Wounded GIs CENSORED From Talking About Their Neglected Treatment At Walter Reed Hospital

[kpete]

Walter Reed patients told to keep quiet

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Feb 27, 2007 22:09:20 EST

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.

“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

....................

The soldiers said they were also told their first sergeant has been relieved of duty, and that all of their platoon sergeants have been moved to other positions at Walter Reed. And 120 permanent-duty soldiers are expected to arrive by mid-March to take control of the Medical Hold Unit, the soldiers said.

............

The Pentagon also clamped down on media coverage of any and all Defense Department medical facilities, to include suspending planned projects by CNN and the Discovery Channel, saying in an e-mail to spokespeople: “It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,” referring to an investigation of the problems at Walter Reed.

more at:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/02/TNSreedinspect070227/

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Nothing hurts the Junta more than a media spotlight they don't control n/t

[shance]

11. And they control it. Even much of the so-called "progressive" press.

They own 98% of all the media we see.

That is why people are not in the streets.

The good ole boys were smart. After World War II, they knew to take over governments, they would have to own all the media. And so they have stolen all of it. I say stolen, because it is the accurate term. The airwaves belong to the citizen, however they have been taken hostage by privatization.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

38. I agree (that's why we hear the truth from foreign sources)

thank goodness for the internet, but if they would have it their way the internet will be totally clamped (not that they aren't spying on us now).

[Sterling]

63. That has been the case for all time, not just since WW2

Since the first cave man carved out a message on a stone tablet the "man" has controlled the message. Remember "Remember the Maine!!" News papers in the US have actually helped start wars for as long as we have had newspapers.

[Zambero]

110. This is how they "Support the Troops"

By removing their right to pursue decent care and living conditions. I have a sneaking suspicion that the general who was just relieved of his command at Walter Reed was let go NOT because of the deplorable conditions, but because he didn't keep his troops in line. Looks like his successor has already taken some "remedial steps".

[Edweird]

111. That's right. And what's bad for boosh is bad fur 'murka....

why do the wounded vets hate 'murka?
:sarcasm: (just in case)

[Crayson]

2. War isn't over when you come home...

You're not instantly a civilian when you come home wounded.
Don't forget that.

You're still in the army and still have to follow idiotic orders, even if you're crippled.

[peacetalksforall]

49. Prisoner conditions for our kids - Feb 28 2007.

[babylonsister]

3. Yes, the soldiers are operating under 'gag' orders. This was exposed

last night on Bob Woodruff's program:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x305194

[City Lights]

4. Smoke is coming out of my ears over this.

I sent it to KO, hope he'll keep exposing the a-holes. :mad:

[Solly Mack]

5. Not surprised at all

“It will be in most cases not appropriate to engage the media while this review takes place,”

In other words...the Pentagon doesn't want the public to know how widespread the problem is..

and not just the Pentagon...Bush doesn't want the public to know either

[MADem]

34. You got that right--it's down to the clinic level

They're requiring personnel to jump through additional hoops to get care at the clinic level as well. The military medical system is always manned for the worse (if not worst) case scenario, and it is showing signs of STRESS. Now, if military medicine is feeling this kind of visible pain, imagine the stresses on the line rank-and-file, who aren't manned to the extent the medical/medical service corps are.

And here's DOD, trying to further FUCK the military retiree by trying to pass legislation to charge them an ADDITIONAL one thousand dollars a year in TRICARE expenses, on top of what they already pay--they're pushing for that vote ASAP.

[w8liftinglady]

6. This SO pisses me off.Support our troops my ass!

[babylonsister]

7. OT, but did you see that Woodruff special last night, w8liftinglady? nt

[dogday]

8. Hard to be under a gag order when you can't speak

or don't have much of a mouth left on your face.... I saw the Bob Woodruff special on brain injury and how much of it is occurring over there that is unrealized....

[Sequoia]

18. That's just sad. I'm reading "Johnny Got His Gun" right now

and it's just awful about the main character not having a jaw or other body parts. I just started to read it because it was banned before and maybe everyone should read it. War IS hell, just like Sherman said.

[w8liftinglady]

30. Oh,Dear God.That book is SO powerful.I read it several times.

[Sequoia]

43. I like that photograph. Where'd you get it?

What's interesinng about the book is the author was the most famous of the Hollywood Ten and did the screenplays of Spartacus, Exodus, and Papillon. What a genius! I can't beleive I never read this book. Maybe it was out of print. I got an old beat up copy from the library published in 1970. I've been reading a lot of 1970s published books lately that are scary like "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", and "The Sheep Look Up". Scary because some of the stuff is true now.

