This Vets Take on the Commander of Walter Reed being relieved

[Monkeyman]

Washington Post today claims they knew for Three Years about building 18. This move is not good enough. This ass needs to face a Article 32 and be held accountable. Any other Officer who know should stand and face the court. Am I angry your dam right I am. All I heard during the debate was how Republicans support the troops and veterans. Bullshit where has the oversight been for the last six years. Right know how do we know other Military Hospitals and VA's are not like this we don't.

ENOUGH BRING THEM HOME NOW

[Hubert Flottz]

1. Wait till all the details come out.

About the Army making those guys and gals make formations and inspections. I think the shit is yet to hit the fans!

[Fresh_Start]

2. damn straight that people should be on trial

for these failures (and coverups and petty retaliations)

[trashcanistanista]

3. Agree,

This is so disgusting and shameful. If they did not have adequate facilities they should have transferred patients to other facilities even non VA ones that are clean and safe. The Commander should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Bastard.

[wakeme2008]

4. I am not sure I agree but it should be looked into

Bush has been cutting the VA Budget and it could be he did the best he could with the money Bush/Rummy gave him..

[TheBaldyMan]

10. Walter Reed is a DoD hospital not a VA one

Most of the defence budget, it seems, has been funneled towards Al-Qaida groups' slush funds in Lebanon and Halliburtons coffers.

The sooner the whole crooked gang are frogmarched out of the Whitehouse in handcuffs the better for everybody.

[MindPilot]

12. You convalesce in the hospital you have, not the hospital you wish you had

While your assertion about budget restraints is probably true. I don't think it is a defense. Anyone in a leadership position with an ounce of integrity would have at least made sure there was a clear record of complaint up the chain. Somebody made the decision to do nothing and let the place deteriorate. That somebody is where the buck stops, and I seriously doubt they had an "E" in front of their pay grade.

ETA: Walter Reed I think falls under DoD budget, not VA so in that situation all that has to happen to get something done is for someone with some rank to give an order. The VA is kind of a quasi-civilian organization which gives it several more layers of bureaucracy than a military hospital.

[trashcanistanista]

17. Thanks for the correction (DoD not VA)

Still, though, can't they contract out if they don't have the facilities to treat patients?

[MindPilot]

19. Of course.

I've seen it done and from what I understand it is or at least was a real common practice. I was in hospital several years ago and they had one whole wing that took the overflow from the local military hospital.

[BOSSHOG]

5. I spent half my time in the Navy

getting ready for the next inspection and on occasion it was butt puckering time. If we were fucked up it did not take a newspaper article to result in corrective action. Surely to God, that two star at Walter Reed had a boss or bosses whose job was oversight of subordinate commands. Firing a field commander for malfeasance is not necessarily oversight its a failure of oversight. If my Sailors fucked up it was just as much my fault for not doing my job.

[MindPilot]

9. Not only that, Chief, but observing wrong-doing and not reporting it

is almost as bad as the wrong-doing itself. Sometimes worse.

[TheBaldyMan]

15. and finally the cover-up is the worst. n/t

[w8liftinglady]

6. when you find out how much money was funnelled to private contractors...just wait.

[niyad]

7. court-martial the whole stinking lot of them--let them rot in leavenworth!!

[MindPilot]

8. At the very least a bunch of careers should end over this.

Those at the higher level of command should face courts martial. I would also suggest that congress take the additional step of allowing the men and women who were the victims of neglect and abuse to sue in civil court.

And am I reading this right, the man in charge of a medical facility is not an MD? That's *really* fucked up.

[BOSSHOG]

13. I will try to ascertain this guys "punishment."

Being "fired" in the military doesn't necessarily mean you lose your job. You are either reassigned to a job with lesser responsibility (now that makes sense huh?) or are allowed to retire peacefully and get a big old whopping monthly pension which is exactly what a two-star will receive. And being a two star he has at least 20 years of service in and is eligible for retirement. Most likely his punishment will be no retirement medal. Not surprised that the place was run by a non-MD. Walter Reed has scads of senior medical personnel who devote their time to medical services. One of the most important jobs that two star had was to maintain the physical plant.

[Monkeyman]

16. right on the mark Boss

[niyad]

20. reminds me of the bastards involved in "tailhook" whose "punishment" was being relieved of flight

status--and being assigned to the admiral's staff.

some punishment, eh? I demanded to know why they weren't all court-martialled, ESPECIALLY in view of the fact that they said, IN PRINT, that they would refuse to cooperate with any investigation.

[BOSSHOG]

21. And as a member of an Admiral's staff

you are in a position of oversight to subordinate commands. There wasn't much in the way of "punishment" relative to tailhook.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. K&R

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

14. Think you'll be hearing Bush boasting about having visited Walter Reed for awhile?

Walter Reed? Who's that?

And who's Abramoff? Who's Kenny Boy? Who's Osama? Who's Cunningham? Who's Delay? Who's Foley? Scooter who? And what's a levee?

[northofdenali]

22. The whole Bush regime is about non-responsibility.

What party of responsibility? What party of support for troops and veterans? What chu say? Hmmm? Can't hear you through my Halliburton earplugs...........

[Stinky The Clown]

18. I said pretty much the same thing when I heard that he'd been relieved

Even if he stands trial, this needs to go higher. I'd bet my left 'anything' that the conditions there were well and widely known over at the Five Sided War Palace.

[Monkeyman]

23. Yep you would win that bet