Conditions at Walter Reed

[Gypsy]

Most of you have heard about the deplorable and disgusting conditions in Building 18 at WRMC.

Here's Mr. Galloway's take on it...

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ea..._id=1003548374

Galloway: Walter Reed Hospital Scandal is 'The Last Straw'
As The Washington Post probe proves, there's more to supporting our troops than making "Support Our Troops" a phrase that every politician feels obliged to utter in every speech, no matter how craven the purpose. How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning?

By Joseph L. Galloway

(February 21, 2007) -- There’s a great deal more to supporting our troops than sticking a $2 yellow ribbon magnet made in China on your SUV. There’s a great deal more to it than making "Support Our Troops" a phrase that every politician feels obliged to utter in every speech, no matter how banal the topic or craven the purpose.

This week, we were treated to new revelations of just how fraudulent and shallow and meaningless "Support Our Troops" is on the lips of those in charge of spending the half a trillion dollars of taxpayer's money that the Pentagon eats every year.

The Washington Post published a probe, complete with photographs, revealing that for every in-patient who's getting the best medical treatment that money can buy at the main hospital at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, there are out-patients warehoused in quarters unfit for human habitation.

Some of the military outpatients are stuck on the Walter Reed campus, a couple of miles from the White House and the Capitol, for as long as 12 months. They've been living in rat and roach-infested rooms, some of which are coated in black mold.

There was outrage and disgust and raw anger at this callous, cruel treatment of those who have the greatest claim not only on our sympathies, but also on the public purse.

Who among the smiling politicians who regularly troop over to the main hospital at Walter Reed for photo-op visits with those who've come home grievously wounded from the wars the politicians started have bothered to go the extra quarter-mile to see the unseen majority with their rats and roaches?

Not one, it would seem, since none among them have admitted to knowing that there was a problem, much less doing something about it before the reporters blew the whistle.

Within 24 hours, construction crews were working overtime, slapping paint over the moldy drywall, patching the sagging ceilings and putting out traps and poison for the critters that infest the place.

Within 48 hours, the Department of Defense announced that it was appointing an independent commission to investigate. Doubtless the commission will provide a detailed report finding that no one was guilty -- certainly none of the politicians of the ruling party whose hands were on the levers of power for five long years of war.

They will find that it all came about because the Army medical establishment was overwhelmed by the case load flowing out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, brave soldiers who were wheelchair-bound with missing legs or paralysis, have been left to make their own way a quarter-mile to appointments with the shrinks and a half-mile to pick up the drugs that dim their minds and eyes and pain, and make the rats and roaches recede into a fuzzy distance.

All this came on the heels of my McClatchy Newspapers colleague Chris Adams's Feb. 9 report that even by its own measures, the Veterans Administration isn't prepared to give returning veterans the care they need to help them overcome destructive, and sometimes fatal, mental health ailments. Nearly 100 VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in 2005, Adams found, and the average veteran with psychiatric troubles gets about a third fewer visits with specialists today than he would have received a decade ago.

The same politicians, from a macho president to the bureaucrats to the people who chair the congressional committees that are supposed to oversee such matters, have utterly failed to protect our wounded warriors.

They’ve talked the talk but few, if any, have ever walked the walk.

No. This happened while all of them were busy as bees, taking billions out of the VA budget and planning to shut down Walter Reed by 2011 in the name of cost-efficiency.

Among those politicians are the people who sent too few troops to Afghanistan or Iraq, who failed to provide enough body armor and weapons and armored vehicles and who, to protect their own political hides, refused to admit that the mission was not accomplished and change course.

But it's they who are charged with the highest duty of all, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural in 1865: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."

How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning? How dare they ever utter the words: Support Our Troops? How dare they pretend to give a damn about those they order to war?

They've hidden the flag-draped coffins of the fallen from the public and the press. They've averted their eyes from the suffering that their orders have visited upon an Army that they've ground down by misuse and over-use and just plain incompetence.

