On the week of 12/9/2013, NPR Morning Edition started a series of reports on the consequences of being discharged from the US military with a less than honorable discharge. In the 12/11/2013 report, General Martin Dempsey, was asked about the fact that if vets get a less than honorable discharge they get no VA treatment for injuries they got in the military and they won't be able to get a job from any employer who checks their discharge status. The generals response was "...we all make choices in life that we then live with for the rest of our life".
This logic makes as much sense as hiring a person with 2 good feet, making them chop off one of their feet, then firing them for only having 1 foot AND telling them that they are going to have to live with the choice they made without medical help or the prospect of future employment for the rest of their life.
I don't know if the general was thinking that the vets made a bad choice in joining the military or (more likely) if he thinks that when a person's behavior changes for the worse after getting TBI or PTSD that they are choosing to behave that way.
The fact is, nobody would make a choice to get injured and be left with no medical help and no future ability to support themselves for the rest of their life.
When vets come home injured and have no access to good medical treatment, they are a threat to themselves and the rest of the community. Drug and alcohol abuse, violence, and other self-destructive behaviors are the result of their injuries, not a choice they are making.
Here is one more issue related to our Vets that we should all be denouncing and demanding to be changed.
Sun Dec 22, 2013 at 10:00 AM PT: Thanks to those of you who added comments. I'm glad to hear there are some options available to people. I agree that true criminal activity should be treated as such. My concern is in any cases where the criminal activity is the direct result of TBI or PTSD.