Comments on: "This Is A Tough One"

[rafaelfidis]

I''am a soldier misdiagnosed with asthma in the military Sept.2007,later xrays revealed I had pnemonia,then given a number of shots to include a flu vaccine and a medical bill from the V.A. after 23 years of service. God bless America...

[cj0271]

Each year Americans give billions in aid to foreign countries, yet we consistently fail to give adequate care to our own soldiers. While veterans and their families must often travel hours to get care that is often substandard, illegal aliens can go to local hospitals and get free top quality %u2018Charity Care%u2019! Soldiers are held to sometimes idiotic standards such as the %u2018rules of engagement%u2019 and many have been tried and punished for crimes against the enemy. If soldiers can be held accountable misconduct, being openly gay, dereliction of duty and especially for crimes against an enemy, isn%u2019t it just dumber than hell that there''s no recourse for this guys family? Someone must be held accountable. A voucher system that will allow all veterans and active duty soldiers to get top quality health care at local hospitals and approved private clinics will help dramatically reduce and hopefully eliminate tragic stories such as this one. it will also cut VA costs, cut medical expenses and cost fewer tax dollars while making sure all veterans health needs are taken care of. Congress and the president need to get off their fat lazy @sses and start helping the soldiers they send to do their dirty work. For the military to deny payment for his funeral after they were responsible for his death is pathetic

[unblievable]

CBS...the RODRIGUEZ family is an example of why the American public NEED you. The events, the true story...its power can manifest, but you are the ones that play the pivital role in making sure Carmelo''s death was NOT IN VAIN.

This story SHOCKS THE CONSCIENCE and that, in and of itself, should be enough to change the law. The BASIC rights of REDRESS are FOUNDED on actions and consequences that "SHOCK THE CONSCIENCE". Every one of us could imagine Carmelo being our son or brother. Too often, we feel like the Government is ''Goliath'' and that we are ''David'', especially as of late. The RODRIGUES'' had the STONE. Thanks for providing the SLINGSHOT. GREAT WORK!!!

To the RODRIGUES''...my heart is with you. Thank you for following the wishes of Carmelo and the direction of GOD. Obviously the two were intertwined!

[tgrays2004]

....I CAN''T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW THIS MORNING ON THE NEWS!!!! I cried. And Cried. Once I made it to work I shared this with my co-workers. I called long distance and informed my family members..We need to inform everybody we know about this!!! This is so tragic!!!!! Anyway that I could help pls email me @ [e-mail]. And we live in the GREAT United States of America....hum...

[mswrichb]

God Bless this family! God bless you for doing this story! I am a veteran of the Army and nothing our military/government does to our troops, airmen, sailors, Marines, and guardsmen suprises me. Please keep broadcasting about this issue because this is a law that must be changed.

[bullskating]

It hurt my heart to see the article on SGT Rodriguez. I too served in the military and retired from the United States Army 2 years ago. I was not amazed but hurt that this happened to this Marine. I too had a soldier who was misdiagnosed with cancer and died. His frequent trips to sick call only led to several bottles of Motrin. He was finally seen after a knot appeared on his head about the size of an orange. I was one of the military''s biggest recruiters after I retired. But now after watching this recent article and reflecting back on my past-%u201CI have officially hung up my boots%u201D. The law needs to be changed!! To the Rodriguez family "God Speed and God Bless".

SFC Parker (retired)

[walkerev1]

This is a problem that is not bound by which branch of the service, what rank the individual was or even a matter of monetary compensation. It''s a matter of a good person dying before their time. It''s a matter of people losing a loved one for no good reason. My brother was retiring from the Army as a full Colonel,at his discharge physical the Army doctor found a growth on his back and even added it to his files as an identifing mark. By the time it was properly diagnosed it had spread all through his body. He was already in stage 4 melanoma. I don''t think any in our family give a *** about suing the government, we just want him back. Obviously that can''t happen. I do feel that due to the Feres Doctrine, the military medical system is more likely to have some less than highly talented doctors serving there because of the protection it gives them. I have found that reserve medical personnel do seem to be of higher quality. My heart goes out to the family of Sgt. Rodriguez and to all of the other families that like my own that have needlessly lost a loved one.

[pjscheider]

I am the mother of an active duty Marine.Can anyone tell me which of our Presidential candidates support tossing out this criminal law?My prayers are with Sgt. Rodriguez''s family, because they are my family. We are Marine families. Semper Fi!

[marcel334-2009]

After what I just saw on the CBS Evening News, the death of Carmelo Rodriguez III, I am shocked and embarrassed to me an American. How in the world could this have happened? This is a healthy young man fighting for US. This is how we repay him? To say that what happened is "unfair" is not adequate. What happened is CRIMINAL. What is going on? I wrote every public official I could regarding this shameful loss. Something must be done IMMEDIATELY.

[debdorbak61]

As a mother of a Army soldier, I am saddened and disgusted by this story. Most of all, I am outraged that he was not given a military funeral--that the family had to pay for a military funeral, Hello, what are the Marine''s thinking? Apparently they were/are not. Semper Fi? Rest in Peace Carmelo, God Bless his family. Keep the strength to keep this story in the spot light....how many others are there?

[sandmd6]

I just watched this about an hour ago,
I AM OUTRAGED!! Such a beautiful man reduced to skin & bones, I could hardly contain it when they showed him seconds away from death with his son holding his hand.
HOW CAN this be allowed to happen to OUR soldiers??
OUR AMERICAN SOLDIERS??!!!
This could''ve been my cousin who is a Marine, or any of your family members who served & gave so much only to be treated this way??
EVERYONE should be outraged about this law & the medical care our soldiers recieve. HOW CAN our government have SOOO much money to waste on their lavish dinners & banquets & politicians & they dont have money to pour into the medical system for our finest who give so much of their lives !!!

