Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility

[26 X World Champs]

Wanna read about how the Bush Administration is taking care of some of the most wounded Iraqi war veterans? Here are some excerpts from this continuing expose.

The neglect is shocking, sad, infuriating and a gruesome example of really not supporting our troops. All the bullshit about "if you don't support the mission you can't support the troops" is truly clarified when you see how the Bushie's support the troops when they have serious needs.

By Dana Priest and Anne Hull
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, February 18, 2007; Page A01

Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.

This is the world of Building 18, not the kind of place where Duncan expected to recover when he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Iraq last February with a broken neck and a shredded left ear, nearly dead from blood loss. (snip)

The common perception of Walter Reed is of a surgical hospital that shines as the crown jewel of military medicine. But 5 1/2 years of sustained combat have transformed the venerable 113-acre institution into something else entirely -- a holding ground for physically and psychologically damaged outpatients. Almost 700 of them -- the majority soldiers, with some Marines -- have been released from hospital beds but still need treatment or are awaiting bureaucratic decisions before being discharged or returned to active duty.

They suffer from brain injuries, severed arms and legs, organ and back damage, and various degrees of post-traumatic stress. Their legions have grown so exponentially -- they outnumber hospital patients at Walter Reed 17 to 1 -- that they take up every available bed on post and spill into dozens of nearby hotels and apartments leased by the Army. The average stay is 10 months, but some have been stuck there for as long as two years.

Source: washingtonpost.com

I hope that everyone of you will read the entire story and the two follow-up articles published in the last 48 hours.

This is a perfect example of bad government, bad planning, insensitive bureaucrats and the complete neglect of our most honored Americans.

Some of you still bring up how poorly returning Vietnam Vets were treated 30 years ago...well this story shows an even worse story regarding Iraqi Vets and this time it's the Bush Administration who is responsible.

 

[1069]

It sounds unspeakable.
I had no idea.

 

[Sergeant Stinger1]

Thats only what we know. Many more problems will be told later like in every other war-conflic we ever had.
Our brave troops familys are being forgoten about also with some losing their medical benifits and the lowering of their benifits.
Our great leaders always try experimental weapontry on our own troops.
I remember seeing a film showing American soldiers with sun glasses watching a atomic explosion within a few miles from the explosion here in the U.S.A.
Then the gassings.
Our own Gov is our troops worse enemy.
Sent into Iraq and had to have there own familys send them bullet proof vests, non aromored Hummers and more.
SAD! And disgracefull!
______
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!-What a freekin JOKE!
WE GOT HIM- Another freekin JOKE! GOT WHO??? What happened to Osama?
Bush: 2001-We will not rest until Osama is caught!
Bush-2003- Osama is not a priorety right now!
We will find out later when our troops start comming home just who is for Bush or not. They won't be the selected few that applauded Bush for the TV cameras.

 

[aps]

It's interesting how the cons on this message board are ignoring this issue. What can they say? They have been saying over and over again how Dems don't support the troops. Well, now there is evidence that Republicans don't support the troops, so they are silent. How transparent.:roll:

 

[26 X World Champs]

It's interesting how the cons on this message board are ignoring this issue. What can they say? They have been saying over and over again how Democrats don't support the troops. Well, now there is evidence that Republicans don't support the troops, so they are silent. How transparent.:roll:

Yup, you couldn't be more correct. The really sad thing is that this issue should and must transcend political party. Caring for our wounded Vets should never become political and should never be made into an US vs. THEM issue.

 

[PeteEU]

Its a lie made up by the liberal media establishment, the democrats, the Clintons, Soros, probally a few hispanics and areeebs, oh those damn Euros with the French and Germans in the lead and of course the commies!

Think I covered the usual scapegoats.

 

[Spartacus FPV]

How does **** like this happen, and we still misappropriate 12 billion?

 

[reaganburch]

Well, this sucks for sure... the facility is almost 100 years old, I thought they had scheduled Walter Reed for consolidation with Bathesda(sp?) in Maryland about 2-3 years ago? Anybody know what happened with that? I can't find it on Google...

But, I hate to interrupt the bash all Republicans circle-jerk that's going on here, but what would you(question to anybody) have President George W. Bush do about this?... And who's to say that he ISN'T doing anything about it? I assume that Aps didn't mean ALL republicans in her earlier post, I have faith that she didn't...

