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Soldiers Treated as Disposable Commodities
Racial discrimination suspected in WA Army base
from G.I. Voice
Soldiers in the 308th Brigade Support Battalion Rear Detachment—comprised largely of wounded and new soldiers currently at the Lewis/McChord base near Tacoma—claim bullying and medical neglect at the hands of their chain of command. Battalion soldiers say their leaders would rather throw them out of the Army than deal with the inconvenience of helping them with their issues.
Out of eight soldiers who have recently been kicked out or in the process of being kicked out of the battalion, seven are persons of color.
Private Dixon was on maternity leave to spend time with her newborn son when her chain of command disciplined her for filing a restraining order against another soldier who had made threats to her. Shortly after returning to her unit, she was informed by her superiors that she would be kicked out of the Army. This severely hindered her ability to provide for her child. Private Dixon had planned on making a career out of military service but now has to find a job in the worst economy that has existed in her lifetime.
Private Josh Bruder was slated to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and had shipped his equipment to Iraq with the rest of his fellow soldiers. Shortly thereafter family and mental health issues prevented him from deploying. Bruder states that after being threatened with physical harm by one of his superiors, his chain of command began the process of kicking him out of the military. “In three weeks, I'm going to be homeless. That's not a lot of time to go find something. [The military doesn't] even try to set me up with or ask me about getting a job. That shows they don't really care.”
Specialist Levita Wilson, a veteran of four years, is temporarily with the brigade after not being deployed with her original unit and now faces an Article 15 (a type of nonjudicial punishment). “My tuition assistance is pulled because of this. I have to go pay out of pocket.”
Wilson witnessed selective discipline within the 308th recently. “I noticed black people being targeted and it started going downhill from there.”
These accounts, among other instances of administrative abuse within the battalion, lead to questions concerning the level of treatment and support services available from the chain of command as their deployment date approaches.
G.I. Voice is a place for service members, their families, and veterans around Fort Lewis to gather and share information. It is also a resource for those facing issues with service. For more information go to www.givoice.org.
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