US 'smuggles wounded troops home' to prevent bad publicity (moved from ATSNN), page 1

Today, the pentagon has been accused of smuggling wounded U.S. military troops home to prevent bad publicity and to minimize the escalating number of severely wounded soldiers. By covert 'night-time' flight arrivals in and out of Germany, the government is allegedly 'covering up' the number of wounded men and women.

news.independent.co.uk
The Pentagon has been accused of smuggling wounded soldiers into the US under cover of darkness to avoid bad publicity about the number of troops being injured and maimed in Iraq. The media have also been prevented from photographing wounded soldiers when they arrive at hospital.

Records show that flights from military bases in Germany arrive in the US only at night. Officials say this is purely the result of flight-scheduling pressures and is not a deliberate tactic to minimise detrimental publicity. They also say that by leaving Europe later in the day soldiers are given a better chance to sleep well the night before.

But many campaigners believe otherwise. Just as the Bush administration has banned the media from taking photographs of the coffins of American troops killed in Iraq as they arrive in the US, opponents say it is now trying to cover up the number of wounded.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Later on in the article, a Pentagon spokesperson claims that night time arrivals benefit the patient as well as the struggling doctors who work strenuously to get these soldiers to proper health.

Usually I would be inclined to believe the 'official' explanation but coupled with events such as the prevention of photography in military funerals as well as banning the media from depicting wounded US military soldiers, I think something is a brew.

[edit on 4/11/2005 by Simulacra]