This shabby, sorry episode of political and institutional cruelty to those who deserve the best their nation can provide is the last straw. How can they spin this one to blame the generals or the media or the Democrats? How can you do that, Karl?

If the American people are not sickened and disgusted by this then, by God, we don’t deserve to be defended from the wolves of this world.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph L. Galloway is a legendary war correspondent, winner of a Bronze Star and co-author of "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young." His column on military affairs is distributed by Tribune Media Services.

[Warrior-Mentor]

Tough to follow Mr Galloway, but here goes...

Yes, Walter Reed has taken a beating in the press lately. Sometimes a black-eye in the press is a good thing. In this case, it's spurned a bureaucracy to quickly fix the egregious treatment of our Nation's Wounded Warriors. Allow me to jump on the bandwagon.

At what point did our General Officers start believing that their rank entitled them to better treatment than their Soldiers?

Want an indicator?

Try to park at Walter Reed.

Out in front of the Main Hospital, there a driveway that leads to the 1st floor. ALL of the best parking is reserved. But not for our Nation’s wounded Warriors.

The parking is reserved for those [General] Officers whose personnel files have risen to the top, and not necessarily through their performance in combat. Yes, they’ve spent two, sometimes three decades in service to the country. And for that service, they have been paid.

Now, unfortunately, some of our Soldiers are the ones who are paying the price of our freedom. Like it or not, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”[Thomas Jefferson]

The Army defines Selfless Service as “Putting the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.”

In ROTC, I was taught that Officers take care of their men first. That’s why Officers eat AFTER all of their men.

That’s why I am asking that the General Officers give their reserved parking to the people who’ve earned it, our Wounded Warriors. And I’m not talking about handicap parking. Our Soldiers deserve better. In lieu of a sign that indicates “Star Parking Only”, I’m proposing “Purple Heart Parking.”

It’s long over due we recognize those who have truly earned the right to, among many other things, a short walk to the hospital. And not just at Walter Reed….all the Military Hospitals. AAFES should do the same for post exchanges and commissaries as well.

It’s the least we can do.

[incommin]

Originally Posted by Warrior-Mentor

Tough to follow Mr Galloway, but here goes...

Yes, Walter Reed has taken a beating in the press lately. Sometimes a black-eye in the press is a good thing. In this case, it's spurned a bureaucracy to quickly fix the egregious treatment of our Nation's Wounded Warriors. Allow me to jump on the bandwagon.

At what point did our General Officers start believing that their rank entitled them to better treatment than their Soldiers?

Want an indicator?

Try to park at Walter Reed.

Out in front of the Main Hospital, there a driveway that leads to the 1st floor. ALL of the best parking is reserved. But not for our Nation’s wounded Warriors.

The parking is reserved for those [General] Officers whose personnel files have risen to the top, and not necessarily through their performance in combat. Yes, they’ve spent two, sometimes three decades in service to the country. And for that service, they have been paid.

Now, unfortunately, some of our Soldiers are the ones who are paying the price of our freedom. Like it or not, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”[Thomas Jefferson]

The Army defines Selfless Service as “Putting the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.”

In ROTC, I was taught that Officers take care of their men first. That’s why Officers eat AFTER all of their men.

That’s why I am asking that the General Officers give their reserved parking to the people who’ve earned it, our Wounded Warriors. And I’m not talking about handicap parking. Our Soldiers deserve better. In lieu of a sign that indicates “Star Parking Only”, I’m proposing “Purple Heart Parking.”

It’s long over due we recognize those who have truly earned the right to, among many other things, a short walk to the hospital. And not just at Walter Reed….all the Military Hospitals. AAFES should do the same for post exchanges and commissaries as well.

It’s the least we can do.

Great idea but it will never happen. When you have been dropped off at doorways and given a personal servant, you begin to believe that you are owed all the perks....... I have believed for years that our general officers are over paid and over pampered.......just like the CEO's in the civilian world.


