CONFIRMED: Top House Spending Official Knew Of Walter Reed Squalor

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/08/young-knew-walter-reed/

CONFIRMED: Top House Spending Official Knew Of Walter Reed Squalor


Congressional Quarterly confirms today that senior House conservatives, including the chairmen of the appropriations and oversight committees, knew about the neglect and deplorable conditions at Walter Reed years before they were exposed by the Washington Post.


Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), former chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said he stopped short of going public with the hospital’s problems “to avoid embarrassing the Army while it was fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”:

“We got in Gen. Kiley’s face on a regular basis,” Young said, adding that he even contacted the commander of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda in the hopes of getting better care there for the patient with the aneurysm, though doctors at Walter Reed declined to transfer him. …

“We did not go public with these concerns, because we did not want to undermine the confidence of the patients and their families and give the Army a black eye while fighting a war,” Young said.

Young claims he regularly “got in Gen. Kiley’s face.” But Kiley never responded to Young’s complaints. Nevertheless, as ThinkProgress noted last week, Young was publicly praising Kiley during a congressional hearing as recently as January:

YOUNG: Well, Mr. Chairman, I want to join you in welcoming our guests and our witnesses today, having known especially Don Arthur and General Kiley very, very well over the years. I thought they’d get tired of seeing us in their hospitals. And we haven’t had as much opportunity to visit with the Air Force, General. But I know that these gentlemen are committed to providing our war heroes with the very, very best medical care that is possible.

Also, while Young claims he didn’t want to go public with the problems at Walter Reed, he was more than willing to use wounded veterans publicly as a political cudgel. Here is Young on the House floor on 11/18/05, speaking against Rep. John Murtha’s (D-PA) redeployment plan:

YOUNG: So tonight, Mr. Speaker, we need to send a strong message to our troops and to their families. For those families who are dealing with the loss of a loved one, for those families who are dealing with a seriously wounded soldier or marine who might be at Walter Reed Hospital or at Bethesda Hospital or at Landsthul in Germany, we need to let them know that we are here to support them. (CR, p. H11009)

[radfringe]

1. is that the new excuse? -- to avoid embarassment?

last week they were just "surprised"

this week they were trying to avoid embarassment? doesn't this imply they knew about it,and the "we were surprised" excuse of last week was a lie?

[rock]

12. "while it was fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan"

Um, that would be the soldiers that were fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. You know, the ones that Walter Reed was supposed to be taking care of. Disgusting isn't it?

[calimary]

19. Support our troops! Suppress the truth!

Actually, it was another DUer here, forgive me for not making a note of the person to give proper credit, who said "Support our OOPS."

Stamp Out Inconvenient Truths! :sarcasm:

They KNEW. And they SAT ON IT. Maybe it's time WE SIT ON THEM.

Call your congressperson... TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers conveniently located in my sig line...

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

29. "Support our OOPS." ...That was coalition_unwilling from this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2691619&mesg_id=2693000

just put "Support our OOPS" ..in the google toolbar, then use the "search site" button. you can add that button from the toolbar options, under the buttons tab. It's a great tool, IMHO

[calimary]

36. EXCELLENT!!! Thanks! I wanna hang onto this.

I think I'll copy it and put it in my journal, too.

Thank you, No DUplicitous DUpe! (And also - Thank you to coalition_unwilling!

"Support our OOPS." ...That was coalition_unwilling from this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

just put "Support our OOPS" ..in the google toolbar, then use the "search site" button. you can add that button from the toolbar options, under the buttons tab. It's a great tool, IMHO

[gratuitous]

2. If you've done something embarrassing . . .

Perhaps you should be embarrassed. However, murderous negligence is not something I would slot in the category "embarrassing," and that's part of the problem.

[Botany]

3. From Rep. Young's Home Page.

<Young was presented with the 2006 VFW Congressional Service Award in recognition of his years of
commitment to improving veterans health care and benefits, .... >


http://www.house.gov/young/


Young meets with Secretary of Defense

July 27, 2006 -- Representative C.W. Bill Young today met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to
discuss an array of national security and military issues.


Young Recognized at National VFW Convention

March 6, 2006 -- Representative C.W. Bill Young today was recognized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for his service to
the nation's veterans. Young was presented with the 2006 VFW Congressional Service Award in recognition of his years of
commitment to improving veterans health care and benefits, and for continuing to intervene with the Department of
Veterans Affairs and other agencies on behalf of his many constituents who have served in uniform.

Addressing the crowd of 1400 VFW leaders, Young commented, "We could have retired quite some time ago, but I have
committed to stay so that I can continue to lead the charge for those who serve in the military, those who served in the
past and those who will serve in the future." Young later met with VFW leaders from Pinellas County in his Capitol Hill
office to further work through issues and priorities most important to the VFW and its members.

