The unreal travesty at Walter Reed

[babylonsister]

http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/OPINION/203090318/1008/OPINION

The unreal travesty at Walter Reed

It's unimaginable, even surreal, that the scandal that recently engulfed Walter Reed Army Medical Center, supposedly the Army's premiere medical facility, could even happen.

The most unbelievable part, without question, is that courageous American troops who survived wounds in Iraq, injuries that include brain trauma, the loss of limbs and psychological damage, returned home for outpatient treatment only to be housed in ramshackle rooms with mold for wallpaper and mice and cockroaches for roommates.

Just a step down on the shock meter is the fact these warriors were often confronted with an incompetent, uncaring and unnavigable bureaucracy in seeking the most routine medical and administrative help at Walter Reed.

Beyond that, though, it's also unfathomable the Bush administration, which lectures the planet on supporting the troops while witnessing the unabated erosion of support for the Iraq war, wouldn't do all humanly possible to assure all involved - the soldiers, their families and the American people - that wounded troops receive the finest care possible. We shudder to think whether some Army commanders did consider this the best care to be had.

And that point is the final aspect of an unthinkable situation, which included Defense Secretary Robert Gates publicly thanking the media for bringing this situation to light. Walter Reed is in the nation's capital, which means that prior to its exposure last month by The Washington Post, this scandal percolated right under the noses of the country's highest political and military officials. How could that happen?

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[panader0]

1. I've gotta believe that the conditions at Walter Reed are

duplicated at the majority of Veteran's hospitals. Most are old and have poor service and care.

[babylonsister]

2. Sadly, I think you're right. nt