Hospital Officials Knew of Neglect

[133724]

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."

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

[acmavm]

1. Why should they care about these guys? They're no use to them now.

Their either physically or mentally unfit to fight, so they're excess baggage, a liability. So typical of this corrupt and evil administration, they figure screw 'em. They don't pay for armor and other necessary gear when they're sending them over there, why should they fell the need to pay for their healthcare when they come back injured?

This is by far the most evil administration to ever come into power in this country. Evil is not a word to be used lightly but in this case it is about the only one that works.

[salin]

4. b/c it is far too important to them to give big tax cuts to cronies,

fraudulent overpriced nobid contracts to croney war profiteers than it is to actually adequately pay for the war of choice they lied us into. The utter lack of respect, concern and most importantly FUNDING for vets all comes from the same bushco that when running in 2000 kept claiming that the dems had weakened the military and that *they* would restore it.

[leftchick]

2. Wow! Check out the homes of the Walter Reed Commanders....

nice digs, eh? What a contrast with building 18. Enough to make you sick...



Behind the gates of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Butternut Street, the stately homes of Commander George W. Weightman and top Army medical officer Kevin C. Kiley stand in stark contrast to Building 18, which is just across Georgia Avenue. (Photos By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)

[malaise]

3. Imus talking about this now n/t