Comments on: Dana Priest On Walter Reed: An ‘Unbelievable’ Story of ‘Neglect’ and ‘Indifference’

By: kenneth r. eliot

kenneth r. eliot — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 05:26:05 +0000

I am a desperate VA vet needing “fee basis” transfer of radiation treatment from Durham, NC to New Bern, NC in order to keep my job. Another VA vet with the same “status” as myself from my town was granted “fee basis” transfer of radiation treatment from Durham, NC to New Bern, NC. The only difference in our two situations is that he is self-employeed and I am only an employee. I cannot afford to lose my income for two months and lose my job also. The treatment takes 8-9 weeks and Durham is a 4 hour one-way drive, thus requiring that I stay in Durham each week during treatment. I am absolutely desperate as I’ve been denied my request twice. someone needs to see to it that all vets are treated the same. Thank you. Kenneth Eliot

By: jaime

jaime — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:42:45 +0000

I am a veteran. I did not have the experience of going to Iraq, but I spent the last year of my 6 year “stint” with the Air Force in Korea. Before that I spent 5 years in New Mexico. One of the main REASONS I GOT OUT OF THE MILITARY WAS THE SUBSTANDARD MEDICAL CARE. They preach what a great benefit it is but I honestly dreaded all of my appointments, appointments which took 30 days in advance to get. Ridiculous. Every experience I had was negative and my records were lost on several occasions which was treated as “normal”. I was misdiagnosed for 2 years and given the wrong prescription by a doctor who I recently found out was discharged for child molestation charges. I paid to see a “real” Dr. on my own to discover the true diagnosis. I not once had a true physical, unless weight and blood pressure is a physical. You can only adress one medical concern per visit but appointments, like I said, can be months apart. I always felt depressed when I knew I had to deal with any medical concern and now as a military dependant/veteran it’s worse! I am in Japan, need to see a Dr. and again have to wait a month, I can’t get my needed prescription filled without the appointment but being in JAPAN, have no choice but to wait. I have requested a phone consult 3 times and have been assured a call back within 3 duty days and it has been 2 weeks! I can’t express how frustrated and powerless I feel. Is this what 6 years of service has earned? Some Benefit.

By: bill

bill — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 23:41:23 +0000

As a mater of fact, a quick search of on-line Pentagon budgets at http://www.dod.mil/comptroller/defbudget/fy2007/index.html showed the following for WRAMC, under category “Military Construction, Family Housing, and Base Realignment and Closure Program (C-1).” 1998-0, 1999-0, 2000-1 Mil, 2001-6.9 Mil, 2002-0, 2003-0, 2004-7.4 Mil, 2005-9Mil, 2006-0, 2007-0. So there; under last 2 years of Clinton admin = 0 dollars; under Bush, $24.3 Mil budgeted for WRAMC, which is in fact due to merge with National Naval Medical Center. Maybe if u left-wing drooling goons stoped your Bush-bashing and did some research, you’d come up with some facts (but maybe that’s the problem). The inconvient truth is the Clintonoids drained the US Military for 8 years!

By: bill

bill — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:43:25 +0000

Wasn’t Walter Reed on the BRAC list? Doesn’t Congress appropriate the money? I can just see “60 Minutes” story now: The Pentagon is pouring millions of dollars into upgrading an antiquated medical facility built a hundred years ago that is set to close due to BRAC.

By: carla butler

carla butler — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:28:37 +0000

This is not the only problem veterans have been dealing with. There are thousands of vet’s still fighting for help with claims that have gone on for years and no one seems to care about that. I find it painful to admit that i am one of them. I have been out of the service since 90 and tried to live a normal life but my disability has gotten so bad that i had to retire from a job i had for 15teen years. Yet’ I find that i still have to prove i have a problem even at 50%. I hope the story of walter reed wakes the world up to what all vet’s have been going throu and still do.

By: Carole Gee

Carole Gee — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:46:51 +0000

I worked as an RN in the Washington DC VA Hospital from 1993-97 and the place was filthy. Roaches everywhere and trash piled to the ceiling in the utility rooms. Staffing was dangerous, not enough nurses to take care of the patients. I told the chief nurse this when I left but she ignored me. I left because I was afraid that I would kill someone by giving the wrong meds to someone. Carole Gee

By: Roy

Roy — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 23:53:19 +0000

It’s too bad that the majority of posters have NO Real Clue as to what’s been happening to the Veterans Administration.
It’s downward spiral BEGAN with CLINTON – opening up the VA system to ALL veterans – service connected or not. A fine an admiral thing to do – government healthcare for all veterans! Only problem when you increase the patient load by 1000% and receive minimal if any budget increases for the VA some corners will HAVE to be cut.- such as maintenance, hiring of doctors, nurses.
The REAL story is the VA Healthcare system was suppose to be for disabled veterans and funded accordingly. But, it was the CLINTON’s who wanted universal healthcare. Now the public, if it was truly interested would lobby their respective congressioanl person to put the VA on PERMANENT funding versus the current funding that is received — EVERY YEAR THE VA HAS TO PLEAD FOR ITS BUDGET!!

