{"id":2063041,"date":"2023-10-11T08:19:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T12:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guardsman-says-air-force-abandoned-him-after-being-injured-on-duty\/"},"modified":"2023-10-11T08:24:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T12:24:21","slug":"national-guardsman-says-air-force-abandoned-him-after-being-injured-on-duty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guardsman-says-air-force-abandoned-him-after-being-injured-on-duty\/","title":{"rendered":"National Guardsman claims Air Force left him after duty injury."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnational-guardsman-says-air-force-abandoned-him-after-being-injured-on-duty%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2063041&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A National Guardsman \u2063has raised his service-related health issues to the highest\u200b levels of the Air Force.\u200c But according \u200bto him, he\u2019s \u200b\u201cbasically \u2064been \u2064told \u2062to pound sand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After beginning active-duty\u200b military service in \u20621999\u2062 in the Army, \u200cMaster Sergeant James Buckley\u200c joined the Mississippi\u2064 Air National Guard in 2010, becoming a \u200cmember of \u200dAir Force\u2063 Special Warfare\u2019s Tactical Air Control Party.\u200b Embedded with\u2062 troops on the\u200c ground, air-to-ground communication was\u200b his\u2064 expertise.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, a new physical fitness\u2062 test was implemented for special operators. The new test went beyond the standard push-ups, sit-ups, and 1.5-mile run to include a\u200b medicine ball throw, agility \u200bevents,\u200d and more.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related Story<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/battle-for-talent-is-intense-us-air-force-set-to-miss-recruiting-goal-by-10-percent-5491092?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>\u2018Battle for \u2064Talent Is Intense\u2019:\u200b US Air\u200c Force Set to Miss Recruiting Goal by 10 Percent<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li>9\/14\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>MSgt. Buckley was \u2063injured while performing\u2064 \u201ca farmer\u2019s carry,\u201d an event that required running 100 meters with a 50-pound sandbag in \u2062each hand. Initially describing a pain in his shoulder as \u201can inconvenience,\u201d\u2064 he pushed himself to complete all the events of the\u200d test. In the months to follow,\u200c the pain was persistent. In July 2020, he noticed that his ability to perform pull-ups was drastically reduced. An MRI scan \u200crevealed a torn labrum, a thick\u200d tissue attached to\u2062 the shoulder \u2064socket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was asked to write a statement about the injury,\u201d \u2062he said. \u201cIn an email, I explained that I thought \u200dI injured it in 2019, and by the beginning of 2020, I knew I had really injured it.\u201d To his surprise, the email statement was\u2062 used against him. According to him,\u2063 the \u2064email was misconstrued, and it was determined that an injury did not occur in 2019 because it was not reported in 2019. The Epoch Times has viewed this email and other documentation referenced in this report.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, he \u2064said, \u201cI was \u2062not issued a Line of Duty (LOD).\u201d A LOD determines duty status and eligibility for\u2064 medical care \u200dand \u200dmilitary status in the National Guard. \u201cI was basically \u2064told that I was \u200bon my own and they wished me\u2064 good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the time, a flight physical had also revealed high blood pressure \u2064and arrhythmia. Despite ongoing issues of sleep apnea, migraines, and an occasional loss of vision, MSgt. Buckley was also told that\u200b a LOD would not\u200c be initiated because\u200b the symptoms were not related to any physical \u200binjury while in\u2063 service.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u200bMSgt. Buckley attributes the migraines to \u200c2003 and\u2062 2005 deployments to Iraq and a 2017 deployment to the East African country of Djibouti. \u201cIn 2005, I was exposed to burn pits which \u200bcaused \u200dneurological issues and the migraines,\u201d he\u200c said. In 2017, \u201cmigraine\u200b attacks\u201d became worse. Djibouti and Iraq are nations listed on the Veterans\u200d Affairs Burn Pit and\u2064 Environmental Hazards registries. Open-air burn pits have been \u2063specifically linked \u200cby the National Institute \u2063of \u200dHealth\u2064 to neurological conditions, \u2063as well as a \u200dhost of various cancers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t want to \u2064file \u200da formal complaint\u200b or get anyone in trouble, \u200cbut\u200d after going back and \u2062forth over my injuries and the failure to initiate a LOD, I called the Inspector General on my\u200c base and shared my problem,\u201d he said. \u201cFinally, it \u200cwas determined that my shoulder injury was an aggravation of a previous injury.\u201d A LOD for his shoulder had to be initiated as a \u200bresult.<\/p>\n<p>MSgt. Buckley \u2063was informed\u200d that the process could take up\u2062 to 30 days to be awarded a LOD.