Response from Senator Carl Levin RE. Walter Reed Medical Center

Regarding our Email on the controversy at Walter Reed Medical Center posted recently in our sister publication, "The Anti-Zen Handbook" (URL: http://theantizenhandbook.blogspot.com/2007/03/building-18-most-all-of-us-have-become.html) we received the following response from Senator Carl Levin the next day.

Thread:
Subject:
Hearing earlier today on the conditions at Walter Reed
From:
senator_levin@levin.senate.gov
To:
georgek1029@yahoo.com
Date:
Wed, 7 Mar 2007 09:12:26 -0500
Dear Mr. K:
"In light of your previous correspondence, I thought you would be interested in knowing about the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, which I chaired, on conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on March 6, 2007.

As you may know, a recent series of Washington Post articles described deplorable the living conditions, the failure to account for, and the bungled administrative processing of injured troops in an outpatient status at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. New reports indicate that these problems are not confined to Walter Reed. Unfortunately, they exist elsewhere in the military and VA medical systems.

Our nation has a moral obligation to provide quality health care to the men and women who put on our nation's uniform and are injured fighting out nation's wars. This obligation extends from the point of injury, through the evacuation from the battlefield, to first class medical facilities in the United States, and ends only when the wounds are healed. Where the wounds cannot be healed, we have an obligation to provide quality care throughout the lifetime of the veteran.

Today, the Committee heard testimony from Dr. David Chu, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; Dr. William Winkenwerder, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; General Peter Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army; and Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, Surgeon General of the Army in an attempt to understand both what went wrong at Walter Reed and to ensure that it does not happen again.

I, as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Akaka, the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, and our ranking members Senator McCain and Senator Craig are determined that our Committees will work together to improve the care of our troops and veterans throughout their period of care. We will hold a joint hearing of our two Committees in the near future to identify remedies to the problems our wounded soldiers and veterans are facing.

The American people are deeply angry as they should be about the shortfalls in care. Americans may disagree about the war in Iraq, but the cause of supporting our troops unites us all. We will do everything we possibly can, not as Democrats or Republicans but as grateful Americans, to care for those who have served our nation with honor and distinction.

My complete opening statement at the March 6th hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee can be found on my website at [http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=270147].
Sincerely,Carl Levin"
End of thread.