Is This Any Way to Treat Our Troops? - Part II: Follow-Up on Corrective Measures Taken at Walter Reed

On April 17, 2007, the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs held a hearing to examine the Pentagon’s subsequent response to the Subcommittee’s March 5 field hearing on allegations of unacceptable care and living conditions of wounded soldiers housed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This hearing explored what is being done about broader systemic problems identified throughout the Defense Department medical care system.

This hearing was the first opportunity for any Congressional Committee to hear from – and to question – the Independent Review Group (IRG), which was set up by Defense Secretary Gates to provide recommendations to fix the problems at Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval Medical Center, and other Defense Department medical facilities. Senior Defense Department and Army officials were present to respond to the IRG report, to discuss implementation of the report’s findings, and to brief the Subcommittee on their own independent corrective efforts.

Witness List:

Panel I – Independent Review Group Chairmen and Members

The Honorable Togo D. West, Jr., Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Former Secretary of the Army

The Honorable Jack Marsh, Former Secretary of the Army

Arnold Fisher, senior partner Fisher Brothers New York and chairman of the Board for the Intrepid Museum Foundation

Lawrence Holland, senior enlisted advisor to the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs

Charles "Chip" Roadman, former Air Force surgeon general

Panel II – Department of Defense and Army Officials

The Honorable Michael L. Dominguez, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), U.S. Department of Defense

Major General Gale S. Pollack, Army Surgeon General (Acting) and Commander, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM)

Major General Eric Schoomaker, Commander, Walter Reed Army Medical Center