\u2062 \u201cThirty days\u2062 passed,\u201d he \u200csaid, explaining that his paperwork was \u200dnot \u2063submitted properly. \u201cAt\u2064 the\u200b time, I \u2064was getting help \u200cfor some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-year-old-girl-pepper-sprayed-during-interaction-with-rochester-police\/\" title=\"9-Year-Old Girl Pepper Sprayed During Interaction With Rochester Police\">mental health issues<\/a>, \u200dand\u2064 because they dropped the ball on my paperwork,\u2064 I was starting to feel \u2063abandoned and anxious because they held \u200bmy future\u2064 in their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Seeking\u2063 Help<\/h2>\n<p>Reaching \u201ca breaking point,\u201d MSgt. Buckley reached out \u2064in \u2063desperation to Chief\u2064 Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass and Sen.\u2062 Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Despite feeling like he was \u201cpublic enemy\u200b number \u2062one\u201d \u200dfor reaching out\u200c to CMSgt. Bass, \u200cSen. Rubio\u2019s office helped remedy the situation. \u201cI went back on orders,\u201d he said, but only for\u2064 treatment\u200c of\u2064 his shoulder injury. MSgt. Buckley was denied\u2064 LOD \u200dinitiation for his other conditions,\u200d and \u200dtherefore denied treatment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI had my shoulder surgery in May 2021, \u200band <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blumenthal-says-hell-be-back-in-dc-next-week-after-successful-leg-surgery\/\" title=\"Blumenthal says he'll be back in DC next week after 'successful' leg surgery\">started physical therapy<\/a>\u200d at Tyndall \u2064Air Force base [in Florida]\u201d he said. \u201cDuring one of the passive range of\u200c motion exercises, a physical therapy assistant bent my arm \u2063back behind my head and\u200c I \u200bfelt my should pop and it was \u2063torn.\u201d The \u2062physical therapy assistant (PTA) was impaired\u200d by means of alcohol during Buckley\u2019s time \u200cof treatment, and\u200d after injuring MSgt. Buckley, he\u200c entered an alcohol treatment program. According to \u200bMSgt. Buckley, \u200dthe PTA\u2063 should have been removed \u2064from care, but he \u200dwas allowed to continue to practice on MSgt. Buckley \u200cand others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTyndall kept\u200b telling\u200d me it was scar\u2064 tissue that popped and I \u2062was healing, but I \u2063kept telling them my shoulder was torn again but no\u2062 one was listening,\u201d he said. \u201cTelling me my shoulder\u2063 was \u200dfine, they stopped\u2064 scheduling me for appointments.\u201d \u2064Msgt. Buckley was denied appointments after reporting the impaired provider. As a result\u2062 of the clinic \u200drefusing to schedule new appointments,\u2062 MSgt.\u200d Buckley was terminated from \u2063active duty on Medical Continuation orders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>&#8216;Abandoned&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>MSgt. \u2062Buckley was given a 20 percent VA disability rating \u200dfor\u2064 compensation for his shoulder injury. Numerous other health\u2063 issues were not\u200d issued\u200d a rating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>He appealed this decision to Col. Linda Hoover, Secretary of the Air Force \u2063Personnel Council. \u201cAlthough,\u201d he said, \u201cmy appeal was denied because I, Jim Buckley, did not provide sufficient compelling evidence to\u200b overturn their determination.\u201d As a result, he said, \u201cRight there,\u2063 again, this\u200b is a \u200bviolation of DODI, because \u200cit states that\u2064 the Secretary of the Air \u2064Force must use clear and unmistakable\u2064 evidence to overcome \u200cthe presumption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Mr. Sorenson,\u200d \u201cMSgt. Buckley\u2019s government \u2063provided\u2062 counsel failed to\u200c submit MSgt. Buckley\u2019s complete contentions \u2063to the Air \u200cForce in \u200bhis \u2064final appeal, which indicates a \u2064serious breach of\u2064 responsibility and might create a legal\u2062 dilemma for the U.S. Air Force because it appears\u2063 that his counsel\u2062 may have been working\u2062 against\u2062 him to cover for the government\u2019s misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a result, MSgt.\u200d Buckley said, \u201cOnce \u200bagain, I\u200b have the Inspector General involved, deciding my fate right now on the benefits I should be eligible for that could alter the course of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through this whole process, MSgt. Buckley \u200dsaid he \u201chas \u200dbeen abandoned by the DOD.\u201d According to him, \u201cOnly one organization has stepped in to help, [and] that organization is USJAG.\u201d He said, \u200b\u201cThrough the help \u2062of their Guard\/Reserve Representative, Jeremy Sorenson, they have \u200bfought back\u200c against the injustices \u200bin the National Guard and Air Force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Mr. Sorenson: \u201cThe Air \u200bForce rampantly \u2064violates their own \u2062regulations \u200band federal law to deny disability benefits, [and] they make the suffering service member\u2064 fight with\u2064 their\u200b hands \u2062tied behind their back to attain medical\u200d care and benefits they are \u200centitled to by law, especially those with PTSD or other \u2063mental health issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wears \u200bthe member and their \u200dfamily down,\u201d \u200csaid\u2063 Mr. Sorenson. \u201cThis\u200c has \u200dhurt thousands of\u200d Airmen, [and] it\u2019s disgusting \u2064and really just\u2064 unconscionable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Msgt. Buckley,\u2063 \u201cIt\u2019s a \u200dlonely road to walk when you \u200bare fighting against the Big Air Force.