Marines Launch Wounded Warrior Regiment

Before the exposure of shoddy administration and lodging of wounded soldiers assigned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway already was creating the framework for a wounded warrior regiment. Marine Col. Gregory Boyle took command of the regiment at the Quantico, Va. headquarters April 1. The regiment will have a battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and one at Camp Lejeune, N.C., locations where facilities already are in operation. The regiment will provide unity and continuity of command, with one commander responsible for meeting the needs of the wounded, said Boyle. The unit will help patients with evaluation boards and insurance claims as well as track them through the administrative bureaucracy of their recovery. It also will help them transition from the military health system to that of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and will follow up with them throughout the country, said Boyle.