Dear Seniors:

Supporting our soldiers and veterans has always been of the utmost priority to me. I know that many of you are veterans of past wars. You may also have children or grandchildren currently serving overseas. Our active and former service members have served our nation selflessly, and it is only right that our government, in return, provide them with the highest quality of medical care.

Given this unwavering obligation, I was appalled to learn recently of the substandard conditions and care of our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in northern Washington D.C., which is a facility that was designed to integrate quality patient care, teaching and research. As many of you know, World War I caused the hospital's capacity to grow from 80 patient beds to 2,500 in a matter of months. Through World War II, Korea and Vietnam, the facility treated hundreds of thousands of soldiers and it has come to be known as the flagship of our military health system.

As Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee, I immediately moved to hold a hearing at Walter Reed to gain a firsthand understanding of the situation. Through that hearing, I was able to visit and speak with wounded soldiers who are currently rehabilitating and seeking continuing treatment at the Center.

The hearing exposed widespread substandard living conditions and care for wounded outpatient soldiers at Walter Reed. From insect infestations, to dirty mattresses, to black mold on the walls, what I found there was deplorable. Moreover, it became clear that soldiers wait months, if not years, in limbo at Walter Reed, trying to navigate through broken administrative processes and layers upon layers of bureaucracy just to get basic services. Such an approach toward the care of our returning wounded soldiers is simply unacceptable.

Moreover, it is my fear that the conditions uncovered at Walter Reed are just the tip of the iceberg. Accordingly, the Subcommittee is launching a nationwide investigation into all U.S. Army health facilities and any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities that may be involved in the treatment, housing, or administrative processing of active-duty wounded soldiers.

If you have loved ones currently serving in the military who have experienced difficulty getting the care they need, I would like to hear your story. I have created a space on my website where people from all across the country can share their stories with me. What we learn will help inform our continuing oversight directed at remedying this situation. If you have information you’d like to share and you have access to the internet – either through your own home or through a civic entity like a library or senior center – I encourage you to visit my website at www.house.gov/tierney. Alternatively, please feel free to call my Peabody office at (978) 531-1669. Sincerely,

Congressman John Tierney