It's moments like this that show why I'm such a Tammy Duckworth fan ~ she is fan-frigging-tastic! ~ ~ the clips are well worth the time to watch ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original ~ Sooz

Double-amputee veteran Tammy Duckworth rips contractor’s twisted ankle ‘disability’
By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, June 27, 2013 13:41 EDT

Appearing Wednesday to testify before a House committee, the owner of a military IT contracting company was lectured and shamed by Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), an Iraq veteran and double amputee who grilled him about a military disability claim he filed 27 years after twisting his ankle in prep school.

The recent exploits of Braulio Castillo, CEO of Strong Castle, Inc., are discussed in some detail by the House Oversight Committee’s recent investigation (PDF) of the company’s contracts and the Castillo’s alleged relationship to a top official at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The committee’s report explains that he filed a military disability claim on May 26, 2011 based upon an ankle injury he sustained playing football at a military prep school, and began receiving compensation for his injury on July 1.

As it happened, this status as an injured military veteran also made his company eligible for a whole slate of government contracts specially set aside for companies run by injured vets. He also, somehow, still managed to keep playing football in college despite this allegedly terrible injury.

“My family and I have made considerable sacrifices for our country,” he wrote to a VA examiner as part of his request for access to special contracts. “My service connected disability status should serve as a testimony to that end. I can’t play with my kids because I can’t walk without pain. I take twice daily pain medication so I can work a normal day’s worth. These are crosses that I bear due to my service to our great country. I would do it again to protect this great country.”

He was approved for this special status, and Strong Castle, Inc., founded just in 2011, went on to win over $500 million in government contracts. Investigators later discovered they didn’t even have employees working in their office space.

To say that Duckworth — who lost both her legs and part of her right arm after an RPG blew her helicopter out of the sky in Iraq — seemed eager to tear into Castillo would be an understatement. Appearing before her committee on Wednesday, he endured one of the most epic shamings any federal contractor has faced in recent memory.

“Does your foot hurt?” she asked, scowling. He said yes.

“My feet hurt too,” Duckworth replied. “In fact, the balls of my feet burn continuously, and I feel like there’s a nail being hammered into my heel right now. So I can understand pain and suffering, and how service connection can actually cause long-term, unremitting, unyielding, unstoppable pain.”

“I’m sorry that twisting your ankle in high school has now come back to hurt you in such a painful way,” she added.

The tongue lashing that ensued went on for nearly eight minutes as Duckworth explained to Castillo in excruciating detail why people like him are the cause of the major backlog in military disability claims.

“I’m so glad that you would be willing to play football in prep school again to protect this great country,” she said. “Shame on you. You may not have broken any laws… but you certainly broke the trust of this great nation. You broke the trust of veterans.”

She went on: “Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are waiting right now an average of 237 days for an initial disability rating, and it’s because people like you who are gaming the system are adding that backlog. Young men and women suffering from post-traumatic stress, who are missing limbs, cannot get the care that they need.”

This video is from YouTube, published Wednesday, June 26, 2013.


This video explaining the investigation into Castillo’s company is from CBS News, broadcast Tuesday, June 25, 2013. [Sooz says this clip is accessible via the end link.]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/27/double-amputee-veteran-tammy-duckworth-rips-contractors-twisted-ankle-disability/

Mr. Castillo could have his ankle taken care of in jail.

Isn't it great to see these strong women speak out against powerful men? Wendy and now Tammy, after years of hearing the likes of Bachmann, Coulter and the other conservative bitches spouting their ill-guided crap.
Oooh, can't forget a special mention for Orly in that group.

Even Pelosi got in a sly slam against Bachmann. I love it!:

It took Nancy Pelosi just two words on Wednesday to take Michele Bachmann down a notch.

The House minority leader was asked during a press conference what she thought of Bachmann's intense denunciation earlier in the day of the Supreme Court's historic rulings in favor of gay marriage. She replied with a shrug:

"Who cares?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/2 ... 05535.html

Bam!

Sooz, I think it was you who spoke of her a few years ago and I have been watching since then. She is an amazing woman and I have the greatest respect for her. This is just one more example of why I do.

It likely was me, Jeanne ~ being a "local girl", it was HUGE local news here when her helicopter was shot down, and I have followed her since then ~ IL governor Pat Quinn hired her to direct the IL Department of Veteran Affairs and she did an outstanding job ~ not long after Obama was first elected, he brought her to WDC as [I think] Deputy Director of Veteran Affairs ~ then in 2010, she ran against the bozo Joe Walsh for Congress and, unbelievably, lost to him ~ she rechallenged him two years later ... and WON the seat ~ her character and integrity make her a real role model for everyone everywhere ~

Sooz

Watch where you step. That worm wriggling out of the hearing room may not be a worm.

I loved every minute of watching this video!

I saw the video of this. Castillo must have left with his tail between his legs.

You can't help but have respect for Duckworth.

Go Tammy!

yeah. it was amazing how she handled the first half of it.

Wow! Castillo commented he wasn't well...after that tongue lashing I'm sure he was sick if he wasn't before! Wonder how many jerks like him are out there gaming the system?

20% for her nearly blown off arm and 40% for his twisted ankle? Wonder who he knew....

I am happy she fussed with him, but isn't she furious with the wrong people. This clown applied. Some federal employee or more probably group of employees approved his disability claim gave him special status.

Clean house!!!!

True. However, isn't it much like when you get too much change back at a store? First of all HE applied for a twisted ankle. FFS! Then he KNEW it was bogus and just took the money and ran. I agree that the house needs cleaning, but at what level? What I think would happen is the low man on the totem pole who first approved his claim would become the scapegoat, like always. I'm sure it goes much higher, but the top brass never take the fall. Someone's palm was greased at a high level or it wouldn't have made it.

There are no low men on those totem poles. Generally GS-14 and up and they generally get nice management jobs with contractors post retirement.

So it was nice theatre, but the play goes on....

The federal employee probably didn't have any choice. He fit the rules, they had to approve. Was that federal employee the reason he was appearing in front of the Congressional Committee?

Really? When my Mom and I applied for my Dad's VA disability, we had to meet with a young woman in the office at the VA. I really doubt that she had such a high level ranking. I'm pretty sure she had people above her pay grade and title.

From what I've seen, you go thru hell trying to get disability status, and it takes a year or years.
My son in law, with about 1/2 of 1 functioning lung and a disintegrating spine, had to go through it. Rule of thumb, they say, is they turn you down twice on general principle and look more closely if you're bad enough to come back a third time.

We're talking about the VA system. You're referring to the entire American health care system where the first stop for any claim is the department that can find an excuse, any excuse, for denying it.

It's clear this guy looked for and found a way to finance his company by gaming the system ~ pay attention to the timing in the quote from the op below ~ all emphasis/bolding is mine ~ ~ Sooz

Keep an eye on this young lady. Something tells me she's going places.

This has to do with the SBA and qualifying for the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses status.

http://www.sba.gov/content/service-disa ... ns-sdvosbc

Lots of paperwork, lots of criteria and many signatures required to get approval.