Walter Reed Army Medical Center

"NBC News reports a 120 million-repair contract for Walter Reed with IAP,
Seeing the deplorable conditions that company’s initials should become IED"

(LOS ANGELES) - It has been a while since we wrote about the Walter Reed Medical Center, which had been and still is at the center of the ongoing controversy regarding the treatment of our injured warriors.

Regardless of their feelings about the wars overseas, most Americans agree that military veterans should be properly cared for. There are only so many in this world like Salem-News.com's Dr. Phil Leveque, a six decade plus PTSD sufferer, who writes unapologetic criticism of not just Walter Reed, but all similar facilities where the needs are not being met.

This was not taking place at Walter Reed during the heat of the conflict in Iraq, and reporters broke the story that led to the dismissals of U.S. officials, a stream of apologies, and a promise to do better.

Of course there are great human beings inside of these environments, but it is still hard to understand how squalid conditions were being allowed as the daily environment for these damaged people who have been to Hell and back.

Sadly, the perceived mantra of the Veterans Administration by those who are part of the system, is "Deny, deny until they die".

It is a fact that this is all too often the case. Of all news agencies in America, Salem-News.com has been on a continual mission to advocate for the needs of these fellow Americans.

There are no excuses, every VA employee should push and fight and keep doing what they are doing, while continually raising the bar, until it rests in the proper position, way up high.

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What’s Going on at the Hospital Named Walter Reed?

Terrorists aren’t the only ones who lie and deceive,
Substandard treatment for soldiers, who risk their lives,
Enlistment is down, could this be another reason why?

War is hell and hardly any sound mind wants to be there,
But to get wounded in battle then receive piss poor care,
Not on the battlefield when treatment is performed with haste,
A couple of miles from the White House in the United States.

You mean to tell me an Army General lived across the street,
Surely the one who stepped on an IED and lost both his feet,
Did I hear another General on the news say he failed to inspect?
From the footage I’ve seen this damage was from years of neglect.

Oh yeah, the first guy in charge, Benedict Arnold was his name,
Those responsible now are they going to be shot or hanged?
What does the Supreme Court say concerning a lethal injection?
Or will a decision not be handed down till after the next election?

What would have happened if the army specialist had not squealed?
How about absolutely nothing because it would be no big deal,
Mistreated black folk still suffering from effects of a hurricane,
Have nothing on wounded troops who for years did not complain.

Their sight, hands, arms, feet and legs, for some face and brains,
New Orleans crying foul because the wind blew and it rained,
How about being in a hailstorm of bullets and enemy hand grenades,
To the confines of your native soil and one foot’s still in the grave.

Not only that but very soon to be thousands of troops more,
Dropped in perilous mountain terrain or unfriendly sandy shores,
There is no Houston Astrodome or parishioner’s homes to stay,
This is a Hurricane Katrina that rages every single night and day.

Mardi Gras, parades, Fat Tuesday, smell of Cajun food so sweet,
But not if an Army Commanding General lives across the street,
Common element in both these situations is the word Incompetence,
Why isn’t the hospital called a prison? It’s not surrounded by a fence!

NBC News reports a 120 million-repair contract for Walter Reed with IAP,
Seeing the deplorable conditions that company’s initials should become IED,
Same mismanaged outfit unable to handle shipments of something simple as ice,
Someone please tell me my Uncle Sam has not made the same mistake twice.

Our so-called president just a mere two miles away,
Somehow unable to take the time out of his busy day,
White house dinners with foreign dignitaries & honored guest,
Soldiers protecting this country can't even get second best.

by Luke Easter

Luke Easter is a poet who writes about things that are very close to the heart of Salem-News.com. Another former U.S. Marine, Luke explained what drives him to try to heal the world with an approach that reaches people on a different level, one known for centuries, yet too often forgotten in the one we live in.

We live in a world of social & economic injustice. The main reason for founding America in the first place was to relieve the oppression of the King of England. Patrick Henry said it best, “give me liberty or give me death.” And yet, all too often death seems to be the only way out. Why is there such a high suicide rate especially among teens, in the land of the free & the home of the brave? What makes headlines? Good news? Ha! More depressing stories than anything else. I feel poetry takes an edge off the hurt of bad news while still delivering it but in a, “glitzy” sort of way. Giving a different perspective. Kind of like slap in the face as opposed to a knife in the back. At least with the slap you’ll live to see another day and you will know whom it’s from. I wasn’t here for the beginning of the world but at 59, I just might be here for the end.

Even though it’s still a knife, rhyme poetry helps to dull the blade. And that’s my job. You can write to Luke Easter at: lyricsfromlucas@aol.com