 

[aps]

Well, this sucks for sure... the facility is almost 100 years old, I thought they had scheduled Walter Reed for consolidation with Bathesda(sp?) in Maryland about 2-3 years ago? Anybody know what happened with that? I can't find it on Google...

But, I hate to interrupt the bash all Republicans circle-jerk that's going on here, but what would you(question to anybody) have President George W. Bush do about this?... And who's to say that he ISN'T doing anything about it? I assume that Aps didn't mean ALL republicans in her earlier post, I have faith that she didn't...

You're always excluded when I bash Republicans.

I think it's more Congress's fault. I do need to understand more about this before I make accusations. John Murtha claims to be going to Walter Reed every week. Where is he going? Is he going to a different building that he doesn't see the neglect? Or is he ignoring it (which I would be so disappointed if that were the case)? This needs to be addressed ASAP, and I hope Congress will conduct hearings at once!

 

[BWG]

Caring for our wounded Vets should never become political and should never be made into an US vs. THEM issue.

You're absolutely right!!!

I think it's more Congress's fault. I do need to understand more about this before I make accusations. John Murtha claims to be going to Walter Reed every week. Where is he going? Is he going to a different building that he doesn't see the neglect?

...and so are you!!!!

 

[Tashah]

$50 Million Rehabilitation Center for Military Amputees Opening in San Antonio
Last Update: Jan 29, 2007 10:32 PM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A $50 million high-tech rehabilitation center designed to serve the growing number of soldiers who return from war as amputees or with severe burns will open here Monday.

The 60,000-square-foot Center for the Intrepid will allow the Army to move its rehabilitation program out of the Brooke Army Medical Center and into a separate facility that includes a rock-climbing wall, wave pool and a 360-degree virtual reality sphere to help amputees and other severely wounded soldiers recover their balance and other basic skills.

"The Center for the Intrepid is going to let us keep advancing what we've been doing," said Maj. Stewart Campbell, the officer-in-charge of rehabilitation at Brooke. The facility tells soldiers "we're going to take care of you for as long as you need us, to get you back to where you want to be."

The center, built with private donations at Fort Sam Houston, will be officially dedicated at a ceremony Monday. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., both 2008 presidential hopefuls, are scheduled to attend.

Brooke's amputee program started two years ago and has about 50 patients, but the new center will allow it to expand and offer more advanced rehabilitation, Campbell said.

Prior to the Iraq war, amputees were generally given acute care by the military and then turned over the Department of Veterans Affairs, said retired Col. Rebecca Hooper, program manager for the Center for the Intrepid. But since 2003, the military has kept those patients and made rehabilitation part of its mission.

Amputee rehab programs are now being run at Brooke, Walter Reed Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

Of the roughly 20,000 soldiers injured since the start of the Iraq war, more than 500 are amputees, many wounded by roadside bombs. At Brooke, those amputees were being treated in offices and facilities carved out of the larger hospital.

Because the new Center for the Intrepid offers high-tech equipment and better facilities for severely injured soldiers, Hooper expects it to become a magnet for advanced amputee rehabilitation.

The Center for the Intrepid was funded by private donations to the Intrepid Foundation, a charity that has built dozens of houses to shelter families of wounded soldiers while they undergo treatment. As part of the construction at Fort Sam, two new such houses were added to two already there so that additional families could be housed near the rehab center.

Staff Sgt. Jon Arnold-Garcia, who lost part of a leg in a grenade attack, got his first look at the rehab center on Sunday.

"This place is amazing, that the American people donated the money for this," said the 28-year-old from Sacramento, Calif.

He's been in rehab at Brooke since May, but he was anxious to get to work at the Center for the Intrepid, a four-story glass building decorated with art and modern decor. He and other amputees have been eying the rock climbing wall they could see through the glass and had heard about the wave pool that will use wake boards to help amputees strengthen their back and stomach muscles.

"It doesn't look like a hospital," Arnold-Garcia said, sitting in the center's cafe. "It's a place I can see myself getting up and being motivated instead of walking hospital hallways with doctors."

$50 Million Rehabilitation Center for Military Amputees Opening in San Antonio | WOAI.COM: San Antonio News

 

[talloulou]

Wanna read about how the Bush Administration is taking care of some of the most wounded Iraqi war veterans? Here are some excerpts from this continuing expose.

