Policy changes help wounded troops stay in service

All Hands, March, 2005 by Rudi Williams

Fundamental changes have taken place in the DOD's disability policy, a top Pentagon official told attendees at the 17th DOD Disability Forum in December.

John M. Molino, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for equal opportunity, cited a December 2003 visit by President George W. Bush to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., when the President noted that advancements in medical treatment and recovery allow many more wounded service members to resume their careers.

"Today, if wounded service members want to remain in uniform and can do the job, the military tries to help them stay," Molino recalled the president telling the patients.

"This statement, this attitude," Molino continued, "has implications for everything from accessibility policy on military installations to the long-standing expectation that every active-duty service member must be able to deploy to combat anywhere in the world. We're re-examining our basic assumptions, and basic changes are on the way."

The department is committed to doing all it can to bring those changes about, Molino told the group.

"We're moving aggressively to help service members remain on active duty if they wish to do so; he said. "This is the news in DOD disability policy today."

Noting that with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld wholeheartedly supporting keeping capable service members in the DOD fold, Molino said defense personnel officials also are looking for ways to improve opportunities for veterans with disabilities in DOD's civilian work force.

Story by Rudi Williams, who is assigned to American Forces Press Service, Alexandria, Va.