[garyrn]

I HAVE ALMOST AN IDENTICAL STORY TO SHARE ABOUT MY BROTHER, WHO DIED AT JUST 39 YEARS OLD. I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE IT WITH THE RODRIGUEZ FAMILY. IS THERE A WAY TO CONTACT THEM VIA EMAIL? My heart and prayers go out to your entire family as your lives are forever changed. [e-mail]

[jparks15]

My family went through the same thing with the VA Hospital several years ago. My late brother in law (a Vietnam Vet) was misdiagnosed several times. By the time his cancer was found he had a mass growing in his groin the size of grapefruit. He was told that it was a hernia and also muscle spams. When he could no longer walk he admitted but they would not run any tests until a week later. The reason was they put him in isolation because he had not finished his TB meds from when he returned from Vietnam. When tested it was cancer and it had spread all over his body. They sent him home but wanted him to come back to hospital for chemo three time a week then to Miami twice a week for radiation. The man could not walk let alone get to the hospital for chemo an hour away and radiation would have been three hours away. My husband and I ended up paying for a lot of his treatment with a private doctor and we had to pay the entire amount for hospice. He died a year later. They decided that his cancer was caused by exposure to Agent Orange. If the doctors had listened to him when he first complained about the pain and fatigue could have been treated? We will never know but maybe some of the pain and suffering he went through could have been avoided.
His VA Oncologist was totally rude to the entire family from the beginning. Like we were bothering him asking for help.

There should be some accountability for these doctors/medical professionals.

[sesposito3]

Medical Malpractice in general is out of control. On Decemenber 31,2001 I buried my 15 year old daughter, Dawn Marie Esposito, from Medical Malpractice. I share and sympathize with the Rodriguez family as I know their pain all to well. Does congress realize that doctors are the only people on this earth who can take someone life and get away with it. I have been trying so hard to have my story told as well, but yet the media does not seem to be interest and yet I have not been successful. Why don''t the politician attack this topic? Over 100,000 people die each year from medical malpractice.

[kbbinky]

I am heart sick and sad that a young man has died at the hands of the ''military medical establishment''. However I am not surprised, my own son served almost 9 years in the Air Force. 7 years in he fell and injured his lower back. It took the doctors 10 months to have an MRI done to see what was wrong with him. If not for actions by my Congressman Ben Chandler after a desperate plea from me to intervene I am not sure what further consequences he would have suffered. The worst part was that his own supervisors from his MSgt. on up to the Lt. did not believe that he was in constant pain. When he was finally medically discharged just 4 months before his contract was due to expire his Lt. told him in his private office that he was a disgrace to the United States Air Force. This after he had spent 4 years in AFJROTC and his nearly 9 years of service. I am bitter for him, he still has pain everyday. He is trying to get on with his life but with the medical restrictions he has not been able to find a job.
He has started college, but the great Montgomery GI Bill he paid into only pays him $1035.00 per month to live on. For a family of 3 that is poverty level. I would love to help to fight to change this law

[mfoster913]

There are no words that can ever express the depth of heartache I have for the Rodriquez family. It is truly despicable for our military, our country to allow this type of thing to occur in the first place then not own up to the many mistakes that were obviously made. Furthermore, how can we, as a country, allow payment to other programs and people yet not take care of those that fight for us and die for us? The law that was put in place over 50 years ago is no law at all- it''s a crime- and the crime committed against Carmelo Rodriquez is nothing short of murder and should be handled as such.
God Bless the Rodriquez family and all American Soldiers and their families that have suffered and been victimized by the hands of the United States Government.

[gregs64ford]

As a member of the USAF for 23 years, I have watched our healthcare slowly decline. The Clinton years were the worst. Bill really pulled the rug out from under us. I found Carmelo''s story so shocking and sad... but not surprising when I think about the military''s tendency to protect their officers when a mistake is made. An enlisted member would suffer the consequences of such a mistake. The doctors that misdiagnosed Carmelo should be Court Marshaled. The USMC should be ashamed. I have had pretty good healthcare while in the service, but I have caught errors before they got bad. As for medically retiring a member when they are terminally ill, I have seen it many times in the past and still question this practice. I have been told it is to take advantage of retired benefits, but why can%u2019t more of their active duty benefits be maintained as well? The USMC should have to pay for Carmelo%u2019s funeral%u2026 and much more. I send my heartfelt condolences to Carmelo%u2019s family.

[tlcatlett]

When our daughter was 3 we nearly lost her to blatant malpractice in a military hospital. She nearly died in my arms in a waiting room from complications of a rare form of croup. She ended up with a trach and bilateral chest tubes and spent ten days in intensive care. We were told we could not sue but, against the advice of my husband''s commander, I did speak to a congressman. Keep after them, Byron!!

[kelmona]

There are no words that can express how awful that I feel for this family. My thoughts are with them and I hope that all of us sit down and ask ourselves what we can do to help in Mr. Rodriquez''s cause. Thank you for bringing us the story that obviously many families have had to go through, but that we had no clue about. As so many bills are passed that weren''t intended to cause harm, this is one of those at the top of the list. It must be changed and we have to demand it be changed. I''m sure it''s intention was to protect the government but we pay the government to protect us...and Mr. Rodriquez did that more than most of us would do... the government failed him and his human rights. Peace be with the Rodriquez family and I can only hope that change happens... QUICKLY!

[fufu29]

I have never written a comment in a blog ...but i felt overwhelmingly compelled to send my condolunces to the rodriguez family i watched carmelo''s story on tv and just broke down in tears i am so glad this was brought to the publi because i am one whom did not know that this was going on your son father brother uncle nephew grandson was a solidier and still is. thank you thank you thank you for sharing your story my prayers are with all of you.