the army culture

And before I say one word else, I'll say this: I was in the Army for ten years. I served overseas, in an infantry division. I'm not an outsider to all this.

That out of the way: In today's Washington Post, Ann Hull and Dana Priest follow up their story on Walter Reed with one that says it wasn't a secret:

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.

They talk about volunteers being told not to come back after complaining; "an inspector general attending the meeting [who] chuckled and said, 'What do you want, pool tables and Ping-Pong tables in there?' "; briefings in congressional hearing rooms; and Joyce Rumsfeld making an incognito visit:

At the end of the meeting, Rumsfeld asked one of the staff members whether she thought that the soldiers her husband was meeting on his visits had been handpicked to paint a rosy picture of their time there. The answer was yes.

Duh.

However, I can't say that this administration's record makes me think Rumsfeld seeing the seamy side of Walter Reed would have changed much. Maybe I wrong the man. But this is a pattern of neglect and callousness that comes straight from the top.

Last week, the Army relieved of duty several low-ranking soldiers who managed outpatients. This week, in a move that some soldiers viewed as reprisal for speaking to the media, the wounded troops were told that early-morning room inspections would be held and that further contact with reporters is prohibited.

Typical. I mean that seriously. Anybody who talked to the press is punished - that's pretty much par for the course. Unfortunately, what's newer is the whole "let's ignore the wounded soldiers" thing - that's all Bush. It's the way he's always treated the veterans and now he's extended it to ignoring active-duty wounded as well.

He can't even be bothered to say it upsets him.

MR. SNOW: That's why -- again, I would refer you, Bill, to the Department of the Army, which runs the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This is the place where if you want to get --

Q That's just an easy way for you not to have to talk about it.

MR. SNOW: Well, it's also a way of pointing to the proper authorities, which is what you would want.

Q The White House doesn't want to be on record with a more emphatic expression of amazement and upset about this?

MR. SNOW: No.

Today, the Secretary of the Army described soldiers as "the heart of our Army" and said "the quality of their medical care is non-negotiable."

Starting when? I might ask, if I wasn't just shaking my head at the familiarity of it all ...