In 2013, after a decade of war, the Army was kicking out more soldiers than ever before for minor misconduct, including injured combat veterans. Among combat troops, these other-than-honorable discharges had surged more than 67 percent since 2009. Many of these troops had so-called “invisible injuries” such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder that made them more likely to get in trouble. An other-than-honorable discharge stripped them of VA benefits for life, which meant the troops who needed help the most were least likely to get it.
A Colorado Springs Gazette series called “Other than Honorable” by reporter Dave Philipps, which ran May 19–21, 2013, examined this issue, and showed how systematic problems with the medical retirement and deployment processes gave the Army incentive to quickly discharge injured soldiers for misconduct, rather than treat their injuries. Through the stories of veterans, the paper showed the broad impact of these practices, and changed federal law.
To tell the story, we focused on three combat veterans:
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A homeless soldier in and out of the ER weekly with seizures caused by a roadside bomb
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A soldier who had his face destroyed by a bomb blast, then was slated to be kicked out without benefits or medical care when he tested positive for drugs
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A soldier in jail for hitting his wife after a blast-related head injury that the Army failed to treat.
These men were all decorated soldiers, but struggled after their injuries. In a follow-up called “Patterns of Misconduct” we showed how safeguards designed to protect these soldiers was failing.