WP: (Walter Reed) Hospital Officials Knew of Neglect

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801954.html

Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years.

A procession of Pentagon and Walter Reed officials expressed surprise last week about the living conditions and bureaucratic nightmares faced by wounded soldiers staying at the D.C. medical facility. But as far back as 2003, the commander of Walter Reed, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who is now the Army's top medical officer, was told that soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were languishing and lost on the grounds, according to interviews.

Steve Robinson, director of veterans affairs at Veterans for America, said he ran into Kiley in the foyer of the command headquarters at Walter Reed shortly after the Iraq war began and told him that "there are people in the barracks who are drinking themselves to death and people who are sharing drugs and people not getting the care they need."

"I met guys who weren't going to appointments because the hospital didn't even know they were there," Robinson said. Kiley told him to speak to a sergeant major, a top enlisted officer.

<snip>

Last October, Joyce Rumsfeld, the wife of then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, was taken to Walter Reed by a friend concerned about outpatient treatment. She attended a weekly meeting, called Girls Time Out, at which wives, girlfriends and mothers of soldiers exchange stories and offer support.

Friend was told after this was found out that she was no longer welcome as a volunteer at Walter Reed.

[barb162]

1. I have been hearing of this for years. The veterans are being

f--ked over for years now becaue of inadequate facilities,care, and funds. Now that the Dems are controlling Congress it is time to allocate funds to the military hospitals and make sure the soldiers get the BEST care available.

[magellan]

2. Heard the same from an Army Times correspondent on KO tonight

She said the Pentagon/Walter Reed have known about this since 2005, when the GAO report came out listing the problems.

I just knew there was a reason Gates was being all smarmy and ingratiating to the press for "revealing" the deplorable conditions at WR. These bastards never stop lying, and never do the right thing till pressed. Their contemptible, casual hypocrisy -- even concerning the welfare of our soldiers -- knows no limit.

And it should worry people: if they're willing to treat our wounded servicemen this way and then lie about it, what WON'T they lie about?

[imax2268]

3. This is just unacceptable...

plain and simple...and I'm mad as hell about this...

and the fu#king right wingers are just making excuses for Bush and his cronies. Our service members deserve better then this...I wonder how all those people with those shitty stickers on their cars feel about this...

Somebody needs to be held accountable for this...I sure as hell hope that my party, the Democrats will do something about this...it's time for people to lose their jobs, their pensions and be held acountable...

[Rose Siding]

4. The SecDef's WIFE knew?! When's his Medal of Honor ceremony, anyway?

This goes right to the top. :grr:

[w4rma]

6. That whole corrupt administration knows. Probably the entire GOP leadership.

They don't care about our soldiers beyond how they can use them for war profiteering.

[AlCzervik]

5. a national disgrace.

[fladonkey]

7. Wasn't Walter Reed.....

on the list to be closed...could this just be an excuse to close it?

My great-grandfather served with Walter Reed. My uncle has a photo of the two of them. Reed inscribed the back.

[maddezmom]

8. kick

:(

[WePurrsevere]

9. "Support The Troops"... "Congress shouldn't micromanage the war..."

Oh yeah right... like the RW/BuSh* cabal is doing such a wonderful job at supporting our troops and managing the war. :eyes:

Sorry but you've had your chance... you messed up big time and now it's time to shut up and let the Democrats come in and clean up your mess as usual.

Our troops and veterans deserve the BEST care and the BEST facilities we can provide. I've long felt strongly about this and perhaps more so since this time I'm much more aware that they were sent in under false pretenses (LIES) for revenge, money and power. :grr:

[jannyk]

10. WaPo: Hospital Officials Knew of Neglect

Dana Priest (& Ann Hull) does it again......

>At a news conference last week, Kiley, who declined several requests for interviews for this article, said that the problems of Building 18 "weren't serious and there weren't a lot of them." He also said they were not "emblematic of a process of Walter Reed that has abandoned soldiers and their families."

