Once a Marine, Always a Marine.

marinegreen
04-04-07, 03:05 PM
[quote=MSgtSki]I don't watch the stupid show, but I could've sworn ol Montel used to be a Navy officer. Guess he's been Murtha-ized.

S/F[/quot

He was in the intellegence field, a capt when he reitred after 20 yrs or maybe 17, I dont remember for sure but he was a/IS a Marine !!!
I had breakfast a couple times with him in Henderson Nv. when he was still married to Bambi the stripper/show dancer.

killerinstinct
04-04-07, 03:57 PM
LOL could be worse and like geraldo giving away their position and attack plans live on sattelite tv

ZSKI
04-05-07, 03:18 AM
LOL could be worse and like geraldo giving away their position and attack plans live on sattelite tv He should have been shot on the spot for treason. Comfort and aid. We have more then three witnesses to it.