WTUs
www.army.mil/-news/2008/08/21/11799-commentary-every-american-should-visit-a-warrior-transition-unit"]http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/08/21/11799-commentary-every-american-should-visit-a-warrior-transition-unit"]www.army.mil/-news/2008/08/21/11799-commentary-every-american-should-visit-a-warrior-transition-unit
I can not wrap my mind around the WTU concept. As a counselor and as a soldier, my heart and mind scream "NO No No!" that separating a soldier from his unit is the same as separating him from greatest support group. Some of the concept; especially the availability of case management make sense to me however. There are two WTU's in my AOR and one is a complete poison pill that has good soldiers going bad and bad soldiers getting worse, w/ a very low success rate for rehabilitation back to duty. The other one is well thought of by the soldiers in it and by the community as a whole. I have seen soldiers from that unit that I never thought would be able to continue to serve do so and do it well and with pride.
What are the opinions and experiences regarding WTU's from the members of this forum? Everybody feel free to chime in, you may help me in my work and by extension help some of our fellow combat vets.
Reed
Last edited by reed11b; 09-11-2008 at 09:36 PM.
I don't know much about them. I do know one guy in the WTU and he basically does nothing all day. His morale is in the toilet. He's getting out.Originally Posted by reed11b
I also know that my unit sent a hapless NCO there to be the 1SG of the WTU. I can't imagine he will do anything for them except decrease morale. Apparently there was no vetting process for leaders in the WTU.
Sir, what the hell are we doing?
Now that breaks my heart
It doesn't surprise me, but breaks my heart that a unit sent one of its worst to lead Soldiers in great need... You get what you pay for...
They make it easy to bring these guys on either... We've been trying to find a good fit at the COIN Center... think there might be someone with good experience able to bring gravitas to the topic?????
Again, I'll shut up since I'm so cranky today
Hacksaw
Say hello to my 2 x 4
Understand and am sympathetic to the morale issues, but consider the alternative.
They were stood up to provide an accountable chain of command for wounded soldiers who could devote all their time to their medical issues after the Walter Reed SNAFUs. The old way they were getting forgotton by units with competing priorities. Now they have a unit whose sole mission is helping them get better.
Leaving them attached to a line unit would eat up a significant amount of the chain of command's time, in a time when the rapid deployment cycles don't help. The 1SG only has so many hours, and do we need his pre-deployment time eaten up taking care of wounded soldier appointments? If they were still in the unit, how would said soldier get taken care of when they go to the MRX or gunnery for a month? Almost all leaders of any sized organization go through the hell of 5% of their soldiers eating up 95% of their time.
Secondly, keeping wounded soldiers in the unit prevents the unit from getting a replacement. So if you have a wounded SL still on your books, when you deploy you will have no SL.
There was a good discussion on the morale issue on the "company command" forum. Bottom line, a good chain of command will do their best to look after their wounded soldier even after entry into the WTU.
I'm not saying to hang them out to dry. If their WTU is hosed up, then they need to complain ASAP, first to the chain of command and if not to the DoD hotline. I promise in the current climate the gripes will be heard.
Linky
The link doesn't work. Can you repair please?
Also, Cavguy, you look like you're having too much fun. I insist you lose the Hawaii shirt for a uniform. Oh, and I'll have that cigar, please? Macanudo?
That *is* my uniform! Someone mentioned on the other thread it's the SCU - Schofield Combat Uniform. Marine Corps that's the "Kaneohe Cammie".
Honestly I can't recall what cigar that is. March 2006 at my company outpost in Tal Afar taking a break. Trying to do my best Hawkeye Pierce.
Link Challanged
Ugly...but works..the rest is in admin hands
Air Assault is right
I've been conducting an 'informal' evaluation of WTU's this year as I track my wounded soldiers-bragg, lewis, pendleton, walter reed, and navy in san diego.
As far as treatment goes, the only instalation getting it 'right' appears to be the navy; however, I'd submit that is a supply/demand issue for the Army and Marines.
IRT WTU's, it is a leadership issue. IMO, this command should/must be a second command for an outstanding combat-proven captain with a 1SG with multiple tours.
It is the only way to ensure motivation and accountability.
With that, I'll start rowing again.
Well said - concur all. The "Rear-D" challenges from OIF 1 are not far off. Many units, (including mine) initially left their "expendable" CPT behind on rear-d with broke or slacker NCO's, because we felt the best ones were needed in the fight.
To make a long story short, within six months the rear detatchment commander was fired (the BN CO's wife had had enough of his shenanigans), and a quality set of individuals was sent back to take their place. Made all the difference for spousal support.
Now the Rear-D job is looked at as a demanding job for a quality officer. I know for our second deployment we only put trustworthy personnel on Rear-D. Perhaps not the "best" guy, but certainly in the top half. Made a tremendous impact on family support.
WTU's are going through the same evoution, evidently.
Excellent analogy CAVGUY
It almost bolsters the propaganda that all future senior leaders should be CAV.
Truth be told:
The WTU's are going through this evolution as did the rear d, but this issue is extremely time-sensitive and should not be left to the untimely nature of the organizational structure or bureacracy.
It is shameful; however I will try to explain how it happens.
