Calls Walter Reed Army Medical Center 'a national embarrassment' that may force new awareness.
By
Daily News Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Paul Rieckhoff came to The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches Monday to talk about a four-letter word: Iraq.
"I'm not here to talk about another four-letter word - Anna, as in Nicole Smith, which is dominating the news right now," said Rieckhoff, who served the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant and platoon leader in Iraq.
"I think that was part of what motivated me to be involved in veterans' issues and to be involved in political dialogue surrounding the war.
"When I came home from Iraq in 2004, the biggest news story in America was Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl," he said. "I had just gotten back from Baghdad, my guys were acclimating to civilian life and this is what America was talking about non-stop, and it really rattled me."
Founder and executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Rieckhoff spoke before 350 at the luncheon meeting at the Kravis Center's Cohen Pavilion. Rieckhoff's organization has a membership of 60,000 nationally and a Web site at www.iava.org.
Rieckhoff started the group to remind American's that there is a war and to connect them to it.
"It often seems like it's just our military and their families at war and everyone else is shopping and watching American Idol, but we are a country at war," Rieckhoff said.
"A big part of my work is making that immediate connection with this war and putting a human face on it and trying to connect the American people with a sergeant or a lieutenant who maybe is from your area or hometown who's personally affected by this war."
Rejects advice of father, grandfather
Rieckhoff's father and grandfather served in the military. They both hated it and tried to talk Rieckhoff out of enlisting.
But in 1998, Rieckhoff enlisted in the National Guard.
"Something was in my gut and drove me to serve," he said. "When I joined, I never envisioned there was going to be a 9/11. I never envisioned there was going to be a war in Iraq."
While serving in the Guard, he worked as an investment banking analyst on Wall Street. On Sept. 8, 2001, Rieckhoff quit his job, tired of the fast pace, never expecting to return.
Three days later, he found himself standing on a pile of rubble at Ground Zero with the National Guard. He participated in the rescue effort for three weeks.
After that, Rieckhoff volunteered to go to Iraq and shipped out in spring 2003 as part of the initial invasion. Rieckhoff commanded 38 people; all came back alive.
"They were smart and cared so deeply about our country and about each other," he said. "We had dealt with issues like armor problems, an inadequate number of troops and the de-Baathification, which I think was a terrible error at the early outset. President Bush and John Kerry were tossing the war around like a political football."
Adventure in 'Chasing Ghosts'
During one mission, Rieckhoff's unit was hit by a roadside bomb, after which they tried to find the culprits. They had information the suspects were holed up in a building.
"We got there. Our hearts were racing. We kicked in the door, and they were gone," he remembered. "One of my sergeants said, 'Hey sir, it's like chasing ghosts.' That's what it felt like for us, because you're trained to punch back, to deliver a blow every time you're hit. You want to hit back and you don't get it and it's very frustrating."
Chasing Ghosts is the title of Rieckhoff's book about his experiences in Iraq.
"The partisanship in Washington doesn't exist in the military and can't exist in the military," he said. "There needs to be a level of cooperation that I don't think exists in this country right now."
Dealing with VA problems
Regarding the treatment of veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Rieckhoff urged everyone to call, write or e-mail their representatives in Congress about increasing funding for the Veterans' Administration.
He called the recently uncovered substandard conditions - with mold, mice and cockroaches in Building 18 at Walter Reed - "a national embarrassment."
"If there's a silver lining, it's awakened the American people to veterans' issues, and people are paying attention to what's happening now with veterans' affairs," he said. "Not everybody comes home with an amputation or a wound, but nobody comes home unchanged."
