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Army Uses Injured to Inflate Manpower

Injured soldiers deployed to training camps—and back to Iraq—in effort to boost active duty rolls

By Sam Gale Rosen, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 26, 2007 9:27 AM CDT

(Newser) – The Army sent soldiers recovering from injuries—some still on crutches—to a desert training center in California, in an apparent attempt to pad manpower statistics. Witnesses describe tents at Fort Irwin packed with soldiers in no shape to train, or even to walk, but counted by the Pentagon as evidence of US battle-readiness. Some, their injuries downgraded, were sent back to Iraq.

One infantry sergeant was packed off to the training center before getting a cast for his foot, broken in Iraq. "I was on Percocet. I couldn't even concentrate. I hopped on a plane and hobbled around on crutches," he told Mark Benjamin. Officials acknowledge that injured troops were being sent to Iraq, but insisted they were put in safe noncombat jobs.

US NEWS USIRAQ-WOUNDED 2 DE (KRT Photos)

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Army Uses Injured to Inflate Manpower

Injured soldiers deployed to training camps—and back to Iraq—in effort to boost active duty rolls

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New Sniper Rifles Boost Range, Accuracy

Pirate standoff calls attention to classified Pentagon project

Pentagon Opens More Jobs to Women

Females will still not be able to serve as infantry, however: sources

Panetta Plans to Shrink Size of Army, Marines

Defense chief outlines cuts for Pentagon

'Sensitive' Military Gear Missing From Base

Soldiers on lockdown as Army investigates

Obama Cutting Thousands of Ground Troops

Military no longer expected to be able to fight two wars at once

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Army Uses Injured to Inflate Manpower

Injured soldiers deployed to training camps—and back to Iraq—in effort to boost active duty rolls

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

military • Pentagon • Fort Irwin • injury • US Army

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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More Newser Stories

New Sniper Rifles Boost Range, Accuracy

Pirate standoff calls attention to classified Pentagon project

Pentagon Opens More Jobs to Women

Females will still not be able to serve as infantry, however: sources

Panetta Plans to Shrink Size of Army, Marines

Defense chief outlines cuts for Pentagon

'Sensitive' Military Gear Missing From Base

Soldiers on lockdown as Army investigates

Obama Cutting Thousands of Ground Troops

Military no longer expected to be able to fight two wars at once

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Newser By Users

Community

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What is Newser?