Coverage of Americans wounded in Iraq war leaves US media hurting

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The number of American troops wounded in Iraq surpasses the number killed by thousands, but US media still appear reluctant to place their stories on the front page.

Indeed, media outlets seem to be treading lightly in their coverage of such sensitive wartime topics for fear of being branded "anti-war" or angering the Pentagon, which has forbidden the publication of photos showing caskets of the war dead arriving in the United States.

While more than 2,000 soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the conflict began, US military officials have tallied nearly 16,000 wounded, including 7,837 who were seriously injured.

As for the wounded, US media outlets occasionally produce a feature story showing these soldiers adapting to their new lives. And a select few have highlighted the difficulties faced by returning soldiers who were wounded or maimed, including personal problems, professional struggles and difficulty in obtaining disability benefits.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usiraqmilitarymedia

Yeah, three cheers for the "liberal media."

a spread of all the photos of the wounded in a paper like the New York Times. Only those who want their pictures published. It almost seems that only those who make "the ultimate sacrifice" are even considered, let alone honored for serving in the military. Although I disagree with their current mission in Iraq (and the fact that they were thrown there under false pretenses, ill-equipped and without an exit strategy, one day we will have enlightened policies in this country and we want those who serve to know they are appreciated and needed. I'd also love if The Times and the media interviewed every last one of them and their families to see if more than a few are being properly taken care of by the government.

:patriot:

They make our richer upper crust uneasy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usiraqmilitarymedia

<snip>

"Among those calling attention to these struggles is Garry Trudeau, whose comic strip "Doonesbury" -- which appears in 140 US newspapers every day -- chronicles the recovery efforts of a wounded soldier who is battling depression.

"When you've got a nation fighting a war and ... the one place in the mainstream media that seems to be doing the most about the wounded of that war is a comic strip, I think that speaks volumes," said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University."

Some of the Wounded .....
http://icasualties.org/oif/Wounded.aspx

Just in last seven days.........:grr:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10/26/05
AP: 2 Miss. Guardsmen hurt in Iraq
Two of Mississippi's National Guard members were injured in
Iraq by an IED.
Sgt. Brian Russ of Centreville and Spc. Charles White of Shaw
were hit by shrapnel in the Oct. 16 explosion.
Both are with the Army National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team.

10/25/05
StarBulletin: Isle soldier shot in Iraq wants to return
Army Pfc. Douglas Dalton was shot in Mosul hit Dalton in
the leg and ricocheted into his stomach.
Two other soldiers in his squad were also injured in the ambush.

10/25/05
Gannett: Morris Hills H.S. fights for soldier hurt in Iraq
Army Specialist James "Jimmy" Benoit is fighting a severe
infection, undergoing near-daily surgeries and still unable
to swallow whole foods more than a month after being wounded
in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad.

10/24/05
ClickOnDetroit: Local Soldier Injured In Iraq Bombing
U.S. Army Spc. Nick Vallier and four others were injured
when their Humvee drove over a bomb.
He suffered a concussion, a ruptured eardrum and a neck sprain.

10/24/05
AP: Pendleton marine has leg amputated
Pfc. Zachery J. Knight is recovering at Landstuhl Regional
Medical Center's intensive care unit in Landstuhl, Germany.
When he is stable, he will be moved to the Bethesda Naval
Hospital in Maryland, said his mother, Tammy Knight.

10/24/05
Reuters: Another Iraq war legacy: badly wounded US troops
U.S. Army Sgt. Joey Bozik remembers coming out of a coma at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
He had an above-the-knee amputation of my right leg,
a below-the-knee amputation on my left leg and a
below-the-elbow amputation on my right arm.

10/23/05
Reuters: Another Iraq war legacy: badly wounded US troops
U.S. Army Sgt.
Joey Bozik remembers coming out of a coma at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center not fully understanding why he was there.
I had an above-the-knee amputation of my right leg
and a below-the-knee amputation on my left leg..

10/22/05
Whittierdailyn: Glendora soldier injured in Iraq on
long road to recovery
The bullet never actually entered his body,
rather it zipped around the inside of his helmet and back out,
shaking his head violently and injuring his brain...
Army Staff Sgt. Jarod Behee, 26, will face more surgery at a
private hospital

10/22/05
Intervention Magazine: The Costs of War at Walter Reed
Inside Walter Reed Army Hospital is the horrible reality
of the Iraq War,
a reality that few Americans see, and fewer want to see.
By Stewart Nusbaumer

10/20/05
Des Moines Register: Beacon soldier serving in Iraq is injured
Spc. Matthew Houser was injured Tuesday night in an attack
involving a roadside bomb near Fallujah and has been evacuated
to a military hospital in Germany.
He sustained shrapnel wounds and vehicle was destroyed.

:mad:

- who later die elsewhere from those wounds incurred in Iraq: are they included in the 2000+ figure?

the soldier laments his wounds and tells the liberal elitist reporter that he wants to return to Iraq and how wonderful it is that the US is over there helping those poor Iraqis. I have yet to see a report where a soldier says it is not right that the US is in Iraq.

tragic for our country. When a conservative relative - who is starting to question some things asked, but why? He grew quiet, but accepting /pondering the idea when I responded with the fact that some powerful people have taken greed to such heights that there is no more allegiance to the country, or at least to the citizens/workers of the country. This relative has done quite well, but is just now "hearing" about our country "moving towards" a service economy - how is that sustainable? He asks. I tell him this trend had been discussed for well over a decade - and the economic policies of late have accelerated the pace. Why is he just now "hearing" it? Well he spent 10+ years exclusively listening to rw talk radio (he still listens a little, but now listens more to money and sports radio) - and more importantly his oldest sons are preparing to go to college and are considering areas of study... now it hits home that a lot of these fields are LOSING jobs. That saying that this generation may be the first to overall not only outdo the last generation (ecnomically) but to fare much worse - is just hitting home with him. Folks like this can be turned - with simple truths... those in power right now - and those to whom they pander (laws favoring huge multinational businesses) have allegiance to power and greed - and not to country. They may spout pious statements but Greed is their God.

Too bad so much of the press is still cowed and cowering and pandering to the Greed is God republican bullies.

now and then about the power of greed.

I have a lot of experience dealing with amputees,burn victims,and paraplegics.The LAST thing they want is to be treated like a freak show.The few stories I have seen were pathetic in the way they addressed the soldiers' treatment after they were injured.These shows reminded me of a "Save the Children" commercial...sappy and pathetic.
Believe it or not,the nicest thing I saw was a short segment on a documentary on Current -"Monsterball",where the paraplegic athletes worked with some of the injured veterans from this war-complete with 4-letter words,and genuine friendship.I felt this gave these guys hope,that they would get a part of their life back.When all you see is a pity-party,you tend to think that is your destiny.

to report Iraq casualties.

http://cancelmyglobe.com/

Including all the Iraqi women and children killed, maimed, torture, raped.