Who is really responsible for Walter Reed mess?

[Doc_Pardue]

On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 Maj. Gen. Ed Scholes USA (ret.) wrote:

Colonel Hunt:

To use your language--this Sunday morning you called in a B-52 strike on the great people of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and you missed the bad guys.

You, like the SECDEF, should have quickly realized that you can not name any military Medic you have seen/known who was not willing to give their all (life if necessary) to give the best care possible (within their capability) to wounded Soldiers. The great Medics at Walter Reed have been doing just that, during 10-16 hr. days since the War on Terror started, in addition to their normal busy patient load. Using the Washington Post as "the authority on Soldier care", even in their Sunday Edition, they admitted that the relieved Commander had taken action to fix those areas that he was aware of and could fix since being there only 6 months. I personally know that the relieved commander and his wife have spent a lifetime in dedicated care to Soldiers and their Families. He has done it in combat, multiple times, with our elite forces, and in the medical training center. Their ( and other's) " reward " for a lifetime of dedicated care to Soldiers and Famil ies has been disgraceful and disgusting to anyone who knows the truth.

They have been blamed for decades of under funding for Walter Reed. Will those in DOD responsible for this be relieved? Will the idiots who placed Walter Reed on the BRAC list for closure while this nation's military is at war be relieved and disgraced? Being military, you know what it means when this happens to an installation. It gives the bean counters the excuse not to provide funds to fix anything and not to fill personnel shortages.

Many civilians start looking for other jobs near home and no one wants a job in an installation that is closing. Being military, you should know that the superb military medical care provided by the different Services was gutted during the Clinton administration, and funding centralized at the DOD level. That system has only become worse as you must know if any of your friends have to use that system.

Do the folks at Walter Reed experience problems daily? You bet and they deal with them within their capability while keeping their Rucks packed to be ready to replace some Medic in Afghan, Iraq, or Landstuhl, or to be ready to meet a Medevac plane at Andrews or to pick up some grieving loved ones of a Soldier. Are there problems with paperwork? You bet! Have you tried to complete/coordinate VA disability/medical forms or coordinate medical care between the national guard, reserve and active duty systems? I only have a master's degree and I have problems with the form s.

For those who might want a good news story, I would ask you to look at the other 99% of the operations at Walter Reed. A start would be to look at the lives saved and cared for daily, and the enormous efforts required to do this. Look at the amazing programs initiated at Walter Reed for in-patients and out-patients, and for family members/loved ones of wounded Soldiers.

Look at how they bring many family members in to be with their Soldier while they are there for treatment. They and the Soldiers get top priority for housing and other needs while on Post. Look at the multitude of programs conducted daily by the military, veteran's groups, and commercial and private organizations/ individuals. They provide everything you can imagine to the Soldiers and Families, all free of charge.

If you want to see the results of a complete reversal of public, private, and governmental support for our Troops compared to our Vietnam period, come and visit Walter Reed, and stop taking the long range cheap shots that paints all with the same brush, I have personally witnessed the dedicated, emotional, exhaustive, selfless service of our Medical Troops caring for their fellow Soldiers from Baghdad to Medevac helicopter to Balad Air Base to Medevac plane to Landstuhl to Walter Reed, and other places in U.S. . It doesn't stop and they must always be ready at all times, day and night.

The Medics many times go until they drop from exhaustion. Why? Because they , more then anyone, know the American Soldiers deserve the finest medical care they can give, within their capability. Because they, more then anyone perhaps, know what the horrors of war do to our/their fellow Soldiers, and they are reminded everyday. They wipe their tears and get on with their critical jobs, and thank GOD for them. Will they give priority to unloading a Medevac or trying to save a life over helping a Troop fill out a form? Yes but they get that done too when they can and if they are able.

Are they responsible for the Gov't. complex, stupid funding and contracting processes? Absolutely not but let all the ones responsible and the publicity seekers run to climb on the blame pointing wagon and get their time on T.V. at the expense of all our great Medics since they are being painted with the same brush. Some are no better then the anti-American bunch that stands across the street from Walter Reed with their obscene signs.

Walter Reed and our other military care facilities needs the maximum attention of our national leadership, but the blame must be shared by all.

Hope you get my point. Let's be fair and balanced.

Maj. Gen. Ed Scholes

[olddoc1]

I also wondered what was going on at Walter Reed. It also made me wonder about Bethesda and every other military medical facility who have been put in similar situations time and time again.
I dont think there were many "old school" medical experts left on active duty at the start of the gulf war. Congress was so intrested in politics that there was always a fight for money. Estimation of casualties and the type and intensity were worefully understimated. There was little provision for the type and number of psychological casualties we would have. And there was certainly not enough perfessional staff available to provide broad and specialized help. Where were the military psych tech schools? Are they operating now? Even the civilian medical community seems worefully understaffed. We made a lot of tactical and administrative mistakes after the Vietnam war in downsizing personnel and material assets. The gutting of military medical specialties and schools,both enlisted and officer, did not help the problem. Money was always the excuse Jumping through civilian hoops such as Jacho did not help either. Rather than improve and expand medical training, duties were limited or erased and clinics and hospitals closed. Rather that establish and reinforce military medical standards of care and training, civilian certification was preferred. To what end? I never saw a Jacho inspection in the war zone in Vietnam.
Now the leaders appear to want to consolidate military medical training at a single site. What happens if that site is neutralized by man made or natural disasters?
Im no genius, but I sure wish the people in charge would wake up and look at the whole picture.
Medical care costs big bucks and requires spending for preparations, operations and post operational expenses. When that Marine committed suicide because he supposedly was delayed in care at the VA, why did the military services not pick up the ball and take care of him? During WW2 there were, I think almost a million medics and corpsman and that still was not enough. There were military or VA facilites close to all population centers in the US and Hawaii. We are in a global struggle now that has the potential to make WW2 look like a local street fight. We had better be planning big. We need a much more aggressive medical care system for the military man preparing for war, going to war and returning from war and returning to civilian life.
Well thats enough venting for now. Semper Fi and GBA and those individuals whose sacred job is to save life, prevent injury and care for the wounded ashore, afloat and in the air and under the sea. OldDoc1

[old navy]

Two of the biggest problems are the administrative delays for disposition and pest infestation and paint and plaster problems at the now infamous Building 18. The media ran with that and painted the entire WRAMC operation as being bad. Then Lt. GEN Kiley's smug ass attitude fueled the flames. He's not the only arrogant Surgeon General in the DOD but that should not be a reflection of the rest of the medical department.

My family and I were assigned to Walter Reed when I retired 3 years ago and we are treated like royalty. My wife was operated on a couple of years ago by the head of Neurosurgery. He had just returned from Iraq as did many of the staff. Their skills were razor sharp. By now though, the troops are wearing out. The system, which wasn't great to start with, is overwhelmed.

I think the 2 star who was only in charge of the hospital for 6 months is getting the shaft. Kiley was the previous commander and lives across the street from Building 18. That building from the outside looks bad. You've all seen the pictures on T.V. of the inside. It probably brings down the property value of the neighborhood. Kiley is trying to take the easy way out by putting in his retirement papers. Although he was forced to do so, I believe they will keep him on active duty to fully investigate this thing.