One of the sayings that I cannot stand to hear is the phrase “support our troops”, and it has nothing to do with “the troops” at all, but about the treatment of soldiers and veterans, for far from being “supported”, soldiers and veterans are most severely abused by the very system they pledged their lives to the death for. The best way to “support our troops” is not to give them an army of flag-waving cheerleaders, but to treat them like people, to use them for clearly stated purposes, to be honest to them, and when they leave the military, to fulfill the promises made to them. It is not to treat soldiers like guinea pigs in a laboratory to experiment on, to lie to, to abuse, or otherwise mistreat as so often happens.
According to an article from the Washington Times, in light of the spread of COVID-19 reports are emerging that the Pentagon is not testing troops, and troops are being asked to self-quarantine.
Top defense leaders are assuring troops that coronavirus testing is available, but for Pentagon warriors the coveted test is “scarce,” according to an internal memo.
The Pentagon Governance Council held an anti-virus battle meeting on Monday where it heard the assessment.
“COVID-19 testing is scarce, many people are simply being told to go home and self-isolate,” said the memo obtained by The Washington Times.
“Expect this to continue,” added the memo, written by a participant and circulated to “senior leaders.”
It said that the the Pentagon’s DiLorenzo medical clinic is, “Only conducting tests for first responders and medical personnel.” (source)
Are troops really being allowed to “self-quarantine”, or is that only a half-truth? Are troops still being forced to work even if they are or might be sick?
Nobody can confirm or deny this.
Given the capability of the military to mobilize quickly, one may want to ask why more tests are not available or are working on being made available. Likewise, if the entire country has been practically shut down because of this illness, one may want to wonder why the troops, who may need to be employed in the event of civil unrest, are not being closely monitored for their health, since their health is vital to the security and health of the nation.
At this point, it does not matter how serious the virus itself is, because if it is being considered seriously enough to shut down a nation, why would it not have the potential to shut down the military’s operations itself?
In fact, the Pentagon has already limited troop movements around the world in a first-ever move due to the virus.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper has issued a stop movement order to the U.S. military halting travel and movement abroad for up to 60 days in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus through the ranks, the Pentagon chief told Reuters on Wednesday.
The measure is by far the Defense Department’s most sweeping to date and will affect forces around the world. (source)
Ask yourself, if the military is willing to stop moving troop around the world, does it not seem to make sense that their manpower base would need to be closely monitored with something more than a mere “self-quarantine” with no further details about how it would work?
These are the kinds of questions that one needs answers to for the sake of public safety, and what one is not getting.
Indeed, “support the troops”- that they would be treated humanely and with the same safety and security that anybody would ask for himself.