But according to interviews, Kiley, his successive commanders at Walter Reed and various top noncommissioned officers in charge of soldiers' lives have heard a stream of complaints about outpatient treatment over the past several years. The complaints have surfaced at town hall meetings for staff and soldiers, at commanders' "sensing sessions" in which soldiers or officers are encouraged to speak freely, and in several inspector general's reports detailing building conditions, safety issues and other matters<

snip

>In 2004, Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and his wife stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration. Young said he voiced concerns to commanders over troubling incidents he witnessed but was rebuffed or ignored. "When Bev or I would bring problems to the attention of authorities of Walter Reed, we were made to feel very uncomfortable," said Young, who began visiting the wounded recuperating at other facilities.

Beverly Young said she complained to Kiley several times. She once visited a soldier who was lying in urine on his mattress pad in the hospital. When a nurse ignored her, Young said, "I went flying down to Kevin Kiley's office again, and got nowhere. He has skirted this stuff for five years and blamed everyone else."<

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801954.html

[jannyk]

11. Did...

...anyone else get a WTF moment when reading this part?...

>>In 2004, Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and his wife stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration.<<

[salin]

13. pretty stunning. And incredibly disgusting the lack of concern and action.

[Seldona]

28. I certainly did.

The Democratic leadership needs to grab this by the tail and run with it. This, more than any other issue, really shows what this administration is all about. They are LIARS who only look out for their oil and defense contractors.

They knew about troops with limbs blown off lying in their own filth, among cockroaches and rats for god's sake! They should never be trusted again. Ever.

[RaleighNCDUer]

30. No shit.

He tries to do the right thing, is rebuffed, so he just stops going.

He's a fuckin congressman! Why didn't he bring up his 'frustration' on the floor? Introduce a bill to DO something about it?

[babylonsister]

12. Those who knew (KILEY) about the conditions and did nothing or skirted

the complaints should be court-martialed. End of story. Set some examples.

[Nay]

14. My Q too -- why are those in charge not in federal prison and

dishonorably discharged? Prob because it goes all the way to the top. . .

[Danmel]

15. Why didn't the Congressman and his wife

Hold a press conference and let the world know what they saw in 2004? The injured have suffered for two more years because these people didn't go to the press then.


Nobody has much to be proud of here

[babylonsister]

16. From where I sit, it appears nobody did anything, and that's as

much a travesty as these soldiers being there in the first place. :grr:

[jannyk]

18. How many Congressman & Senators have

known what has been going on and said/done nothing? They all claim to be visiting WR and our celebrate the 'glory' of our wounded troops any chance they get.

"We got 'frustrated' so we stopped going"?? That was nearly three years ago?? With the escalation of violence in Iraq over the past eighteen months, did they assume the system had miraculously healed itself? Again, where was the outrage?

[Greyskye]

24. The *REPUBLICAN* Congressman and his wife

In 2004, Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and his wife stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration. Young said he voiced concerns to commanders over troubling incidents he witnessed but was rebuffed or ignored. "When Bev or I would bring problems to the attention of authorities of Walter Reed, we were made to feel very uncomfortable," said Young, who began visiting the wounded recuperating at other facilities.

Beverly Young said she complained to Kiley several times. She once visited a soldier who was lying in urine on his mattress pad in the hospital. When a nurse ignored her, Young said, "I went flying down to Kevin Kiley's office again, and got nowhere. He has skirted this stuff for five years and blamed everyone else."

Young said that even after Kiley left Walter Reed to become the Army's surgeon general, "if anything could have been done to correct problems, he could have done it."

So let me get this straight. A Congressional Representative knew, from first-hand experience, that our wounded veterans were getting substandard, even degrading outpatient care at the VA's premier medical facility. His response? To stop going there, and visit other facilities instead! Then they whine that others had known about this disgrace for 5 years, and all they had done was blame others. WTF did THEY do to correct the situation? Did the Republican Representative from Florida enter the issue into the Congressional Record? Did he commission hearings? Did he do anything OTHER than stick his head in the sand and stop going to Walter Reed? :mad:

[soup]

40. because - "I don't do my business through the press"

I am FLIPPIN' OUT over this statement made by Young.

