The Army views complaints Oregon National Guard soldiers raised about the care they received at Madigan Army Medical Center last year as signs of systemic problems with how infantrymen are treated when they return from combat. But Army officials refuse to detail how they are responding to those concerns.
The Army finished three reviews of the Oregon Guard’s complaints more than four months ago. It won’t release the full reports for at least another month, pending a final review of one of the documents, a spokeswoman for the Army Western Regional Medical Command said Friday.
Members of the Oregon National Guard complained in May that Madigan officials rushed them through the hospital and did not give them adequate attention after they completed a tour in Iraq.
They were angered when they saw a slide from a Madigan training presentation that unfavorably compared National Guard soldiers with active-duty soldiers. It featured a trucker’s cap with the words “Weekend Warrior” to represent reserve soldiers.
Another slide suggested that some reserve soldiers might want to delay going home by staying at the hospital so they could continue receiving active-duty pay.
Those slights drew the attention of Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Congressman Kurt Schrader. The Oregon lawmakers prompted five generals to visit Madigan in May, where they pledged to investigate the complaints.
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