Top Wounded Warrior Official Forced Out

[SatCong]

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon official in charge of the wounded warrior program said Sunday he has been forced to resign, as the military continues to struggle with how best to care for troops injured in combat.

Noel Koch said in an e-mail that he was asked to step down by Clifford Stanley, the undersecretary of defense for personnel. Koch had been serving as the deputy undersecretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Defense Secretary Robert Gates had asked Stanley to do a full review of the Pentagon's personnel and readiness office. He said this is not the first nor the last change to take place.

"He was given wide latitude to make needed changes so that our men and women in uniform are better served," said Morrell. "What you're seeing is that the overhaul of that vitally important office is under way."

Koch said he believes the decision was unjust and that he resigned "under duress" after Stanley told him he had no confidence in him. The Pentagon had no comment.

"No explanation was given, although I pressed for one," he said. "No prior indication of dissatisfaction with the work of this office was cited."

Koch said the wounded warrior program has done good work during the past 11 months since his appointment to lead the new office.

Nearly nine years of war, in Afghanistan and Iraq, has physically, mentally and emotionally battered the military, sending thousands home with severe injuries and spawning spikes in suicides and post-traumatic stress issues.

Officials have scrambled to set up transition units to help wounded troops recover and return to society or even the military, but the flood of patients and the complexities of their injuries have often overwhelmed the system.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. Have to save a buck, screw the VETS.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Eagleks]

Pentagon politics , are worse than Washington's.... so would be hard to say, it may be simply that they have some buddy they want to put into the job and want him out of the way so they can do it.

It sucks, isn't fair, but also the way it works.

[Bark'n]

Pentagon politics , are worse than Washington's.... so would be hard to say, it may be simply that they have some buddy they want to put into the job and want him out of the way so they can do it.

It sucks, isn't fair, but also the way it works.

+1 I think you're closer to being right than not.

[DaveH]

It sucks, isn't fair, but also the way it works.

Having worked in the Federal Government for 31 years, w/ the last few in Washington, I can tell you that the nearer you are to the top the more it is about personality, cronyism, etc that it is about quality of performance and effectiveness.

It could be the way he parts his hair or it could have nothing to do with him or his performance.

[highvoltage]

Having worked in the Federal Government for 31 years, w/ the last few in Washington, I can tell you that the nearer you are to the top the more it is about personality, cronyism, etc that it is about quality of performance and effectiveness.

It could be the way he parts his hair or it could have nothing to do with him or his performance.

That statement could be made for just about any institution that does business, be it government, industry, etc.

It's not always what you know, it's who you know.

[DaveH]

That statement could be made for just about any institution that does business, be it government, industry, etc.

It's not always what you know, it's who you know.

I have always assumed that to be true. However, I can only speak from my experience.

Re: the Pentagon. I know of a highly successful program that got cut and the man who built it removed because it was so successful -- and a success that was valued by the brass, at that.

The bean counters cut it because it had peaked out in steady improvement of goal accomplishment (was maintaining a flat line return at a high level). In the bean counters' opinion it was established SOP that could be maintained w/o further innovation. A few years later, the brass was struggling to rebuild it.

Just so no one thinks I picking on the Pentagon. Take a good look at what happed to civil aviation security the few years before 9/11. The success (a drop from 21 US hijackings in 1980 to no hijackings in the United States from 1991 through 2000) resulted in cuts to the successful program.

[SatCong]

? Why is it the Vets get screw with. When you put people in harms way,then you should help them if they need it.

[paramedic70002]

Not having a military background, I ask:

So is this a career ender for him or does he move on/get reassigned?

[MSteve]

Not having a military background, I ask:

So is this a career ender for him or does he move on/get reassigned?

Here is is bio: Defense.gov Biography: Noel Koch
Looks like he came in from the private sector for this appointment. My guess is he'll probably be back out to the private sector, but that's just my own speculation.