[Monkeyman]

4. Anyone who knew needs to go

[Botany]

5. but he got an award from the VFW for "helping w/ vet health care."

After he knew about Walter Reed.

Scum!

[formercia]

22. That brings up a good point

What about all of the VFW, Foreign Legion and DAV volunteers that go to the VA hospitals to visit the troops and see if they need anything? Did any of those people provide feedback about conditions? If so, what and if not, why not?

[BOSSHOG]

6. And the VFW wonders why they no longer get money from me

It is nothing but a political action committee for george bush, a drug addicted, military deserting, corporate criminal. Just the kind of guy I want to see a group of veterans give a standing ovation to.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. A fart is 'embarrasing' ........ Walter Reed was a travesty.

Fucking Republics ...........

[Sparkly]

8. Yeah, you would know, Stinky....

[Sparkly]

9. The picture's worth a thousand words....

:puke:

[Dr.Phool]

17. They threw his wife out of the SOTU address for wearing that shirt.

I guess they knew she was only joking.

The same night Cindy got tossed.

[KansDem]

32. It's window dressing...the GOP is ALL ABOUT window dressing

No substance...no depth...ALL window dressing.

I just had a flashback to 1994 when the GOP took Congress. Remember how Newt et al paraded elephants around the steps of the Capitol, supposedly to usher in a new era of "responsible government?" THAT was window dressing too. This WHOLE GOP experience has been nothing more than window dressing.

I really despise these people...:grr:

[Ian David]

10. Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. That is, without a doubt, the lamest excuse I have ever heard.

This statement shows me just how much they support the troops:

“We did not go public with these concerns, because we did not want to undermine the confidence of the patients and their families and give the Army a black eye while fighting a war,” Young said.

Can members of Congress be impeached? If so, proceeding should begin for Young and others who knew about these conditions and did nothing to rectify them.

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. You did the right thing, Bill. You saved Bush's sorry ass. Good boy.

The (R)'s will be proud of you.

[HooptieWagon]

14. "...not embarass the Army"?...

... or not embarass IAP Worldwide Services (Walter Reed outpatient contractor), who just happened to be a donor to Congressman Young's 2006 re-election campaign?

http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/com_supopp/C00414425

[Tin Man]

18. Excellent find there, Hooptie - K&R

[dkofos]

15. Fuck the wounded troops, we can't be embarrass the BRASS

We support the troops my ass.

[Morgana LaFey]

16. This excuse reveals a culture of complicity & corruption

It runs throughout patriarchy and helps keep everything perking along, unperturbed. Unfortunately, I see it too often right here at DU when I see "good Dems" appealing to the rest of us NOT to "attack" our Dem elected representatives when they do bad things or don't live up to their duties and responsibilities.

You also see this in the "code of silence" among cops, which keeps bad cops on the beat, unchecked and free to sin again.

It keeps bad priests in the priesthood, if at some other parish.

It keeps bad presidents firmly in place, and enables them to commit even more atrocities.

It keeps bad bosses who sexually harass or otherwise abuse their employees on the payroll.

It keeps criminal corporations and business people in place and in charge as well.

It's referred to as "family secrets" in family dynamics, and having family secrets and being expected to keep them safe (secret) is ALWAYS harmful to all the members, incl. those the "secret" is intended to "protect." It doesn't HELP the family or Uncle Jim to keep it secret that he committed suicide. It doesn't HELP the family or Cousin Jill to keep it secret that she had an out of wedlock child.

This new example thanks to Congressman Young is perfect: if he's sincere that he wanted to "help" the Army, and "protect" troops' families from concern, he blew it. HONESTY and facing up to problems (so they can be addressed and corrected) is ALWAYS the healthiest and usually the most effective route, even in the short term.

What he ended up accomplishing was untold and unnecessary suffering for individual troops, EXTRA concern by family members -- esp. those who already knew about this and other forms of neglect and needed to get things FIXED -- worsening conditions, and way more "embarrassment" for the brass than even they had feared.

It's ALWAYS important to hold people acountable every step of the way, instead of letting things go until they boil over.

[Vinca]

20. What a completely despicable human being. nt

[bigtree]

21. knew it

K&R

[Janice325]

23. Fucking bastard!!!

:argh::cry::rant::puke:
k&r

[FatDave]

24. This pisses me off too:

If you follow the link to CQ Today (http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002465100.html), the very last section of the article says...

Democrats Also Aware

Democrats said they did all they could while in the minority.

John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania, who was the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said he sought appropriations to address problems he found during visits to military hospitals. For example, he obtained money for air conditioners for the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and modern stretchers for a Baghdad field hospital.

Now at first I was pissed that ThinkProgress was being a little disingenuous to leave this out. I mean c'mon, even Murtha knew?

