Groups: 43K unfit sent to combat theaters

WASHINGTON, May 8 (UPI) -- More than 43,000 U.S. troops found medically unfit were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan anyway, yet another sign of stress on the military, advocacy groups said.

The number of medically unfit soldiers was based on health assessment forms completed by medical personnel before the service personnel were deployment, USA Today reported Thursday.

"It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops," said Bobby Muller, president of Veterans For America."They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before redeploying."

Pentagon records don't list conditions or whether they were rectified before deployment, said Michael Kilpatrick of the Pentagon's Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs.

Pentagon employees examined 10,000 health records in 2007 to determine reasons for the non-deployment decisions, Kilpatrick said, listing a need for eyeglasses, dental work or allergy medicine, and some mental health cases as some of the reasons.

Unit commanders make the final decision about whether a solder is deployed to a combat zone, although doctors can recommend against deployment because of a medical issue, Army spokeswoman Kim Waldron told USA Today.