Lost A Leg In Iraq, All But Forgotten At Home

Editor’s note; Memorial Day is a time for remembrance of fallen heroes, of lost loved ones, of past glories; a time for parades, and picnics for waving flags and yellow ribbons and patriotic speeches. It should not be forgotten however, that it must also be a day to remember our collective responsibility to those who pay the price of war; not just on this day, but every day. Bob Higgins

* By Mark Brunswick Minneapolis Star Tribune *

If the Army needs proof that Ryan Hallberg suffered a loss when he was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, it need look no farther than 4 inches below his right knee. There’s nothing there.

Despite an amputation from his injuries, Hallberg has twice been denied a $50,000 insurance benefit because he has been told by the federal insurance office administering the program that “there is not enough medical information to support your loss.”

Similar cases are emerging across the country about the same program, established five years ago to address the growing number of troops coming hope with traumatic injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whose office has become involved in Hallberg’s case, called it an example of “government bureaucracy gone amok.” A recent Government Accountability Office audit is critical of how claims from the program have been denied.

Read more Minneapolis Star Tribune