Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey has resigned in the wake of the Walter Reed hospital scandal

CNN ^ | March 02, 2007 | CNN.Com

[freedomdefender]

Just give veterans vouchers for top-drawer care in the private sector. It will be far, far cheaper than the VA nightmare.

Yes. I agree totally.

[RedStateRocker]

The FACTS:
-The secretary of the Army states "I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertinent to outpatient care at Walter Reed. Some have shown too much defensiveness, and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems."

-Troops recuperating from wounds they suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan were discovered to be living in substandard conditions in Building 18.
-Weightman, the fired commander, had said he was unaware of the substandard conditions. (But in a memo signed by a deputy to Weightman in September 2006, five months before reports of the problems at Walter Reed came to light, concerns were raised…)

That is the truth based on statements from the parties themselves and verifiable evidence. Obviously some value their attachment to the administration more than taking care of the problem.

Rest your case all you want, I rest mine with repeating the above statement from Gates .."Some have shown too much defensiveness, and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems."

[La Enchiladita]

I asked you SPECIFICALLY to re-state the "facts" from the original WaPo article by Dana Priest and Anne Hull. Did you read that article?

Yes or No.

[RedStateRocker]

If you mean the piece of Feb 18 the answer is yes.
I never said it's not a despicable hit piece nor that the WaPo is not a nest of traitorous scum, did I? But if you give the enemy an easy and harmful shot at you who is to blame? That the writing is 'over the top' and leftist- DOH! However what irks me is not only the conditions but the fact that these conditions HAD been brought to the attention of higher ups and not much was done (IMHO) UNTIL this darned article was published, and THEN some folks get irate that the Post published it. Less defensiveness and more "git r done" would be better than the whining the Dana Priest is a leftist with an agenda.

[batvette]

red state rocker, what would you surmise would be more healing to the body and mind of a war veteran, ensuring that there is not a hole in the wall of his room, or making sure that they came back knowing that limb they lost was for a good cause, and a mission complete?
Honestly, every time I click on a Walter Reed thread I think my browser was hijacked and I'm stuck in the moveon.org or newshounds dimension! Your post I'm replying to is a perfect example, taken right from the book of liberal rhetoric, accusing others of not being as outraged as YOU are, and attacking them for daring to rationalize this or simply put the brakes on and think before we leap.
And what's with that crack about not sending them in the first place? If you have an anti-war agenda, that's your right but don't use the soldiers to forward it.
I saw the article, I saw the facts, and while rodents and mold are not acceptable around convalescing victims, as I understand it those spaces did not have men in life threatening risk for them. I saw the article. Holes in walls? Dirty floors? So what? The military I was in 25 years ago was more neglected than it is today, we got by. The FACTS that caused outrage in me, weren't the conditions of the damn buildings- these men just came back from land where every other time you take a dump in an outhouse, an inch long dung fly is likely to land in your mouth!
What I paid attention to was the disillusionment of these men, their despair, their lack of will to get their lazy ass out of the rack and do jumping jacks at 5 am, prosthetic leg and all. Sound cruel? It's not, there is no elixir like the adversity life throws at you, snd we have men who are amputees on active duty.
This disillusionment is NOT caused by rats or mold or ANY of that ****, in fact if morale was better I'd say the more recuperated soldiers if under proper immediate command would ideally be performing work details (within each person's physical ability, of course) painting their spaces - it's good for pride in your command.
The disillusionment and despair is the real risk these men face now, and it's watching their mission go incomplete. It's that sinking pit in their stomach knowing that comrades zipped into bodybags whose last conscious thought as pain seared their mind and their spirit passed, was that their cause was just- is now twisted by revisionists and partisans that it was all a lie.
There has been no hero's welcome, no parades, just crocodile tears shed by people who think telling the world (including Iraqis) Bush is Hitler, and stealing their oil- is honest criticism of policy and doesn't result in attacks on the soldiers sent to enforce Bush's policy.
The goal here is not to establish a country club to pamper our soldiers like kings, but to get their minds and bodies back in the gsme so they feel like men again.
Dana Priest doesn't give a damn about any of that, and neither do any of these nincompoop politicians on the hill demandng iquiries and pointing fingers- like Obama and Levin. Am I going to have to be the one to remind Levin
as Chairman of Armed services commitee, it was far more his responsibility to ensure base conditions than it was Bush's, which reading the constitution appears to be little if any?

Why should I jump on- or even stand by and allow the wagon go by driven by those who want to rub Bush's (and the troops) nose in a "mistake" for their own partisan gain,when their real agenda is the worst poison imaginable for the soldier they feign concern for?

[batvette]

I think the largest difference in opinion between you and I and (if I may assume) La Enchiladita (sp?) is that I believe the only job "gittin done" as described here:

---

"If I had to buy a lifetime subscription to those scum at WaPo, AND the slimes AND the SF Comical to see that *EVERY* damned scumbag that did not do everything within reason or duty to take care of our troops had a harsh, harsh light shined on them, front page, then I would. Some things transcend partisanship.

If it took listening the Babs Streisand and a visit from Hugo Chavez to get one vet better care then so be it.

