March 2007
Walter Reed
"I will not see young men and women who have had their lives shattered in service to their country receive anything less than dignity and respect."
—Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon,
an injured Iraq war veteran himself, testifying during a hearing on the Walter Reed hospital scandal held by a House subcommittee
After a series of investigative articles published in The Washington Post allege extremely poor outpatient conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where many wounded Iraq veterans are treated, the secretary of the army resigns and the head of the hospital is fired. In emotional congressional hearings, soldiers treated at Walter Read describe inadequate care and a confusing, jumbled bureaucracy that is often serves as an obstacle to proper care. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates makes clear that he will no longer tolerate inadequate treatment of veterans, but trust in the administration, and the president's approval ratings, are near all-time lows.