But then I reread it. It never says anything approaching Jack Murtha knowing about conditions at Walter Reed building 18. Just that he tried to "address problems he found during visits to military hospitals". It then mentions hospitals in Germany and Baghdad.

Fuckers. They stuck in a whole section implying that democrats share the blame because Murtha tried to get additional funds for two hospitals that aren't even in the country? Fuck them hard.

[KingofNewOrleans]

25. So, nothing got done to improve things until

they were embarassed!! Tell C.W. Young to put that in his old-man crackpipe and smoke it!

[LiberalFighter]

26. Did not want to give the Army a black eye?

Why would the Army do anything if they knew that Young and his pals wouldn't do anything?

[underpants]

28. The only more LAME excuse would be if he went into rehab over this

but what am I saying there is about no chance that this will ever make it onto the MSM airwaves.

[LiberalFighter]

27. What did former OMB Director Mitch Daniels know about this?

[starroute]

30. A few fun facts about Bill Young

1) He's a long-time ally of that sleazebag, Mel Sembler.
http://www.alternet.org/story/27725

2) He got significant donations from lobbyist Bob Livingston on behalf of Turkish interests.
http://wotisitgood4.blogspot.com/2006/01/sibel-and-turkish-embassy.html

3) His daughter-in-law is a partner in the lobbying firm Grimes & Young, which has been noted for its questionable relationship with Curt Weldon. (His name also comes up in connection with Weldon in other stories, suggesting they were close.)
http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/pressclip.php?view=1626

[melissinha]

31. Come on, give the guy some credit

Please note that in this article it states that he got in General Kiley's face about this on a general basis and his wife was a regular visitor to Walter Reed..... and they were beaten down until they just couldn't go anymore, and according this excerpt in wikipedia he was a source for the Walter Reed WaPo story...

Young and his wife, Beverly, were apparently two of the sources for the Washington Post articles that publicized the conditions at Walter Reed in late February 2007. The Post included quotes from both Young and his wife. Young told the Post reporters that ""When Bev or I would bring problems to the attention of authorities of Walter Reed, we were made to feel very uncomfortable." Beverly Young said she complained several times, including directly to the commanding general, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley. She recounted to reporters that she once saw a soldier who was lying in urine on his mattress pad in the hospital. When a nurse ignored her complaint, she told the Post that she "went flying down to Kevin Kiley's office again, and got nowhere. He has skirted this stuff for five years and blamed everyone else."

Despite his position in Congress as chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and his ability to engage in active oversight, Young and his wife told the Post that they simply "stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration".

Young spoke on March 7, 2007, at a hearing of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee about the conditions at Walter Reed. <10> He acknowledged that he was aware of patient care problems at Walter Reed long before The Washington Post exposed them, but that he stopped short of going public with the hospital’s problems to avoid embarrassing the Army. Young admitted that "We did not go public with these concerns, because we did not want to undermine the confidence of the patients and their families and give the Army a black eye while fighting a war." He placed the blame for the hospital’s substandard conditions on the previous commander at Walter Reed, Lt. Gen Kevin C. Kiley.

Sure he really should have gone to the press before the press came a snooping, but I honestly believe wasn't sitting on this information in an attempt to protect the Administration but wasn't getting anywhere with addressing the chain on command. I truly believe this is just more evidence in Gen Kiley's utter complacency and complete disregard for the troops.

[nealmhughes]

33. Given the cold shoulder by Walter Reed honchos when he was a chair of

House Defense Appropriations? Come on! That is so laughable as not to be funny...
Why in the world would he admit it and say that a bad general scared a very powerful appropriations subcommittee chairman?
WTF?
The Republics need to keep their mouths shut on this one. Hope Diebold doesn't reelect him again....

[GoddessOfGuinness]

34. He kept it quiet “to avoid embarrassing the Army"?!?

What a crock of shit.

It's not "the Army" that looks bad. It's the shitheads that are at the top...the ones that are about as "Army" as Dumbyass is "American". And every last sonofabitch among them should be in Iraq right now, instead of sitting in their cushy office chairs sipping their afternoon scotch.

[Justice]

35. Rumsfield wife knew about it - she heard it from the families directly

while at Walter Reed at a session for families to talk about their situation. What did Mrs. Rumsfield do with the knowledge? not much!

[what now toons]

37. Kevin Kiley out/privatizion still in!!!!!!!!!!

I'm glad they got rid of Kevin Kiley, the same guy who in 2004 reportedly let a soldier sleep in his own urine, and refused to lift a finger when he was notified by the wife of a GOP congressman who had witnessed this and other horrifying situations. However I don't hear enough about the outsourcing to a Haliburtun division though. Or that things were in much better shape before the out patient services were privatized, and cheaper too!! I did a cartoon on this last week, its at my website. Right under my death of Captain America toon.
http://www.whatnowtoons.com/#084