I guess it's true...

In response to one of my not infrequent complaint's about what Donald Rumsfeld has done to "my Army," a reader once responded that "It's not your Army anymore."

Apparently not.

Back in the day, whatever the difference between what your recruiter promised and what the Army delivered may have been, there were some things that you could count on. Chief among those were the proverbial 'three hots and a cot.' Not so anymore, at least not so for some of our casualties of battle, according to story in Salon...

Most patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington have a lot on their minds: the war they just fought, the injuries they came home with, the future that lies ahead. The last thing a wounded soldier needs to worry about is where the next meal is coming from. But for hundreds of Walter Reed patients, that's a real concern. Starting this month, the Army has started making some wounded soldiers pay for the food they eat at the hospital.

Coming back from Vietnam, we got new standard issues of uniforms to replace our jungle fatigues. That seems to have changed as well.

Soldiers in medical hold also complain they are still expected to line up for daily formations and buy new uniforms even as they struggle with debilitating physical and mental trauma from their service in Iraq. They say being charged for food while they're recovering is one more indignity.

It's an appalling story, and if you still haven't subscribed to Salon it's well worth sitting through the online ad to get to. When you're done, you'll wonder, as do I...

Why do Republicans hate the men and women who fight for America?


(Thanks to Steve M. at No More Mr. Nice Blog for the tip.)