INDIANAPOLIS — Sen. Evan Bayh and Rep. Dan Burton asked the secretary of the Army on Wednesday for a speedy investigation of an Indiana National Guardsman's death while in the care of an Army unit for wounded soldiers.

Sgt. Gerald Cassidy, 32, of Westfield was injured in a roadside explosion in Iraq more than 15 months ago. He arrived at Ft. Knox, Ky., in April with blinding headaches, memory and hearing loss and post-traumatic stress disorder and was assigned to a "warrior transition unit," which the Pentagon created for treating wounded service members.

Cassidy's mother, Kay McMullen, of Carmel, said her son had received inconsistent treatment that included the Army denying him pain medication. She said he was left alone in pain and had not been seen by doctors for days before his death in September.

"While I recognize that you are taking steps to make improvements to our current health care system for active duty soldiers, I am concerned that the speed of the Army's response to deficiencies first uncovered at the Walter Reed Medical Center is not equal to the urgency of the problem," Bayh said in a letter to new Army Secretary Pete Geren, who was confirmed by the Senate in July after his predecessor resigned amid outrage over conditions at Walter Reed.

"I am troubled by the possibility that systemic shortcomings in our treatment of soldiers with traumatic brain injury may have contributed to Sgt. Cassidy's death," said Bayh, D-Ind.

According to his family, Cassidy was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after the attack in Iraq.

A military autopsy has not been completed. Results of an independent examination performed at the request of the family could not determine a cause of death, although it indicated Cassidy may have been unconscious for days and had been dead for hours before he was found sitting in a chair in the barracks.

"While I understand there is an ongoing investigation, please make every effort to complete the inquiry in a timely manner and share the results with Sgt. Cassidy's family," Bayh wrote. "Additionally, I ask that you share with me the Army's decision-making process behind sending Sgt. Cassidy to Fort Knox for treatment. Was this an appropriate facility?"

Burton, whose 5th District includes both Westfield and Carmel, said he spoke to Geren by telephone and demanded immediate attention to the investigation.

"This is something that cannot be tolerated, and those who were responsible should be held accountable. I mean kicked out. It's terrible," the Republican congressman told Indianapolis television station WTHR.

A telephone message seeking further comment was left by The Associated Press with Burton's office in Washington.
An Army spokesman would not discuss the requests from Bayh and Burton.

"The secretary of the Army, and all the senior leaders, are closely monitoring the situation at Ft. Knox and will respond ... in a timely manner," Lt. Col. Bob Tallman of the Army's public affairs office said.

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