Top DOD health care officials got to hear first hand from severely injured troops about the problems and gaps in the military’s health care system, in a first ever “From Deployment to Employment” conference last week. Although wounded troops in a special panel praised the medical treatment they had received for their wounds, they spotlighted problems with subsequent paperwork, bureaucratic delays, and the lack of knowledgeable and empathetic staffers. According to Stars and Stripes, senior health care officials acknowledged a need for more compassion. The newspaper quoted DOD health affairs chief, William Winkenwerder, as saying, “You don’t want to take people’s hope away from them.”
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.