[w8liftinglady]

45. I actually got it from a DUer..feel free

[Sequoia]

61. Thanks. I just wish it were bigger.

It speaks volumes.

[deutsey]

9. Well, I'm proud to be an Amurikan, where at least Ah knows Ah'm free

:eyes:

[SpiralHawk]

10. "All your true facts are belong to us." - republicon crony government

"What the hell, you are only citizens. You have no right to know how we are abusing your sons and daughters in uniform." - Chickenhawk republcon cronies

[noamnety]

12. soldiers to "take control of the Medical Hold Unit"

The Bonus Army revisited.

[City Lights]

13. I contacted Durbin, Obama and Bean over this.

I've had enough.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

28. I'm doing the same, except

edit bean to read Jackson, Jr.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

39. yes I just fired off some emails to my Senators too

[Roland99]

14. Put some more yellow ribbons on your SUVs you fucking REPUKES!!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Jacobin]

15. Waiting for the corporate media to give this headlines....

/crickets chirping.

[City Lights]

70. Lo and behold, Tucker mentioned it in his opening comments.

:wow:

Dubya the Mis-conquerer isn't going to be able to sweep this under the rug.

[Junkdrawer]

16. Hey. It works in Iraq. If the word gets out about what a disaster it is...

kill the reporters.

Next problem.

[BikeWriter]

17. Lose lips sink ships you morans!!!!!!!11111

:sarcasm:

[borlis]

19. This is outrageous.

Makes me want to vomit. Is this supporting the troops?


Edited to recommend

[Hubert Flottz]

20. There's that "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" that Bush brags about the

"LIBERATED" people in Iraq having, but I guess the people who did the "LIBERATING" don't deserve it now.

EDIT...I wish Americas could have "DEMOCRACY" and "FREEDOM" like Iraq has!

[opihimoimoi]

33. Hubert, When I first saw this...I thought it was bogus,,the BushCo could never do this

I was looking for a post exposing this thread...you know...from Onion or some other BS Rag....

BUT THIS...is for REAL???

If this is really true...and from the looks of things, I guess it is,....then we are in bad shape....

But if the real media get this....them Pubs gonna wish they were not Pubs....

Come...we go watch the Pubs self IMPLODE.....bring your own Pepsi.

[Hubert Flottz]

53. There is no limit to their Nazish arrogance and "intolerable Acts"

The wounded soldiers are of no further U-S-E to the neocons. Unless Karl needs to parade them in front of a camera for a photo op.



The GOP makes fun of purple hearts at their National Convention, and they shit on the Geneva Convention! THey take war lightly because they never serve.

[City Lights]

71. Ugh! Purple-heart Pat makes an appearance!

:puke:

[Hubert Flottz]

89. There ain't enough bags in Baghdad to fix that!

I wonder if she has ever shipped out yet for the neocon holy war?

[opihimoimoi]

103. Absolutely Sickening...despicable and arrogantly STUPID to boot.

Damn those Pubics....

[Hubert Flottz]

108. Well the troops might not be able to speak to the press but there

still is the old stand-by, that they can count on. They can write or call their congressperson and raise all the hell they want to and I'd advise them to do so, if they feel like they are getting shafted and or, mistreated. Of course if their congressperson is a republiKKKon they are probably just shit out of luck. The Repub congresscritters protect Bush first and foremost, so I wouldn't count on them protecting the troops against Bush's evil shit.

The military will try to tell the trooper that informing the congressman will not solve the problem, but that is not often the case. A congressman can get some results, PDQ in most cases, if they are worth their salt.

[opihimoimoi]

109. Unfortunately....not too many are worth their salt and are too slow

forget the pdq thing....

but its worth an attempt....

Come, we go pray for results to improve...might as well ....everything else is failing the troopers

[kay1864]

21. Typical BushCo response to ANY problem

It's just a PUBLIC RELATIONS issue. Keep out the media, eventually the problem will just go away...

Nothing to see, move along...

Bastards.

[BikeWriter]

23. You can say that again!

[blondeatlast]

31. You nailed it--it's all PR to them.

I'm literally ill after reading that piece, but it does no good to contact my Congress critters (Shadegg, Kyl, McCain (double ugh).

Poll numbers at 33%? No problem as long as they have those RRR die-hards sending money.

I feel like crying--my dad was a WWII vet; I suspect he's spinning in his grave.

God have mercy on the hideous black holes of humanity that constitute the * administration.

