Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Army wife: How CGSC managed to screw up my wounded warrior husband

A wife writes: My husband was part of the wounded warrior education initiative and was placed in the military history dept at CGSC. He had only one class group and wasn’t even able to finish it due to getting notice. The army paid a lot of money to get him ready for this job and ...

Flickr
Flickr
Flickr

A wife writes:

A wife writes:

My husband was part of the wounded warrior education initiative and was placed in the military history dept at CGSC. He had only one class group and wasn’t even able to finish it due to getting notice. The army paid a lot of money to get him ready for this job and I believe he had no chance to keep his job. My husband gave a lot to his country including limb. He had great reviews from his students and fellow instructors. He had asked if he should get his PhD a couple months into being at CGSC and was told to wait. Which of course his lack of PhD was part of the reason he lost the job he loved and was very good at. When CGSC placed these wounded warriors they knew that they wouldn’t have a PhD right off the bat. The wounded warrior project went all the way to Texas to recruit my husband, moved him to Kansas, paid for his masters, paid for his salary while going to school, gave him one class group and then let him go. I’m sure there would be a lot of taxpayers out there that wouldn’t be too happy to have no return on their investment. I have been around the military my whole life and for the first time I am very disappointed in how they have handled a situation. My husband feels as though he was set up for failure and that yet again the army has failed him.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.