Quotes of the Morning: Suffering

“And believe me, no one suffers more than their President and I do when we watch this and certainly the Commander in Chief who has asked our military to go into harm’s way.”
-Laura Bush, Today Show interview, April 25, 2007

“You people out there should learn from the brave example of Fearless Leader and Mrs. Fearless Leader. They suffer horribly because of this war, but they do it without complaint. The rest of you should be so brave..”
-Skippy

“Following inquiries by ABC News, the Pentagon has dropped plans to force a severely wounded U.S. soldier to repay his enlistment bonus after injuries had forced him out of the service.
Army Spc. Tyson Johnson III of Mobile, Ala., who lost a kidney in a mortar attack last year in Iraq, was still recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when he received notice from the Pentagon's own collection agency that he owed more than $2,700 because he could not fulfill his full 36-month tour of duty.”
-ABC News, October 14, 2004

“Sgt. David Thomas, a gunner with the Tennessee National Guard, spent his first three months at Walter Reed with no decent clothes; medics in Samarra had cut off his uniform. Heavily drugged, missing one leg and suffering from traumatic brain injury, David, 42, was finally told by a physical therapist to go to the Red Cross office, where he was given a T-shirt and sweat pants. He was awarded a Purple Heart but had no underwear.”
-Washington Post, February 19, 2007

“Master Sgt. Jenkins, 42, has a degenerative spine problem and a long scar down the back of his neck where three of his vertebrae were fused during surgery. He takes a cornucopia of potent pain pills. His medical records say he is ‘at significantly increased risk of re-injury during deployment where he will be wearing Kevlar, body armor and traveling through rough terrain.’ Late last year, those medical records show, a doctor recommended that Jenkins be referred to an Army board that handles retirements when injuries are permanent and severe.
A copy of Jenkins' profile written after that Feb. 15 meeting and signed by Capt. Starbuck, the brigade surgeon, shows a healthier soldier than the profile of Jenkins written by another doctor just late last year, though Jenkins says his condition is unchanged. Other soldiers' documents show the same pattern.
One female soldier with psychiatric issues and a spine problem has been in the Army for nearly 20 years. ‘My [health] is deteriorating,’ she said over dinner at a restaurant near Fort Benning. ‘My spine is separating. I can't carry gear.’ Her medical records include the note ‘unable to deploy overseas.’ Her status was also reviewed on Feb. 15. And she has been ordered to Iraq this week.”
-Salon.com, March 11, 2007

“Listen to their whining! These people (and the families of the 3,335 dead and over 10,000 injured American soldiers) think they know suffering, but Mrs. Fearless Leader shames them all. Despite the crippling burden of watching the war on television Mrs. Fearless Leader still bravely wakes up every morning and goes out to do whatever the heck she does without complaint. You should all be so courageous. Mrs. Fearless Leader, do you have a message for the American public in these troubling times?”
-Skippy

“Well I hope they know the burden of worry that is on his shoulders, um, every single day for our troops and I think they do.”
-Laura Bush, Today Show interview, April 25, 2007

“Yes Mrs. Fearless Leader. I think that we all understand your husband’s concern for the troops.”
-Skippy

"There are some who, uh, feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: Bring 'em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.“
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, July 2, 2003.