SOLDIERING ON: Sgt. Refuses Medical Retirement Before 100 Percent
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Sgt. Steve Garner, a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, has declined an offer of medical retirement at 70 percent for his injuries, insisting that he will serve until his disability rating reaches 100 percent.
“There are so many quitters out there, you know?” Garner mused while cleaning his loaded rifle. “A 70 percent rating shows a 70 percent commitment. I told the doc, 'The Army has paid me for 100 percent and by God they will get it all.' As will I."
"I won’t rest until the mission is complete and I can't work another day in my life.”
Garner’s military care physician, Dr. Sonya Reyes, has tried to persuade Garner to end his service immediately. “His sleep apnea, tinnitus, and fibromyalgia aren’t getting any worse with continued service, so he’s going to need an entirely new injury. Besides, as the gatekeeper of government funds, it’s my job to see to it that no soldier gets more compensation than they force me to get for them.”
To Garner, disabilities are no…
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