The neglect is shocking, sad, infuriating and a gruesome example of really not supporting our troops. All the bullshit about "if you don't support the mission you can't support the troops" is truly clarified when you see how the Bushie's support the troops when they have serious needs.


Source: washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

I hope that everyone of you will read the entire story and the two follow-up articles published in the last 48 hours.

This is a perfect example of bad government, bad planning, insensitive bureaucrats and the complete neglect of our most honored Americans.

Some of you still bring up how poorly returning Vietnam Vets were treated 30 years ago...well this story shows an even worse story regarding Iraqi Vets and this time it's the Bush Administration who is responsible.

I heard this on the radio yesterday. It's completely outrageous! Hopefully now that's it's in the news it will be corrected as I can't imagine anyone standing for such conditions for our troops.

 

[talloulou]

You're always excluded when I bash Republicans.

I think it's more Congress's fault. I do need to understand more about this before I make accusations. John Murtha claims to be going to Walter Reed every week. Where is he going? Is he going to a different building that he doesn't see the neglect? Or is he ignoring it (which I would be so disappointed if that were the case)? This needs to be addressed ASAP, and I hope Congress will conduct hearings at once!

I agree and I also think the media should be quick to bring such conditions to light as once they are highlighted the people will be outraged and congress will be forced to correct the situation. The idea that crap like this is going on while Anna Nicole is in the news for a week and I'm now being updated on how much she has rotted since dying as well as the sad fact that I've seen Britney's bald head no less than 100 times in two days is also outrageous.

 

[Sergeant Stinger1]

Well, this sucks for sure... the facility is almost 100 years old, I thought they had scheduled Walter Reed for consolidation with Bathesda(sp?) in Maryland about 2-3 years ago? Anybody know what happened with that? I can't find it on Google...

But, I hate to interrupt the bash all Republicans circle-jerk that's going on here, but what would you(question to anybody) have President George W. Bush do about this?... And who's to say that he ISN'T doing anything about it? I assume that Aps didn't mean ALL republicans in her earlier post, I have faith that she didn't...

_______
One thing Bush could have done was to give the BILLIONS he is giving to Haliburton and the likes to something of importance in the U.S.A.

 

[Cremaster77]

As much as I recognize the crime in the having so many people in the US uninsured or underinsured, having worked in many a VA in my time, I have to wonder if cases like Walter Reed don't represent what would happen if we nationalized health care. After all, isn't the VA system basically nationalized, universal healthcare for vets? I'll have to tell you, the care at most VA's is substandard at best.

 

[aps]

As much as I recognize the crime in the having so many people in the US uninsured or underinsured, having worked in many a VA in my time, I have to wonder if cases like Walter Reed don't represent what would happen if we nationalized health care. After all, isn't the VA system basically nationalized, universal healthcare for vets? I'll have to tell you, the care at most VA's is substandard at best.

Excuse me? Walter Reed is NOT run by VA. Oh, and if you haven't checked lately, VA is NOW considered the model in healthcare.

The Best Care Anywhere

Ten years ago, veterans hospitals were dangerous, dirty, and scandal-ridden. Today, they're producing the highest quality care in the country. Their turnaround points the way toward solving America's health-care crisis.

"The Best Care Anywhere" by Phillip Longman

Revamped Veterans' Health Care Now a Model

By Gilbert M. Gaul
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 22, 2005; Page A01

For years, the Department of Veterans Affairs' sprawling health care system was criticized by veterans groups and government investigators as a dangerous backwater of medicine. Report after report portrayed it as suffocating from top-heavy bureaucracy, dirty and unsafe hospitals, and little or no accountability. Thousands of eligible patients opted to get their care elsewhere.

But in the past decade, largely unnoticed by the public, the system has undergone a dramatic transformation and now is considered by some to be a model.

Revamped Veterans' Health Care Now a Model

VA: High-Quality Health Care At Low Cost
High-Tech Agency Earns Highest Ratings In U.S., And It's A Boon For Taxpayers, Too

(CBS) Eighty-eight-year-old George Sack can go anywhere he wants for health care, but he chooses to go to the VA, CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports. That's right, the Veterans Administration.