>snip<
The Youngs said that they complained to Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, who headed the hospital and is now the Army's surgeon general, and that they were not satisfied with his response. They said they complained to other Army officials.

Rep. Young, who at the time was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he did not hold hearings or complain in a press release.

"I don't do my business through the press," he said.

But Young said he was "offended" recently when Kiley blamed his subordinates for the Walter Reed problems.

"He was the boss and had been told about many of these problems by Beverly and by me," said Young, who is now the senior Republican on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. "I think he should be held accountable."
>snip<
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/02/Worldandnation/Young_faces_fury_in_v.shtml


"Held Accountable" - plenty of that to go around, I'd say.

[displacedtexan]

17. C.W. Young felt "uncomfortable?" Check out his bio!

Ahem.

A veteran of the Army National Guard, Young is nationally known for his expertise on defense and security issues. He currently serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, a post he previously held from 1995-1998, and is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs.

From 1999-2005, Congressman Young served as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, overseeing the entire federal discretionary budget. In addition to his previous tenure as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Young has also served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. His 14 years of service on the Intelligence Committee is the longest tenure of any member in history.

Throughout his service on the Appropriations Committee, Young has been dedicated to improving the quality of life of the men and women who serve in the military. He regularly meets with enlisted personnel and officers to assess their needs, and as a result, Congress has invested in improved base housing, better medical care, increased pay, and more modern equipment for the military.

LINK

[jannyk]

19. I'm gobsmacked...

so the guy who stopped going because it became too 'frustrating' was the one in a position to do something about it - and did nothing but stop going?

I am beyond sick at the hypocrisy.

[displacedtexan]

20. Repulicks are now in CYA mode.

We can expect to hear more "No one could have predicted"
CYA statements.

[Vinca]

21. For starters, the big shots need to be fired.

This isn't Abu Ghraib where only the small fry were nailed despite the trail going to the top. In this case, the small fry are hobbling around a seedy building and the top of the chain doesn't give a damn. Fire them. NOW!

[moondust]

22. Let the heads roll!

Starting at the top!

(Of course cleaning up the squalid living conditions at Walter Reed won't help Republican warmongers win their Middle East Adventures in Violence. It will just cost money. :grr: Cost money. :grr: Cost money. :grr: Cost money. :grr: ...)

[IWantAChange]

23. GOP supports the troops! What BizzaroWorld are they living in??

Oh I get it - since most troops come from lower middle and low income families they are being treated exactly the same as if they were just good ol' civilians looking up at the HAVES.

[A Simple Game]

25. I can tell from just this one short post that you will never succeed

at being a serf.

You never look up at the haves. You always look down, never take a chance on eye contact, that could embarrass them.

[IWantAChange]

38. my Dad had a simple philosophy - don't take sh^% from anybody

[A Simple Game]

39. Your Dad was a smart man.

I often have a problem with authority figures myself.

[disndat]

26. I heard

that Alan Greenspan caused the market to drop 500+ points on Tuesday to cover-up this huge scandal, and maybe some other, by dropping a negative economic comment while on a visit to Asia. This country is being run by gangsters.

[deutsey]

27. Newsflash: They don't give a fuck what you think

until it gets reported.

:evilfrown:

[A wise Man]

29. This totally piss'es me off

I'm a Viet'Nam vet and in no love for war, for I've been there. Why hasn't there been a resounding voice of complete "OUT RAGE OVER THIS". Bush and his jack ass cronies made up this stupid war for the resources of a country that did absolutely nothing to the USA, and look how our vets and troops are treated for the false duties they have done to an unconstitutional war. These FUCKING ASS HOLES!!! Where the hell is the media? I am so sick of this S_ _ T!!!

