Jackson arrived at the Georgia Army post near Savannah three weeks after sick and injured reservists here complained bitterly about living in barracks without air-conditioning or indoor toilets while waiting weeks or months for medical appointments.
Jackson told a group of about a dozen soldiers outside a clinic on Fort Stewart that ``America can do much better than that.''
But the barracks Jackson toured with Fort Stewart commanders were empty.
The 614 National Guard and Army Reserve troops on ``medical hold,'' meaning they're too sick for regular duties but don't require hospitalization, have been moved to nearby hotels or are sharing barracks with active-duty soldiers at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah.
Fort Stewart opened a new clinic two weeks ago specifically to treat reservists. And 50 of the citizen-soldiers have been moved to Fort Gordon in Augusta, home of the Army's Southeast Regional Medical Command.
Asked about changes the Army has made, Jackson said they came too late -- and only after the sick reservists complained.
Jackson was also in Gainesville Monday, stopping briefly to address the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia which is meeting this week at the Georgia Mountains Center.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/11/169267