http://www.defenselink.mil/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=3892---
a few highlights:
They were surprised or at least they think they were surprised. Are you surprised they were surprised?Dr. William Winkenwerder: This is my sixth year at my responsibility. I think most people know me as a very engaged and probing person in terms of asking about and knowing what's going on and visiting.
This news caught me, as it did many other people, completely by surprise. I visit Walter Reed regularly. Before yesterday, I was just there three weeks ago. We regularly ask the question, "Do you need help? What do you need? If you need anything, we want to make sure that you have it." And I think that we were surprised.
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They are going to change the name of the building..... that will fix the problem right away General Richard A. Cody: I will personally oversee the plan to upgrade Building 18, and
we'll soon change the name of it. Referring to a place where our soldiers stay as "Building 18" is not appropriate. We own that building, and we're going to take charge of it and other facilities. I will oversee and ensure that our soldiers and their families, who have sacrificed so much, receive the care and the housing they so deserve as they go on their road to recovery.
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So what were the appropriate actions? Did they get a medal for doing a heckava job?Q Well, do you believe that leadership breakdown occurred?
GEN. CODY: I'd rather not say. I'll take responsibility. I'm the vice chief of staff of the Army. I'll take responsibility for this, and I'll make sure that it's fixed. But I'm not here today to lay out at what level. We know what level. I've had meetings with those people, and
the appropriate actions have been taken.-----
Just an anomaly...nothing to see, move alongQ Just to follow up, can we say that in the Walter Reed Hospital there is only 76 soldiers in bad condition?
GEN. CODY: I believe that is a true statement. As you know, many of you have been to the Walter Reed wings. I just -- I go up there quite a bit, more than once a month. And in our wards, those rooms and the upkeep there are excellent. The Malone House, the Fisher Houses, where we house our amputees and soldiers and other soldiers that are seriously wounded, the upkeep of those are in great shape.
This is an anomaly that's going to be fixed and addressed. -----
A couple of anecdotes or an anomaly? Only their spin doctor knows for sure.Q So all naval facilities will be looked at?
DR. WINKENWERDER: He -- I'm not going to -- it was a very brief conversation, but my understanding was it was focused on Bethesda. If there are any other issues at other sites, any indication of that, we'll look at it. But we don't have any indication of that.
Q Dr. Winkenwerder?
DR. WINKENWERDER: Yes.
Q Why Bethesda? I know it's near --
DR. WINKENWERDER: I think candidly it was just because there were a
couple of anecdotes in the stories that related to experiences that people had at Bethesda. And you know, there are Marines that are there that go to Walter Reed and back, I mean, and we're in the process of bringing those two facilities together over the next few years. So I think the fact that it is a receiving site for a large number of servicemembers, we wanted to make sure that everything was checked out fine there.
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