[Broadslidin]

57. Please, This time, Rub Senator McCain's Nose In It.

The toll free number, I have for the U.S. Congress is
1-877-762-8762.

This phone number is experiencing a 'busy signal'.

Giving up, on trying to get through is not an option.

[imax2268]

98. I just did blondeatlast

I wrote Kyl a scathing letter about this and sent a link to the article in case he hasn't seen it. Probably won't do any good but I hope it does if he truly "supports the troops" as he claims.

[blondeatlast]

32. You nailed it--it's all PR to them.

I'm literally ill after reading that piece, but it does no good to contact my Congress critters (Shadegg, Kyl, McCain (double ugh).

Poll numbers at 33%? No problem as long as they have those RRR die-hards sending money.

I feel like crying--my dad was a WWII vet; I suspect he's spinning in his grave.

God have mercy on the hideous black holes of humanity that constitute the * administration.

[kay1864]

22. Typical BushCo response to ANY problem

It's just a PUBLIC RELATIONS issue. Keep out the media, eventually the problem will just go away...

Nothing to see, move along...

Bastards.

[ananda]

24. So, who is it exactly that they're ..

.. fighting for freedom of speech for?

Sure ain't Amerika.

[Occulus]

25. Dems should threaten the Pentagon that they will call each soldier there

to testify before some committee or other- pick your favorite- if the restrictions aren't lifted.

Give them a business day to comply and then start putting soldiers in front of that committee to testify to their treatments and recovery conditions. See how fast the Pentagon changes its tune...

[BikeWriter]

27. Yep, it's time for Congressional oversight.

[Occulus]

41. It also just occurred to me that this sort of treatment is reminiscent of Katrina. n/t

[tbolt]

26. Walter Reed

When I was stationed at Fort Jackson in the late 60s I came
down with pneumonia an was placed in the hospital.The next
morning a nurse came in an took everyone's temperature the
patience with the lowest temperature had to sweep an mop the
whole ward floor, so I guess things haven't changed much since
then . If you can't pull a trigger your not much use to them.

[w4rma]

29. Dems should hold huge public hearings over the conditions there *and* the new GOP attempt to cover

it all up. And then they should ask for anonymous tips about conditions in other Defense Department medical facilities and hold hearings on them too.

Democrats can get *a lot* of political mileage out of this. It can go on until 2008, considering the fact that the GOP in the executive branch are going to try their hardest to keep the conditions similar to where they are now and instead treat it as a PR problem and try to pretend it's not happening.

Dems can win gobs and gobs of seats (and the Presidency) on this issue alone. Dems can set aside a few Representatives and a few Senators and just run with it until 2008.

And there are so many other investigations that will turn out just like this one, because the Republicans sabotage everything for their greed.

[blondeatlast]

37. Amen. Forget the political mileage; this treatment of our soldiers is

disrespectful to them and to the entire nation.

Nail 'em, Harry and Nancy. It's the most American thing you can do.

[peacetalksforall]

52. You can bet money that Rovians are out ther finding Dems who will

support them - appear on tv or sign a list - 'our military has to be protected from the citizens for their own good' or something like that.

Next thing - visitors will have to sign secrecy affidavits that will be notorized on the spot.

Want to go over and just be a friend to someone whose parents are outside the beltway slaving away al 90% of what they used to make - unable to hold their kid's hand? Good luck!

Secret prisons inside and outside the Continental U.S.

Want to bet they are going to open up one of their prisons that is on hold for who knows what? The most remote ones. The ones with barbed wire?

How can a person think anything but the blackest scenario when dealing with this military and administration.

We're going to see what our leaders are made of with this issue.

[Mend]

35. how will they control their family and friends who visit with

their cell phone cameras? And are they going to stop Sen. Kerry or Cong. Murtha at the door?

[Vinca]

36. This is total BS. Being a soldier doesn't strip you of your

Constitutional rights. Guess they didn't like the Newsweek cover with the young, legless, female soldier. Inside she says she was left without pain medication after her legs were amputated. Walter Reed needs a spotlight shined on it.

[Botany]

40. Call your seantors & congresscritter

This is total bull shit. Fighting for freedom ... give me a break.

[w8liftinglady]

42. please participate in this action alert to get this on the radar

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=308860&mesg_id=308860

[sakabatou]

44. Remember...

seeing the wounded only helps the enemy!

x(

[brooklynite]

46. You're being way too negative...

This is clearly part of the Hospital's new therapy. After all, "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"...