Jim

[dennisw]

I was taught that Officers take care of their men first. That’s why Officers eat AFTER all of their men.

....... I have believed for years that our general officers are over paid and over pampered.......just like the CEO's in the civilian world.

The distance between the concepts above could not be any further. Maybe some of our leadership should read Virtues of War and learn a few things from Alexander.

[The Reaper]

I just wonder with all of the VIPs visiting WR on a regular basis, how things like this could go unnoticed?

Maybe they never checked on the outpatients or did follow-ups?

I do know that the hospital has a budget, wonder how much base maintenance money they have recently received, since every other base I know has been hit hard in the maintenance funding to pay for the GWOT.

The next question is how Bethesda is going to absorb WRAMC's patients as well as their own when WRAMC closes under BRAC. The last BRAC made some really stupid decisions. Do we anticipate a lot of Navy casualties?

TR

[Sionnach]

I wonder what regs you'd be breaking if you taped the "Purple Heart Parking" sign over the GO parking.

[Warrior-Mentor]

Originally Posted by Sionnach

I wonder what regs you'd be breaking if you taped the "Purple Heart Parking" sign over the GO parking.

TR,
We need an IG ruling on this one....what do you think?

[The Reaper]

IIRC, by the regs, all of those signs are unenforceable.

The MPs told me that handicapped, official vehicle, and MAYBE installation CO signs are the only one that could be enforced. GO, CO, CSM, and Yard of the Month signs are honored out of respect only.

Frankly, rather than GO, the closest parking to the building should be handicapped.

GO decals are clearly identifiable, so they know if you are a GO, or even an officer or not.

I understand that the general is busy, but he also has a driver who can pick him up sixty seconds after his cell phone rings.

OTOH, any GO who would chew ass or deny an amputee, a kid in a wheelchair, or a GI on crutches a closer parking spot at a medical facility should have his stars ripped off on the spot.

I suspect that a strongly worded (but respectful) note to the Garrison Commander, the CG, MDW, or the Surgeon General should get some changes. If not, one to the Washington Post certainly should after this debacle.

You never know till you ask.

TR

[AxeMan]

First of all, TR…..I must have met you before because I was working at SFUWO when you took those photos of the compound. Bet you came down to jump with us on Shark DZ.
Anyway, I think that some of you out there will have some interesting opinions of a related subject.
Do we owe our wounded SF brothers that can no longer work at team level due to their injuries some sort of job within the units?
Obviously some guys have many years of experience training, deploying, and working inside SF. For those that do, do we keep them around or do we put them out of the force? I have a few friends that fall into this category and am interested in what some of you think is the right thing to do, both for the wounded guys and the force.
…….MDW

[Warrior-Mentor]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

GO decals are clearly identifiable, so they know if you are a GO, or even an officer or not.

Which also makes it easy for bad guys to track as well...
bad enough to have a blue sticker...now we need to have stars on it as well?

Originally Posted by The Reaper

I understand that the general is busy, but he also has a driver who can pick him up sixty seconds after his cell phone rings.
TR

...but his wife doesn't have a driver. She's just got a car with his rank on it.

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Warrior-Mentor

...but his wife doesn't have a driver. She's just got a car with his rank on it.

That is not him, it is his wife, who, last time I checked, has no rank or military privileges, nor does his car, without him in it.

If he isn't in it, she doesn't belong there.

TR

[Warrior-Mentor]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

That is not him, it is his wife, who, last time I checked, has no rank or military privileges, nor does his car, without him in it.

If he isn't in it, she doesn't belong there.

TR

...and she won't drive his car [or park in a GO spot] without him in the car?

...and don't get me started on saluting "cars with stars"...

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Warrior-Mentor

...and she won't drive his car [or park in a GO spot] without him in the car?

...and don't get me started on saluting "cars with stars"...

