Gates Calls Squalid Conditions at Walter Reed 'Unacceptable'

Feb. 23, 2007 — -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates called squalid conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center "unacceptable" and announced an investigation that he said would ensure that those responsible would be held accountable.

Gates made his comments at an unusual news conference at the medical center, where a recent investigation by The Washington Post found that an outpatient facility was dilapidated and infested with mice and cockroaches, and patients have complained that a nightmarish bureaucracy has left wounded veterans in need.

"This is unacceptable, and it will not continue," Gates told reporters.

In a marked contrast to his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, who was known to publicly criticize press reports, Gates took the unusual step of thanking the reporters who brought the story to his attention. After the series ran over the holiday weekend, Gates said he walked into a staff meeting Tuesday with the Post stories in hand.

He entered the briefing after meeting with President Bush, whom Gates said was "understandably concerned and emphatic" that the problems be resolved.

"The men and women recovering at Walter Reed and at other military hospitals have put their lives on the line and paid a considerable price for defending our country," he said. "They should not have to recuperate in substandard housing, nor should they be expected to tackle mountains of paperwork and bureaucratic processes during this difficult period for themselves and for their families. They battled our foreign enemies; they should not have to battle an American bureaucracy."

Gates announced that he had formed an independent review group that will include eight officials to investigate rehabilitative care and administrative processes at Walter Reed and at the nearby Bethesda National Naval Medical Center.