...and getting rid of those pesky interviews will make it nice and quiet. Much easier for everyone to get to sleep that way.

[Reader Rabbit]

47. As crappily as our soldiers are being treated...

...can we be very far from an open military revolt?

I mean, soldiers are getting shat on with these indefinite deployments, they're getting shat on with substandard or nonexistent supplies and materiel, they're getting shat on with respect to medical care, and they'er getting shat on when they try to collect benefits owed them.

The Bush Administration in taking away any and every alternative they have to protest this obscene treatment. What other means do they have now that these bastards have backed them into a shitty, moldy, crumbling corner?

[FatDave]

82. I wonder the same thing.

Seems like eventually some pretty serious shit could go down. I just worry about who replaces those who are forcibly removed from power.

[caligirl]

48. Walter Reed Commander phone numbers and patient bill of rights here>>

Army Guys have always had an absolute right to bitch about the care given to them, which I would imagine the right to complain about mustering at 7 am and possably outdoors in bad weather despite their physical condition.

If I were the one to complain I would go to the hospital commander and I think the phone numbers are3 below. Looks like he only has two phone lines. Too bad.
Area code phone number 202-
http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/

COMMANDER,WRHCS 10/14/2004 782-6394/6395
Visitor's Bureau 10/07/2004 782-8399
WRHCS EXECUTIVE OFFICE 10/07/2004 782-3955

Patient Bill of Rights that include the right to bitch about the care they get, and to report unsafe conditions.
http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/Pam2040-11.pdf

[w8liftinglady]

50. thanks for posting this

[caligirl]

54. welcome, and i sent an email to Dana Priest with the article, but

I think she is likely aware of the times article.

[merh]

55. thanks for the info`

:hi:

[caligirl]

58. I called the WA POST and was put throught to Dana Priest's voicemail

where I directed her to Kenedy's article with details of the move from bldg 18 to 14 and the cutting off of media communication.

[merh]

59. maybe she would find the info at this link interesting

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=307816&mesg_id=308370

[jannyk]

72. Call - I did - you do get through...

they want to direct you to the Public Affairs Office - which didn't connect (busy?), but you can say an awful lot in the time it takes her to tell you where you need to be!!!

[caligirl]

93. good, I think they got 4 or 5 calls figured out whats going on and

transferred the rest to the PA office. they know we are watching and as i told the lady, this will backfire on them. And it is.

[Cabcere]

51. kick. n/t

[jannyk]

56. Even Convicted Criminals get to talk to the Press!

They are treating these patients worse than criminals. And as usual, it the guys at the bottom that canned/re-assigned. The 'brass' at the top should be drummed out in disgrace for allowing the conditions at WR that were recently revealed.

[LSK]

60. typical coverup BULLSHIT from this Administration

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[caligirl]

62. Call please, i posted the WReed commanders phone numbers above.

[caligirl]

64. WALTER REED COMMANDER PHONE NUMBERS HERE>

If I were the one to complain I would go to the hospital commander and I think the phone numbers are3 below. Looks like he only has two phone lines. Too bad.
Area code phone number 202-
http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil /

COMMANDER,WRHCS 10/14/2004 782-6394/6395
Visitor's Bureau 10/07/2004 782-8399
WRHCS EXECUTIVE OFFICE 10/07/2004 782-3955

Patient Bill of Rights that include the right to bitch about the care they get, and to report unsafe conditions.
http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/Pam2040-11.pdf

[jannyk]

73. CALL!! The Phone # for WR Public Affairs is

202-782-7177

Unfortunately - they have gone home (4.30pm ET). They do have a voice mailbox - fill it up guys!! Let them know we know and that we won't tolerate this!

This is the the number that you will get given to you from both the Commander's and Executive Offices (I called both).

The woman at the Commander's office was a cow said she would not confirm or deny the article, but the lady at the Executive Office was very sweet, said she had not heard about the media ban and sounded very sympathetic.

So get off your duffs and make the call!!!

[caligirl]

81. That cow must have gotten a few calls, when I called she wasn't referrig

ayone to the PA officer. We are making some progress.

[derby378]

65. So, if WR patients complain to CONGRESS instead of the media...

...do you think this censorship order stands any chance of being scuttled?

[fryguy]

66. spreading democracy & freedom, god forbid they get to enjoy and exercise either - n/t

[lies and propaganda]

67. WTF!!!! INSPECTIONS???

Are you fucking kidding me? Their not in basic, their not in jail, wtf are they getting inspections done for.