IIRC, the only one anyone other than the gate guards had to salute was when the red placards with the stars were uncovered.

TR

[jbour13]

Gents, I wholeheartedly agree that the system of taking care of wounded soldiers is not up to par with the system (big Army and the values we are entrusted with) that we are a part of. Not taking care of soldiers is a punishable offense under UCMJ....plain and simple.

Parking spaces marked for senior leadership = Force Protection violation. Only places that I agree with that need designated parking are at the HQ's of units. Nothing like the BN Commander coming in and not finding a space and then making life a living hell for the remainder of the day. Outside the PX, Commissary....live with the walking. I choose to park at the far end of parking lots for many reasons. I benefit from the exercise, my truck is not as likely to get door dinged, and there are more deserving people that came before me that benefit from shorter walks.

A little off track, but, I have been through both WRMC and Bethesda. Both are not adequately prepared for the amount of casualties that are being placed in their care. I've visited friends at both, and have visited random soldiers to see if I could help. It was a wake-up call to see that soldiers were given prescription meds and forced to make that long trip to recovery alone. Married soldiers typically have a recovery that is assisted by family. Single soldiers band together and bond to recover. I've seen it and it works from some of the friends that have had a short stay.

Near term solutions to this will undoubtedly take the heat off the system, unfortunately the system will not change until it is brought up again.

I do have a story to share of just how much rank a wife holds. Post 9/11 security posture was increased around all military installations. As such the MP's were overworked and needed help in securing bases and running gates. At that time I was a young E-5 and placed in charge of gate detail at Ft. Shafter Hawaii, which houses the USARPAC Commander (a 3 star position). We had multiple occasions of spouses and soldiers forgetting their ID cards and losing their minds when we told them "No card, no access. USARPAC CG guidance. Please proceed to the search pit or turn around." Now the young infantrymen in my charge were outstanding soldiers that followed the order to a "T". I was enjoying an MRE for lunch one day just inside the guard shack when I heard a lady making a big deal bigger about her right to access the post. Little did I know the significance. I stepped out, asked how I could be of assistance and was berated about not knowing my job. I explained the reasons as to why she couldn't access the installation and did so nicely. She steps from the car, and pokes me in the chest saying "young man, you've just made the biggest mistake of your short career!!" She steps back into the car, loops around and tears off. I giggle a little, shake my head and tell the guys good job. I enjoy my MRE and get back to my job of helping check ID's. 4 hours go by, I'm inspecting the next guard mount for their duties, and from around the corner I hear my name mentioned. "Is there a SGT ***** around?" "Uhhhhhh.....Yes Sir!!! Around the corner Sir." My mind is racing, my body goes a little cold when I realize who it is. As it turns out the irrate woman was the USARPAC CG's wife and he wanted to hear my side of the story. I rattle it out fairly quickly and get it out that I was doing as ordered. He lets out a big laugh and says thanks, hands me a coin and explains that no person, regardless of access and affiliation is beyond his word. That is one of a few occasions that I could say that general officers understand. Pucker factor went to zero, and I shared the story with my battalion commander...who at the time was not amused, and stayed at his phone for about 18 hours waiting for a call to get a sabot round.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

Originally Posted by AxeMan

Do we owe our wounded SF brothers that can no longer work at team level due to their injuries some sort of job within the units…….MDW

There are pros and cons to this and then there is reality. When you are dealing with manpower ceilings everyone filling a slot that cannot fully perform in that slot prevents someone who can or prevents someone with the potential of being promoted to contribute at the next higher level from doing so. Unfortunately injury and disease are part of the price we all might have to pay for the profession that we have chosen. I cannot speak for anyone else, but when I found I could no longer perform at the level that I had set for myself I retired even though I had been "selected" for a position that would have allowed me to go to my full thirty years. I felt that I "owed" those for whom and with whom I served better and that no one "owed" me anything. Now that is just me, I am sure others will have different opinions.