[niceypoo]

31. You mean they noticed the mold on the ceilings and the vomit stains on the walls?

And the rats scurrying about and the holes in the walls and the piss drenched carpets? How observant of them to notice such things in their own workplace. You would think that it would cross their minds to attempt to do something about it??

[caligirl]

32. Walter Reed general loses his command

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_Walter_Reed.html
Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA - 9 minutes ago
George W. Weightman, who was commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command as well as Walter Reed hospital, was relieved of command by ...

[jhrobbins]

33. I just saw this too, so I'm wondering if Maj. Gen. Weightman....

isn't the sacrificial lamb that this administration is so adept at slaughtering.

[GregW]

34. And who gets appointed to replace Weightman??? - KILEY

:wtf:

[PATRICK]

35. The attitudes had been building for years

if I am not mistaken. The hospital system had been complained about for a long time. It may have been a disaster waiting for a war to turn it into a full blown horror show. The point is not to exculpate the Bush role of making bad things worse especially in a crisis. Do they have the chutzpah to blame Vietnam style failures in the medical care crunch? If desperate enough, of course they do.

Some of the traditional military blunders constantly repeated, overlooked in "success" or covered up during the more usual "quagmire" are: planning versus the real world, making plans worse though lousy implementation and self-defeating tampering, lack of supplies, lack of back up, draining of resources, no real or sustainable offset in seizing the assets of the defeated, miscalculating resistance, thinking an occupation is long term realistic goal, relying on armament or strategic supremacy, taking the national support(too easily given) for granted, substituting elan for common sense, thinking the destructive power of war is a necessary answer to too many of the world's problems(but that is what we train the military to do and this can be manipulated by "leaders" who forget this is a last resort contingency not routine imperial policy. The unreality of the military culture is not sustained by the common culture and its system without a tremendous drain so routinely soldiers are mistreated, discarded, disdained to the universal end of never having to fund their needs completely. Empires groaning under the economic failures of war seem thus to take it out on the soldiers of the lowest rank. Encouraged tacitly to loot, to get out and be forgotten, they are punished when the do the former and don't do the latter.

For the people hurriedly running our military into the ground, the old British system seems a fine thing to them. Cull the ignorant from the streets. harsh discipline. Looting in the field. Scornful treatment. Privatize(East India Company) then come back again with the regular army. Privileged officer corps open to the highest bidder with less concern about rounded education. Daring and arrogance with an absolute disregard to casualties or the nations being attacked. Dangerous, even reckless reliance on a strategic supremacy which is glorious as long as you win but provides the opportunity for catastrophic ruin depending very often on mere chance. Lost America. Beat Napoleon and Europe. Utterly incapable of winning WWI without the US. Final loss of Empire to their Asian imitators and fed up populaces. Shrinking the military to small "professional" task forces whose natural abuse is to be a corporate war police force such as preceded the World Wars.

Likewise the idea and longevity of empire is a diseased obsolescence of shrinking possibility. The ones trying to sustain themselves though military power might be those corporations whose existence otherwise has also come to a natural decline and use the contra-sense power of empire and war which cause economic havoc and ruin in creative ways to profit themselves like vampires on a dying corpse. Such malignancies can never have any respect for the tools or the victims of their desires and facing the evils of their goals and results is logically impossible for those set on the absurd glory path to financial profit wars. In fact, were there a reputable group of rational people in charge of any related institutions in this horror show, they would need to be brought into line with the rest of swamp- and destroyed. As is the case with the pure bestiality of our current regime.

[superconnected]

36. I haven't seen an article where the administration was supporting our troops yet.

I have only seen where they(the administration) aren't supporting them - Armor wise, training wise, mental health care, healthcare, and benfits wise.

and of course where they attack everyone else for not supporting them - by being pro war.

[Botany]

37. Joyce Rumsfeld wife of Don went and saw it and told Don?

Guess the "we didn't know" defense is out the window.

Don should be taken out and horse whipped. Our vets were
who were wounded in battle had to stay in that hell hole?




This is just like Katrina all over again.