This is absolutely fucking appaling to me.

[Sirveri]

79. Inspections are common in military facilities.

I know several people in the barracks who get regular room inspections. It doesn't go away with basic, it just becomes less strict and less frequent. People who haven't been in don't really seem to understand just how much the military can control the average service members life. Hell, my boat the wake up time is 5:30AM, and you're lucky to get 5 hours of sleep a night.

[brentspeak]

68. They hate them for their freedoms

This is nuts. From everything I hear, the Marine Corps treats their own much more fairly than does the Army theirs.

[eringer]

69. Walter Reed was BRAC Listed

They should just close it now and dispatch all the patients to other hospitals. If Rummie was still around, that is just what they would do. It may take the new SecDef a few more weeks to come up with this "solution."

[Hekate]

74. The wounded & their families are no doubt afraid of denial of medical care

This is heinous. All the more so since several years ago the whistle was blown on the Reserves and National Guard for warehousing their wounded at outlying "forts" -- i.e. Fort Knox and Fort Stewart -- where they waited for appropriate care for months at a time.

At the time the excuse given was that the system for care was different from the Regular Army because -- well, just because. I guess no one in the Pentagon ever anticipated floods of wounded from branches of the military that in a different generation were mostly supposed to stay here in the US -- even though that policy is now defunct and they are being sent overseas in great numbers.

Hekate

[Hekate]

75. This has been going on for years with the Reserves and National Guard; see link

I googled for "Fort Knox + medical care for wounded" and it's all still there. Mods, I hope you will forgive the long quote.

http://www.afn.org/~iguana/archives/2004_03/20040301.html

Maimed in Iraq, then mistreated, neglected, and hidden in America
The hidden wounded
Frederick Sweet
March 2004

Combat veterans wounded in Iraq were left waiting weeks and even months for proper medical
attention at military bases. According to an officer, their living conditions were so unacceptable for
injured soldiers he said they "were being treated like dogs." Then the Pentagon underreported the
number wounded.

The Bush administration, referring to veterans of the war in Iraq, told a House panel that they
would avoid last year's "mistakes" of leaving sick and injured troops at U.S. bases to wait for
months to be properly treated by doctors. Adding insult to injury, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen.
James B. Peake told the House panel that he "was not aware" that last fall soldiers were waiting for
medical care at U.S. bases and under substandard living conditions.

Wounded "treated like dogs"
Mark Benjamin's investigative report on Oct. 20, 2003 for UPI, revealed that many wounded
veterans from Iraq had to wait "weeks and months at places such as the Fort Stewart military base
in Georgia, for proper medical help." They had been kept in living conditions that are
"unacceptable for sick and injured soldiers." One officer characterized conditions for the wounded
by saying, "They're being treated like dogs."

In January, 2004 Benjamin reported that the largest American troop rotation is now underway.
Daniel Denning, assistant secretary of the Army, testified to the House Total Force Subcommittee,
"We recognize that last fall, we temporarily lost sight of the situation. It is likely that during this
period of force rotations, patient loads at some installations may exceed local capacity. The Army
has developed a series of options to handle this surge."

Subcommittee chairman John McHugh, R-N.Y. said, "In October of last year a series of articles
revealed that many mobilized Reserve and National Guard soldiers in a medical holdover status felt
the Army was not treating them as equals to their active component counterparts. The articles
described substandard living conditions at two Army posts in particular - Fort Stewart, Ga., and
Fort Knox, Ky. Many of the ill and injured soldiers interviewed at these posts reported having to
wait for long periods of time - sometimes weeks or months - before receiving the medical care
they needed."

More than 1,000 National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers at Fort Stewart and Fort Knox,
including hundreds who had served in Iraq, had waited weeks or months in "medical hold" to be
seen by doctors. At Fort Stewart in Georgia, they waited in hot concrete barracks with no
air-conditioning or running water.

Sgt. Craig Allen LaChance, a soldier who was on medical hold at Fort Stewart, told the panel that
it "took months to get appointments" with specialists while sick and injured soldiers waited in what
he said were substandard barracks. "We lived in deplorable conditions," LaChance said. "We were
made to feel like we had failed the Army."
<snip>

[Supersedeas]

76. nothing to see here -- feed them more MORE ANS -- right Abrams!?!

[Madspirit]

77. The Right Wingnuts

What's sick is that at the right wing sites, like Ann Coulter's forum, they aren't even talking about this. It nauseates me.
Lee

[Sirveri]

80. That is the one thing that really pisses me off about RW blogs

I used to try and stomach my way through them to see if they would say anything sane or coherant. They never adressed any of the scandals, they simply ignored them like they never happened. Or maybe they never even heard about them due to their news sources.

