March 6, 2007--Stalag Walter Reed
Some are calling the recent reports about conditions at the Walter Reed Medical Center the army’s Hurricane Katrina. Meaning, I suppose, that it is the most glaring example of the army not knowing how to care for its own much vulnerable members. Others are calling it our domestic Abbu Ghraibe.
Still others are pointing out the hypocrisy of our senior executives, who did all they could to avoid military service, but nonetheless sent some our finest and bravest young people off to die and be wounded in a disastrous war of choice, calling them heroes, and then ignoring their most basic needs when they returned with grievous physical and psychic wounds.
For these so-called leaders who believe so fervently in the life-beyond, if they do in fact find themselves there, there is a place reserved for them where they will not need winter clothing.
Building 18 at Walter Reed, where conditions are deplorable, is apparently just a now-exposed example of a severely broken medical care system for veterans. It appears that up and down the line, after wounded troops get exceptional care in the battlefield, very little works well, be it the rehabbing, the handling of wounded veterans’ claims, and the care they receive at local VA hospitals once they are sent home from Walter Reed and other central facilities.
Some of this is the result of “privatizing” key parts of the veterans’ health care system. To save money, some say to nickel-and-dime, the Bush administration appointed political hacks to run the VA (remember Brownie whose experience before becoming the head of FEMA was with some sort of equestrian association?) and hired private companies to run the rehab and heath care facilities. And wouldn’t you know it, the major contractor to carry out this work is owned by former Halliburton officials?
Isn’t it also hard to believe that members of Congress who are now howling in dismay about these newly “discovered” conditions did not know about the situation? Don’t you think that they have been hearing for years from hundreds of their constituents about how they or their family members have been maltreated? That’s the first rule of thumb—call or write to your congressman if you are having problems with the VA. Do you really believe, for example, that Senators McCain, Kerry, or Clinton—all members of the Armed Services Committee—just learned about this last week? If you believe that, well you know what I have for sale for you.
In fact, all of these folks, starting with President Bush and Dick Cheney, visit Walter Reed all the time. That’s one of the things they proudly talk about—how they go there to show support for our heroes and as evidence of their compassion. Wouldn’t you expect that while on one of these visits they might have noticed that Building 18 was falling apart? I know, when senior people come to visit or inspect facilities they are taken only to the best parts. Sort of like in the 1953 movie, Stalag 17 which was set in a prisoner of war camp in Germany—when the Red Cross came to visit to see if the Nazis were following the Geneva Convention the Germans would put out new mattresses which they would take back once the inspectors left.
Every leader knows how this works. Or should. And if they were truly curious or really cared they would have asked to see other, randomly selected parts of the hospital. When, for example, the CEO of Toyota visits a plant in Mississippi do you think he is satisfied to see just those parts of it the managers direct him to?
And what about the Army Surgeon General whose house is right opposite Building 18? He passes by it many times a week—he even jogs by it every day. One might expect that he would have noticed something was wrong, considering that the deterioration is as much to the exterior of the structure as the interior. But as reported in the NY Times (linked below), when questioned about this yesterday, he said, “I don’t do barracks inspections.”
It seems as if nobody does.
Still others are pointing out the hypocrisy of our senior executives, who did all they could to avoid military service, but nonetheless sent some our finest and bravest young people off to die and be wounded in a disastrous war of choice, calling them heroes, and then ignoring their most basic needs when they returned with grievous physical and psychic wounds.
For these so-called leaders who believe so fervently in the life-beyond, if they do in fact find themselves there, there is a place reserved for them where they will not need winter clothing.
Building 18 at Walter Reed, where conditions are deplorable, is apparently just a now-exposed example of a severely broken medical care system for veterans. It appears that up and down the line, after wounded troops get exceptional care in the battlefield, very little works well, be it the rehabbing, the handling of wounded veterans’ claims, and the care they receive at local VA hospitals once they are sent home from Walter Reed and other central facilities.
Some of this is the result of “privatizing” key parts of the veterans’ health care system. To save money, some say to nickel-and-dime, the Bush administration appointed political hacks to run the VA (remember Brownie whose experience before becoming the head of FEMA was with some sort of equestrian association?) and hired private companies to run the rehab and heath care facilities. And wouldn’t you know it, the major contractor to carry out this work is owned by former Halliburton officials?
Isn’t it also hard to believe that members of Congress who are now howling in dismay about these newly “discovered” conditions did not know about the situation? Don’t you think that they have been hearing for years from hundreds of their constituents about how they or their family members have been maltreated? That’s the first rule of thumb—call or write to your congressman if you are having problems with the VA. Do you really believe, for example, that Senators McCain, Kerry, or Clinton—all members of the Armed Services Committee—just learned about this last week? If you believe that, well you know what I have for sale for you.
In fact, all of these folks, starting with President Bush and Dick Cheney, visit Walter Reed all the time. That’s one of the things they proudly talk about—how they go there to show support for our heroes and as evidence of their compassion. Wouldn’t you expect that while on one of these visits they might have noticed that Building 18 was falling apart? I know, when senior people come to visit or inspect facilities they are taken only to the best parts. Sort of like in the 1953 movie, Stalag 17 which was set in a prisoner of war camp in Germany—when the Red Cross came to visit to see if the Nazis were following the Geneva Convention the Germans would put out new mattresses which they would take back once the inspectors left.
Every leader knows how this works. Or should. And if they were truly curious or really cared they would have asked to see other, randomly selected parts of the hospital. When, for example, the CEO of Toyota visits a plant in Mississippi do you think he is satisfied to see just those parts of it the managers direct him to?
And what about the Army Surgeon General whose house is right opposite Building 18? He passes by it many times a week—he even jogs by it every day. One might expect that he would have noticed something was wrong, considering that the deterioration is as much to the exterior of the structure as the interior. But as reported in the NY Times (linked below), when questioned about this yesterday, he said, “I don’t do barracks inspections.”
It seems as if nobody does.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
10:46 AM
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