If his choice surprises you, it doesn't surprise health care experts. In studies, including one by Harvard, and in six straight years of patient satisfaction surveys, the VA earned the highest health care quality rating in the country. It's also the least expensive.

It's a remarkable turnaround from the old VA, the uncaring place once derided in movies like "Born on the Fourth of July."

VA: High-Quality Health Care At Low Cost, High-Tech Agency Earns Highest Ratings In U.S., And It's A Boon For Taxpayers, Too - CBS News

Walter Reed is run by the ARMY.

 

[aps]

Well, here's where the blame should lie:

Pentagon Faults Leadership for Walter Reed
Officials Say They Learned of Serious Problems From Post Exposé

By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 21, 2007; 4:04 PM

Top Pentagon officials today blamed a breakdown in leadership for problems with outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and vowed to take quick corrective action. . . .

Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, and William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, declined to specify precisely where the leadership breakdown occurred or to identify anyone who was at fault. Instead, they and the commander of Walter Reed, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, said they took overall responsibility for the situation. . . .

washingtonpost.com

George Bush could take lessons from General Cody.

 

[CurrentAffairs]

One thing Bush could have done was to give the BILLIONS he is giving to Haliburton and the likes to something of importance in the U.S.A.

Could we get a link on that please?

 

[Cremaster77]

Excuse me? Walter Reed is NOT run by VA. Oh, and if you haven't checked lately, VA is NOW considered the model in healthcare.

You clearly have never been to many VA hospitals or worked in one if you think they are the model of healthcare. Yes, there are a few good VA hospitals, but the vast majority that I have seen give horribly substandard service. By far the best thing they have going for them is their information system that allows you to instant pull up medical records on a patient across various VA hospitals. Aside from that, the VA hospitals are frequently staffed by residents and fellows with marginal attending physician supervision, the support staff is largely unmotivated and unresponsive, and most clinics are horrendously overcrowded. The last time I worked in a VA was last year, so this is not some horror story from 20 years ago. You can show me all the glowing press releases you want. They're press releases. They're supposed to make the VA look good. Try going to a few and then tell me if you would want your family members treated there. There's a very clear reason why the vast majority of vets with insurance don't get their care there.

Walter Reed is run by the ARMY.

I stand corrected on who runs Walter Reed. My comments on the VA still stand.

 

[Stinger]

It's interesting how the cons on this message board are ignoring this issue. What can they say? They have been saying over and over again how Democrats don't support the troops. Well, now there is evidence that Republicans don't support the troops, so they are silent. How transparent.:roll:

Champs is on my ignore list.

The first thing should be the appropriate congressional committees look into why the situation exist and why the proper oversite amd Inspectors General hasn't dealt with it. And why is this a "Republican" issue? This is something we ALL, Dems Reps Ind Libs Cons, can agree needs to be fixed.

 

[Stinger]

_______
One thing Bush could have done was to give the BILLIONS he is giving to Haliburton and the likes to something of importance in the U.S.A.

And then Haliburton would work for free or something. One has nothing to do with the other, better to deal with the issue than transpose emotions about Haliburton on to it.

 

[CurrentAffairs]

And why is this a "Republican" issue? This is something we ALL, Democrats Republicans Ind Libs Cons, can agree needs to be fixed.

I couldn't agree more. It saddens me that so many of these topics are the victim of political spin and that so many choose to find (even search out) the stories that fuel their hate. We should all be able to agree that this guy is a criminal and should be held accountable. Further, we should also agree that for every one of these bad apples, there are thousands of wonderful people doing wonderful things in Iraq. This isn't about right or left. It's about right and wrong. That is why I objected earlier in this thread.

 

[26 X World Champs]

I couldn't agree more. It saddens me that so many of these topics are the victim of political spin and that so many choose to find (even search out) the stories that fuel their hate. We should all be able to agree that this guy is a criminal and should be held accountable. Further, we should also agree that for every one of these bad apples, there are thousands of wonderful people doing wonderful things in Iraq. This isn't about right or left. It's about right and wrong. That is why I objected earlier in this thread.

Huh? I think you're confusing this thread with another one? This thread is about the horrible conditions of a certain building connected to Walter Reed Army Hospital not about as$hole convicted rapist/murdering soldiers....

Any thread that you "object" to is all right by me....