Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Study: Thousands of veterans return with mental illness
Monday, March 12, 2007
KILEY OUT!
And let me say its not just the Iraq War veterans who are treated bad. Its military servicemembers period.
Walter Reed rebuked in death of Carson GI Army arrogance, bad equipment cited at hearing
Failed equipment, staff negligence and command arrogance plagued a wounded Fort Carson soldier's unsuccessful fight for life at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a congressman said at a hearing this week.
Here is the DOD news release of his death:
The Department of Defense announced today that Staff Sgt. William T. Latham, 29, of Kingman, Ariz., died of wounds on June 18, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C. Latham was participating in a raid at a suspected arms market in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on May 19 when he was hit with shrapnel. Latham was evacuated back to the United States where he died of his wounds.
Latham was assigned to Troop E, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry
Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
GOP REP., VA KNEW OF REED PROBLEMS
Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young (R-Fla.), who previously chaired the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, was aware of many problems at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and chose not to pursue more aggressive oversight, according to Raw Story.Young alleges that he knew of the accidental death of Army Staff Sgt. William T. Latham at Walter Reed in 2003 and his statement contradicts the cause of death reported by the Pentagon. Young chose not to pursue more oversight because he did not want to "give the Army a black eye" and did not want to embarrass soldiers and their families. Paul Sullivan, a former VA project manager, told the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee that Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson shelved a program to fix bureaucratic problems between the VA and Defense Department soon after Nicholson took office, according to The Associated Press. Sullivan's testimony opens a window into the neglect, delays and poor coordination that went unnoticed.
`Cost of war' too much for Walter Reed, vet says
"I am exactly the kind of patient that is taxing the military medical system and will drain the VA resources," she said. "If that is the cost of the war, then the American people should be told that is the cost of the war."
No one wants to do anything but say "support the troops" and believe in this global war on terror. Which I hope evreyone knows isn't about this one country. It is an ongoing thing that will never end so I dont get this 'stay until we win' thing.
Once you're not 100%, the military doesnt spend too much time worrying about you.
Bush calls Walter Reed conditions 'unacceptable'
"We have let some soldiers down," said Peter Geren, the undersecretary of the Army.
No, you let them all down because those who haven't had to experience Walter Reed have had their faith in the hospital destroyed. And those who work, and work their asses off, have to endure this.
And this commission? What are they going to discover that they haven't already? Give me a break.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
The silence that fueled Walter Reed and Abu Ghraib
Everyone is always surprised when something happens. You're not surprised, you're just a flunky with no spine.
Friday, March 9, 2007
NEWSFLASH: FOX is biased and Sen. Murray has a clue
A guy from Editor & Publisher magazine was on TV this week having looked at treatment of two events by news organization Web sites: He reported that Fox News offered more than 40 videos on the death of Anna Nicole Smith, and one on the Walter Reed Medical Center scandal.
I know thats not shocking to anyone...not anyone with half a brain cell. And here is one Democrat who I will let have her rant against the Bush administration since she did vote against the war in 2002.
"They have lowballed the cost of this war, and the cost of caring for our soldiers. ... It goes to the top, to the highest level. The Bush administration wants this country to feel there is no cost to war," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said this week after a testy exchange with Army brass.
She is a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, tapped by Majority Leader Harry Reid to take the lead on veterans care.She has training for the role. As the Iraq war escalated in 2004, the Bush administration said it would shut down the Department of Veterans Affairs' John C. Wainwright Medical Center in Walla Walla.
Murray blocked the closure by exposing VA officials to angry citizens. She called a field hearing for which more than 400 people turned out, and at which major veterans organizations defended the hospital.
The senator was back at it a year later, helping reveal a $1.5 billion shortfall in veterans health programs. She stood back as Republican congressional leaders professed shock and surprise, and passed an emergency spending bill.
Veterans Face Vast Inequities Over Disability
For Mr. Curry, the reservist from Chicago who has fallen behind on his mortgage payments, his previous life as a $60,000-a-year postal worker is a fading memory. “It’s just disheartening,” he said. “You feel like giving up sometimes.”Nobody cares. He'll lose his house and no one will think twice. Chicago...thats in Illinois. Might want to get on that Mr. Obama.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
House Panel Says VA has same problems as Walter Reed
Can't Take Care of Our Troops But We're Going to Change a Nation?
WA State Military Hospital Has Walter Reed Issues
Kiley: 'I Did Fail; I Should Have Been More Engaged'
Dems Call Walter Reed Scandal the "Katrina of 2007"
Sunday, March 4, 2007
McCain Admits Lives Wasted in Iraq
Friday, March 2, 2007
When Does Lt Gen Kiley Get His?
Much of The Post's article detailed the abuse by omission that Gen. Kiley, not Gen. Weightman, committed, first as head of Walter Reed, then in his current post as Army surgeon general. Gen. Weightman, who very well might deserve his disgrace, has commanded Walter Reed for only half a year, while Gen. Kiley, now back in charge of Walter Reed, headed the hospital and its outpatient facilities for two years and has led the Army's medical command since. Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and his wife say they repeatedly told Gen. Kiley about unhealthful conditions in outpatient facilities.
This pretty much sums it up:
But the evidence compiled so far suggests that Gen. Kiley has been more complicit in the scandalous neglect of Walter Reed's outpatient facilities for longer than Gen. Weightman has been.
New Walter Reed commander, Bush wakes up
The President is always a day late.
President Bush vowed to investigate allegations of substandard treatment of wounded soldiers as the administration scrambled to contain fallout from the scandal over squalid housing and bureaucratic delays in outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Wow, Harvey is a real dumbass. Balance? Thats the problem, balance. The conservative media is too busy trying to show stories about schools being built in Iraq. I couldn't care less about a school being built in Iraq. Look at the schools in this country. And more importantly, we should be thinking about our troops, their health, their well-being, quality of life, their families...
But he [Harvey] also said the Post stories lacked balance. "Where's the other side of the story?" he asked, his voice rising. "Two articles in your paper have ruined the career of General Weightman, who is a very decent man, and then a captain . . . and the secretary of the Army. If that satisfies the populace, maybe this will stop further dismissals."
Army secretary gets the boot amid Walter Reed scandal
$400 Billion Can't Buy Much
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Army fires commander of Walter Reed
Uncle Sam has to keep up appearances
And of course the soldiers need to follow the chain of command even when that is the one thing that is failing them the most.
Well of course the Army knew
In 2004, Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and his wife stopped visiting the wounded at Walter Reed out of frustration. Young said he voiced concerns to commanders over troubling incidents he witnessed but was rebuffed or ignored. "When Bev or I would bring problems to the attention of authorities of Walter Reed, we were made to feel very uncomfortable," said Young, who began visiting the wounded recuperating at other facilities.
Beverly Young said she complained to Kiley several times. She once visited a soldier who was lying in urine on his mattress pad in the hospital. When a nurse ignored her, Young said, "I went flying down to Kevin Kiley's office again, and got nowhere. He has skirted this stuff for five years and blamed everyone else."Where are all the "gung-ho we love our troops, we support this war" fanatics now? They raise more hell about people who disagree with this war than they do over the treatment our soldiers receive. What's less supportive of the troops? Not agreeing with this war or treating them this way when they return?