\u201d According to him, \u201cThey can do whatever \u200dthey want, violate whatever law \u2063or policy they \u2064want with impunity \u200dbecause Senior Leadership \u2062covers for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I\u2019d \u2064lost hope,\u200c USJAG stepped in, and\u2064 I feel like I\u2064 have a way forward. I am \u2062not just fighting for\u200c myself, I\u2063 am fighting so these injustices are not perpetrated on my brothers and \u200bsisters. I \u200bam dug in and prepared for the long fight; it has never been in me to just give up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>MSgt. Buckley\u2019s final appeal to the Secretary of the Air\u200b Force was denied on Sept. 27,\u2064 2023. He \u200cwill be \u2062forced to \u2062retire\u2062 without a \u200dmedical retirement. His fight\u200c will continue with the filing \u2064of a Board of\u200b Corrections for Military Records appeal. If he\u200c is unsuccessful, he said\u2062 he is prepared to\u200c bring suit against the DOD.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defense did not return an \u2063inquiry from The \u2062Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200c How can potential sources of toxic exposure impact the long-term\u200c health effects of service members?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Sted as potential sources of \u2064toxic exposure and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-biden-should-follow-science-fire-dr-fauci\/\" title=\"Rubio: Biden Should 'Follow Science,' Fire Dr. Fauci\">long-term health effects<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>MSgt. Buckley has\u200c sought assistance from the Air Force, reaching\u200b out to various individuals and offices, including the Office of the Inspector General. However, his efforts have\u2064 been met with little response or\u2063 support. \u201cThe current culture in the Air Force, in my opinion, is to just keep pushing forward and not \u2063acknowledge or\u200c address any issues,\u201d he \u2064expressed.<\/p>\n<p>This \u2064lack of\u200b support adds to\u2062 the frustration and stress that service members \u2063like MSgt. Buckley often face when dealing with service-related health issues. The physical demands and risks associated with \u200cmilitary service can take a toll on\u2063 the body, and it is\u2064 crucial for the military to \u2064provide adequate support and care for \u2062those \u200cwho have sacrificed their well-being in service to their country.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, ignoring and dismissing the concerns of service members regarding their health can have serious consequences, both \u2062for the individual\u200d and for the overall effectiveness of\u2064 the military. It creates an environment where service members may hesitate to report injuries or seek medical help for fear\u200b of being ignored or penalized, ultimately compromising their ability to perform their duties effectively.<\/p>\n<p>It is essential that the Air Force and other branches\u2064 of the military prioritize \u2064the health and well-being of their service members.\u2064 This includes properly addressing \u200cand investigating service-related injuries\u200b and providing the necessary support and resources for recovery and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n<p>MSgt. Buckley\u2019s case highlights the need for a more comprehensive \u2063and compassionate approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/national-guardsman-says-air-force-abandoned-him-after-being-injured-on-duty\/\" title=\"National Guardsman claims Air Force left him after duty injury.\">handling service-related health issues<\/a>. \u200cIt is\u2064 important for the military to establish clear protocols and procedures for reporting and\u200d addressing injuries, as\u200b well as avenues for service members to seek assistance and advocate for their rights and well-being.<\/p>\n<p>Service members like\u200d MSgt. Buckley \u200dshould not be left to fend for themselves when it comes to their health and\u2062 well-being. They deserve\u2063 the support and \u200brecognition for their\u200b service \u200band sacrifices. It is time for the Air Force and the military as a whole to prioritize the health and welfare of their service members and ensure that they receive the care and assistance they need and\u2064 deserve.<\/p>\n<p>Failure to do so \u200cnot only \u2063undermines the trust and morale \u200dof the military\u200c but also\u200d fails to uphold the commitment to the well-being of \u2063those \u2062who have dedicated their lives to serving \u200dand protecting their country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>+<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A National Guardsman raised health concerns to the Air Force&#8217;s top officials, but received dismissive treatment. Master Sergeant James Buckley, who served in the Army before joining the Mississippi Air National Guard in 2010, feels ignored despite his service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":758,"featured_media":2063042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2063041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/758"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2063041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2063042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2063041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2063041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2063041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}