By: Dan Burnstein

Dan Burnstein — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 20:52:15 +0000

I am glad that the Washington Post and its reporters have distilled the current conditions in such a way that the Administration cannot duck its responsibility.

I recall having read similar accounts of terrible conditions at Walter Reed and other VA hospitals over the years. This is not a new story, but a sad and continuing story.

The lesson is to continually question optimistic reports produced by well-oiled public relations organizations and generally question authority – see it yourself if you can, and constantly ask the basic question:

Who benefits?

By: Blogula Rasa - Reality-based in spite of my best efforts » This Is How They Support Our Troops

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:30:36 +0000

[...] ThinkProgress has a video link and transcripts from a recent PBS Newshour telecast. [...]

By: Warren Blackman

Warren Blackman — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:14:42 +0000

Walter Reed is only the tip of the iceburg being a vet belive me i know. we have a good way of putting it.(they call it practicing medicine because they have not got it right yet). The quality of care for both military and vets world wide is at times below that of third world countries.

By: appletree » Blog Archive » Just When You Thought They Couldn’t Sink Any Lower…

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:39:57 +0000

[...] care that many wounded veterans receive from Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Part I, Part II, PBS video). Even the most die-hard of Bush supporters wouldn’t try to spin a story like that, [...]

By: Robert W. Callahan

Robert W. Callahan — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:32:46 +0000

I am retired from the federal bureau of prisons. Over the 29 years I worked for them I worked at over 7 locations from a minimum security camp, the maximum security penitentiary in Marion, Illinois and the prison hopital in Springfield, Missouri. Additionally, I visited or audit programs at nearly twenty five more. There was not one single location where conditions as described at Walter Reed were even close to the same…all were clean, bright and well managed……and we were dealing with convicted felons…..not soldiers protecting our lives and freedoms. The Walter Reed conditions are unconscionable and may well indeed be prosecutable.

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:50:38 +0000

Let’s blame the republican party, again, for something. hell why not!

Walter Reed has been in disarry much longer than this current administration. It was this way during the Clintonian Regime. At this time, a brand new facility is in the process of being constructed. A very modern one at that. But, of course, the MSM spin machine won’t tell you that. Give me a break losers

By: Political Waves » The Forgotten

Political Waves » The Forgotten — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:17:07 +0000

[...] Dana Priest On Walter Reed: An ‘Unbelievable’ Story of ‘Neglect’ and ‘… Think Progress [...]

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:02:52 +0000

It couldn’t have anything to do with 8 years of cuts to the Military budget by Bill “BJ” Clinton, could it? Besides the fact that a new facility is under construction and soon to be finished….be sure and leave that out of this obvious hit piece. You clowns have done a great job of lying to the uninformed American voters and I wouldn’t doubt that one of the incompetent douch bags you dimwits are going to run will get elected……be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Turnabout is fair play and there will be a shit campaign brought on whomever you dildoes put in…..guaranteed.

By: Dana Priest On Walter Reed: An ‘Unbelievable’ Story of ‘Neglect’ and ‘Indifference’ « Living on the Gulf Coast …….

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 12:55:59 +0000

[...] Dana Priest On Walter Reed: An ‘Unbelievable’ Story of ‘Neglect’ and ‘Indifference’ Filed under: Veterans, VA, Health Care Issues, Florida, Blogroll, Politics, Military, Uncategorized — baxpress @ 7:03 am Dana Priest On Walter Reed: An ‘Unbelievable’ Story of ‘Neglect’ and ‘…: [...]

By: Allen

Allen — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 12:11:25 +0000

Don’t Feed the Trolls!

It deflects the facts. The facts are DAMAGING. The TROLLS are doing damage control, getting you all to talk about SOMETHING ELSE!

By: Sharon

Sharon — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 02:09:41 +0000

Thank you Jane and Uncle Ho, I will be thinking of you all tomorrow….Nite every one, tired today, the Bear was on a tear and I was at the other end of the leash…Blessings

By: Raymond Funamoto

Raymond Funamoto — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 02:09:11 +0000

I wonder if CHIMPya got a similar horrible room when he was checked in to get two(unfortunately)benign moles removed from his face at Walter Reed? Of course not! Bush had it done at the white house–HE’s NOT STEPPING INTO Walter Reed–THAT FILTHY PLACE! DOUBLE STANDARD? YOU BETCHA! HERE’S A NEWS FLASH:
FLASH!
A MALIGNANT CHIMPya FACE WAS REMOVED FROM TWO BENIGN MOLES TODAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE
THE MOLES WERE REMARKING ON THE SPOTLESS ROOM…
WHILE THE DISCARDED CHIMPya FACE WAS THROWN INTO FILTHY, DISGUSTING BUILDING 18 AT Walter Reed Hospital…

By: RUCerious

RUCerious — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:46:39 +0000

Jane & Uncle Ho
Many thanks.