I dislike the liberal media plenty, but in this case I hope this story stays on page one until everyone and anyone who did not fulfill their duties is dishonorably discharged or fired and everyone on both sides of the aisle agree that anyone against, or preventing a wounded soldier, sailor or airman from getting the best care in the world, bar none, is below the most despicable traitor or thug.

If it takes some socialist ditz with a flashlight to bring our attention to a problem REAL conservatives say 'thanks' and get about FIXING the problem rather than whining about the motivation of the person who told us about it. Yeah, the motivation may be to discredit the Republican administration but you know what? I don't CARE; I want every rat dead, every wall clean and anyone shot who does not see to making it happen in a timeframe measured in HOURS; then we'll talk about the motivation of the reporters."

---

Isn't the job that has any positive results. In fact no real improvement is likely for anyone's lives but those lefties who've again hijacked someone'e plight to indulge in ivory tower finger pointing. Acting impulsively or to satisfy PC Nazis isn't a rational plan. Nor is blindly cleaning house or a "witch hunt".

There are likely many mid level people in those commands who would have or did try to do their job to the best of their abilities, a prime directive of the military is don't make waves.

[La Enchiladita]

All I can say is: there is a battle going on in the world. You need to know who the enemy is. You can fight that enemy, or you can come on to a conservative website, infiltrate and attempt to weaken our ranks. It all depends on which side you are on.

[La Enchiladita]

...neither do any of these nincompoop politicians on the hill demandng iquiries and pointing fingers- like Obama and Levin.

Yerrah! Posturing, making political hay while the sun shines!

...when their real agenda is the worst poison imaginable for the soldier they feign concern for?

You said it best!

[RedStateRocker]

"limb they lost was for a good cause, and a mission complete? "
Good point.
"Honestly, every time I click on a Walter Reed thread I think my browser was hijacked and I'm stuck in the moveon.org or newshounds dimension! Your post I'm replying to is a perfect example, taken right from the book of liberal rhetoric, accusing others of not being as outraged as YOU are, and attacking them for daring to rationalize this"
" rub Bush's (and the troops) nose in a "mistake"
It is a mistake to not provide for what might happen to the the troops befor you send them, just my opinion, of course, but no one on our side (the side of eliminating the terrorists and their supporters) seems to have calculated this cost, and we need to do so NOW.

There we disagree. There is no amount of outrage sufficent.
"in fact if morale was better I'd say the more recuperated soldiers if under proper immediate command would ideally be performing work details (within each person's physical ability, of course) painting their spaces - it's good for pride in your command" Good idea, perhaps; ANY action is better than inaction.
You make some good points.

[RedStateRocker]

I respectfully disagree that the truth, or importance of a fact depends on who reveals it and why (although the foregoing can have, obviously, a lot of influence on judging the truthfulness of a statement when lacking confirmation). If Hanoi Jane told me my house was on fire I'd put out the fire (before I turned the hose on her):-)

[cva66snipe]

Below is an article on what a Republican Congressman saw in a very recent visit to building 18 & Walter Reed. I would consider it an unbiased appraisal of the situation. In our state these conditions would get any medical facility closed and the owners and administrators fined. BTW this congressman is from a highly Conservative Republican part of the state.

Black Mold can be bad news to anyone. It isn't something you want to mess around with. While a person may have never shown an adverse reaction before a saturation of it can bring on severe respitory issues. I lost my immunity to it a couple of years ago from an exposure.

The congressman is right about the source as well. Without ventilation in the bathrooms the humidity added to the roof leaking etc is an incubator for a large crop of black mold. The only way to deal with it is to eliminate the cause and source. Any allergist or asthma doctor at Walter Reed should have lowered the boom on this. It's not a minor issue.

URL: http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5398692,00.html

ET rep finds mold in soldier's room

By RICHARD POWELSON, March 6, 2007

WASHINGTON — East Tennessee Rep. David Davis said today he toured the troubled campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and found black mold on a patient's wall in a building other than the one getting most news media attention. Davis, in an interview, said he found the black mold in his tour Monday in a bathroom of Building 11, which is separate from the Building 18 where many media reports focused. He reported the problem to a medical center official and was assured it will be fixed.

He toured four buildings and found eyesores in two. He also saw Building 18, where a trash can and drink cups were used to catch leaking water.

The wall mold, he said, likely was caused by poor ventilation, which he noticed in more than one bathroom.

Davis said so many soldiers from his First District are serving in Iraq and returning for medical care, so he wanted to see for himself the conditions at Walter Reed.

The good news, he said, is that the main hospital is in good shape, but there were problems in long-term care buildings on campus where patients receive physical therapy and other ongoing treatments.

New leadership and major renovation of Building 18 should address patient and family complaints, Davis said. Building 18 is being evacuated for the renovations; Davis found 11 patients remaining there are being moved elsewhere by the end of this week.

"I think they did only cosmetic changes" to deal with mold and sagging wallpaper in the past, he said, when the leadership should have looked at the cause of the damage and fixed the roof.

[Milligan]

I was told the Old Balboa Hospital was torned down after we left for Long Beach, CA in 1988?

Good Riddance!

But I'm glad your friends got quality care now.