black…MYstory

As you should have heard by now, the deplorable living conditions for returning Iraqi War veterans recovering at the Walter Reed Army hospital has shed a light directly on the hypocrisy of the Bush Administration’s so-called support of U.S. troops. In a press briefing after the story broke, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow wouldn’t say when the President found out about the conditions at the hospital. A later press release said the President just found out, like most Americans, when the story broke in the Washington Post.

So, we are supposed to believe that, in a high-profile hospital like Walter Reed that is only some 5 miles from the White House, the President did not know what was going on there?

Now, it has been revealed that top officials at Walter Reed knew of problems for more than 3 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.”

…

But according to interviews, Kiley, his successive commanders at Walter Reed and various top noncommissioned officers in charge of soldiers’ lives have heard a stream of complaints about outpatient treatment over the past several years. The complaints have surfaced at town hall meetings for staff and soldiers, at commanders’ “sensing sessions” in which soldiers or officers are encouraged to speak freely, and in several inspector general’s reports detailing building conditions, safety issues and other matters.

Retired Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer Jr., who commanded Walter Reed for two years until last August, said that he was aware of outpatient problems and that there were “ongoing reviews and discussions” about how to fix them when he left. He said he shared many of those issues with Kiley, his immediate commander. Last summer when he turned over command to Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, Farmer said, “there were a variety of things we identified as opportunities for continued improvement.”

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.”

So, look at the list of people mentioned here: A general, two major generals and the wife of a congressperson. All knew of these conditions. This meant that the Pentagon, under Donald Rumsfeld, knew of these conditions. This would also lead me to believe that the White House had to know about this but kept it under wraps to avoid embarrassing the President.

Support the troops? I guess, in the end, it’s just a slogan to help sell magnetic ribbons.

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