Better screening needed

The Kansas City (Mo.) Star

Congress should take a closer look at how the Pentagon conducts health screening for troops ordered overseas. In many cases, the screening is cursory and some soldiers are deployed despite serious problems such as diabetes and heart disease. ...

Last year The Star reported that many troops heading overseas had not received appropriate shots, blood sampling and health screening. For many, the "health assessment" amounted to a one-page questionnaire.

Things haven't improved much, if at all, judging by another recent Star story. It focused on screening for National Guard and Reserve troops ordered to Iraq.

As Iowa National Guardsman Michael Scott put it, "They funneled us through the medical part: boom, boom, boom. They let it be known they weren't real interested in hearing about stuff." Scott's problem was a herniated disk.

One Tennessee guardsman died in Iraq of a heart attack, apparently from three blockages that had gone undetected. The Pentagon acknowledges a problem but says only a small percentage of troops are involved. A year ago, however, the Pentagon offered a similar story.

But the cursory screening for Guard members and reservists has raised new questions.

It's time for Congress to demand better performance. After all, the military demands a great deal from those who serve. Sometimes the Pentagon forgets that it, too, has obligations.