[Heywood J]

78. Drag out the Congressional committees

to investigate this. These sorts of things would be perfect for a HUAC revival - I can't think of many more unAmerican things.

[meldroc]

83. Typical of our .gov

As always with the military, especially with psychopaths in the driver's seat, the principle that shit flows downhill is always true. The press put the story on the air, some brasshole in charge at Walter Reed got his ass chewed, and as a result, he takes it out on the wounded.

I'm glad I'm not in the military. I react poorly to mistreatment by the Man. I probably would have fragged someone.

[BootinUp]

84. Is this like the cone of silence in "Get Smart"?

It ain't gonna work. lol.

[Raksha]

85. This makes me so angry I can't see straight!

Where the hell do these bastards get off, punishing wounded soldiers who have suffered more than enough already because they DARED to talk frankly to the media about their situation???

"Support our troops" indeed, you fucking hypocrites!

[w8liftinglady]

86. please go to this thread and take some action...

It IS making a difference

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=308860&mesg_id=308860

[caligirl]

92. Watch KO tonight He interviews Kelly Kennedy about this censoring

at 15 minutes into the show. He also points out that Kennedy is the only reporter covering this. what happened to the WPost?

[jannyk]

87. Kick - to make sure you all call

[CorpGovActivist]

88. kpete: House Oversight Hearings to Be Held ***AT*** Walter Reed Next Week

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=311817&mesg_id=311817

Thanks for the info in your OP.

- Dave

[caligirl]

90. On KO NOW interviewing Kelly Kennedy sying the soldiers

are being told to keep barracks clean because of investigation next week, soldiers feel they are being silenced and punished.

[Rex]

91. Of course they are censored, can't let people know how many

thousands of injured come back from Iraq! Why, that might cause people to get angry and start questioning...naw...forget it, American Idol just came on!

:popcorn:

[w8liftinglady]

94. I didn't get to see olbermann-how did it go?

[caligirl]

95. very good. He interviewed Kelly Kennedy about how the soldiers belive they

are now being punished for speaking out. He led off with a reminder of the Priest story and some details on that, then went to Kennedy and her talks with soldiers about the orders to not talk to the media, the inspections at 7am and demands to keep everything clean for next week when an investigation is being done. He really covered it as an attempt by the Army to cover this up, after the facts are out.

[Canuckistanian]

96. If the troops are forbidden to speak... what about their families?

Are the families still allowed visits?

Then get the media to interview the family members.

After all, the families are going through this ordeal almost as much as the servicemen and women.

I'm sure the families have LOTS to say.

[caligirl]

97. it might even be worse for them, they have to sit back and watch,

if they do speak they put the guys career on the line, not that that would stop them.

[Canuckistanian]

99. That's true, revenge is a motivating factor here

What a bunch of heartless, cowardly bastards Bush and Pentagon officials are.

Someone should take the reins of advocacy for these troops.

God knows no one else is.

On edit:
I should give Carl Levin credit here. He promised to investigate.

[Rainscents]

100. Disgusting!!!

This really makes me ANGRY!!!

[lonestarnot]

101. Anyone here surprised?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

102. It obviously didn't work.

:shrug:

[caligirl]

104. Dana Priest and Anne Hull have done it again! More Walter Reed Neglect of Troops

Hospital Officials Knew of Neglect
Complaints About Walter Reed Were Voiced for Years

By Anne Hull and Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 1, 2007; Page A01

Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three 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.


Behind the gates of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Butternut Street, the stately homes of Commander George W. Weightman and top Army medical officer Kevin C. Kiley stand in stark contrast to Building 18, which is just across Georgia Avenue.
Behind the gates of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Butternut Street, the stately homes of Commander George W. Weightman and top Army medical officer Kevin C. Kiley stand in stark contrast to Building 18, which is just across Georgia Avenue. (Photos By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)


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."

"I met guys who weren't go >>."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801954.html


anyone here recall the movie Born on the Fourth Of July with Tom Cruise as a vet in a crappy Va hospital?

[Larry Ogg]

105. What’s next? Military builds new state of the art hospital in Guantánamo Bay;

for reasons of National Security details will not be discussed!

[KG]

106. well, so much for the 'military protecting our freedom of the press' thing.

:eyes:

[B Calm]

107. and the republicans tell us the military is on the republican side..

I never have bought into that lie..