In June, I visit my wounded warriors. Attached to the WTU's, they had lost contact with the unit since they (obviously) redeployed prior to everyone else. I chastised my LT's and NCO's for not visiting them, but they were consumed with reorganization and refit, and the entire senior chain-of-command had turnover.
Another approach would be to set the standard at the battalion commanders' course- your first task upon assuming command is to find, fix, and integrate the wounded soldiers (and their families) of the last rotation.
Thanks for the feedback. It helps.
Reed
Army thins warrior transition entrance rules
LINK
Not a problem that is going away. I was informed by a veterans advocacy group that the WTU's also have a serious lack of case-managmnet staffing.
Reed
more...
simalier article here. The non-combat injuries in the WTU's really perplexes me. Why? Has commands decided that they no longer need to lead troops through any sort of physical injury, or are they trying to keep profiles off there books for other reasons?
Reed
non-combat
When my BN returned from OIF in late 06, WTU were beginning to appear as we reintegrated back to Bragg. There was no real guidance, other than the fact that there were new WTU to handle injured Soldiers. Several Soldiers with combat related injuries were reassigned, but due to no real guidance or oversight, injured Soldiers were assigned as well to handle their cases or MEBs. It was not malicious or to dump unwanteds, but the reality was that the non-deployable injured Soldiers were occupying MTOE slots, and took substantial time out of the command teams' time and energy. Looking back, I disagree with this, but as a PL at the time, it was above my grade and lane.
This was upon redeployment, and during the rise of WTU. I can recall no recent Soldiers sent to a WTU, so hopefully the guidelines are more clear now. Do the WTU's have a clearly defined and published mission statement? The Army initiated these units with the right intentions, but stumbled at the start, which caused problems and abuse.
More WTU news
Looks like the Army is starting to realize that the WTU's can not be used as a dumping ground for all soldiers that may not be immediatly deployable. LINK... I hope this helps with the "poison pill" attitude I have seen out of the local WTU.
Reed
When they initially rolled out the concept of the WTU, they sent out a job announcement for Reserve Officers who had been prior deployees to command them. I pestered the POCs to death about being put on active duty to do this, (I have too much experience as a trauma patient, and really thought I'd be a great fit) but then the job announcements were retracted.
Frankly, I don't see why this needs to be a bad place to go. I'm not the only guy out there that thinks these could be run well, with the right staff.
Now that I've read the article (this is my edit) I'm STILL convinced that the enemy here is the Medical Service Corps. If I believed in conspiracies, I'd think that the MSC intentionally overloaded their own system to create a crisis and use that to justify expansion of budget, personnel and power.
Last edited by 120mm; 11-06-2008 at 01:51 PM.
Urgent issues for New President- GAO Report
Providing More Timely and Accessible Care for Returning Servicemembers
http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/u...ce-members.phpAs of October 2008, over 33,000 servicemembers have been wounded in action, resulting in serious injuries such as amputations, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We have identified a number of weaknesses with the health care returning servicemembers are receiving as well as the complex and cumbersome disability systems they must navigate. While improvement efforts have started, identifying and treating servicemembers for specific combat-related health conditions, providing timely and accessible disability services, and addressing continuity of care issues are critical challenges facing our nation and will require sustained attention, systematic oversight by the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), and sufficient resources. We have identified and reported on the following key challenges:
While returning servicemembers and veterans may have a range of health care needs, many servicemembers have been exposed to combat conditions that increase their risk of experiencing a TBI or developing PTSD. Identification and treatment of TBI and PTSD is critical; however DOD and VA face challenges screening, diagnosing, and treating TBI and PTSD.
DOD and VA operate separate disability evaluation processes for wounded servicemembers and veterans, respectively, that together may take months or years to complete. Since November 2007, the agencies have been piloting a joint process for determining disability benefits, but whether their efforts have been successful has not been determined.
Over 850,000 servicemembers have left active duty and are eligible for health care and potentially other benefits from VA. In recent years, problems have been identified with DOD and VA efforts to coordinate care and services for this population, including managing their transition from DOD to VA’s health care system, and expediting their access to VA disability benefits.
DOD and VA also are in the process of setting up a new interagency program office that will play a crucial role in accelerating their efforts to achieve electronic health records and capabilities that allow for full interoperability between the two departments’ systems. However, the departments’ plan for achieving interoperability by September 2009, as required in law, is incomplete because many milestones have yet to be determined.
Article in current Army Times on complaints about WTU program titled "Wounded Soldiers in Uproar" by Kelly Kennedy. I have not found an on-line link yet, but I will post one as soon as find it. Interesting read, but my personal experience is that those type of articles tend to find the "exaggerators and storytellers" that are unpopular in there units to interview. We had a few of those on my deployment. On a related note, I am finally getting permission to observe the local WTU after the New Year, so I'll be able to pass on if all the griping we hear is valid or sympathy seeking behavior. I'll keep you all posted.
Reed
Found the link...Uproar in WTU
Mmmm...I'm thinking about letting someone else comment first.
I have feared that WTUs would eventually become a part of the Army welfare system...maybe that was unavoidable. Tough situation. Some people you just can't please. Others probably have legitimate complaints. I don't have the answers.
As "High vis" as these things are, you'd think they would be squared away. I would imagine that most of them probably are.
Sir, what the hell are we doing?
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