Army Discovers Undelivered Mail at Walter Reed
EmailABC News’ Jon Karl Reports: The Army today discovered 4500 pieces of undelivered mail in a mailroom at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Some of the mail had postmarks dating back to May 2006. Apparently a contract employee in the mailroom tossed the mail in a corner anytime she could not locate the addressee.
Most of the mail was postcards, magazines and direct mail solicitations. There were, however, some packages and at least two checks. The undelivered mail was addressed primarily to patients and staff.
The Army has declared it is taking immediate action to deliver the mail. The contract employee responsible for the mess has been fired.
"This delay is completely and absolutely unsatisfactory," said Major General Eric Schoomaker, the commander of Walter Reed. "Nobody knows better than the Army how important the mail is to a war fighter’s morale, and we have taken immediate steps to address the matter."
The medical center receives an average of 27,000 pieces of mail a day, a half million pieces a month.
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Discovered mail? In a mailroom? Where else would they have looked? But the VA officials still got their bonuses…
Posted by: Tar and Feathers | June 15, 2007, 9:03 pm 9:03 pm
When are we going to quit picking on Walter Reed and Army and point out the real problem…..Congress and the President. They need to take responsibility for in going on within the Department of Defense. When you allow monies to be diverted for “pet” projects you reinforce the mantra of do more with less. Give us a break.
Posted by: S. Wilson | June 15, 2007, 11:00 pm 11:00 pm
Didn’t George say he was going to get on top of it and fix the problems at Walter Reed? Once again, lip service from the top dog!!!
Posted by: DK | June 16, 2007, 1:06 am 1:06 am
Lets not forget its Walter Reeds responsibility to keep mail room informed of patient information. Sounds like the service we used to receive from our private contractors at military hospital. Unaccountability its a good thing. Mail found in corner probably from someone who was expecting a package or mail. Who supervises what?
Posted by: vicki | June 16, 2007, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
To General Schoomaker-I think we all agree that mail is critical to our fighter`s morale, so why didn`t you guys get it right from the get go? Any chance the fired contract empoyee was an illegal immigrant?
Posted by: A Viet Nam Vet | June 16, 2007, 2:17 pm 2:17 pm
Just another example of what Bush & Co. really think about our vets and how they honor their service. Disgusting, but not surprising.
Posted by: bob crawford | June 17, 2007, 8:50 am 8:50 am
I can’t imagine that patients haven’t complained over the years that they did not get an important envelope. I would think many did. And yet no on checked on this contractor at any point? Complete and utter incompetence. Complete and utter failure. This military and our president are only too happy to send our brave, committed men and women into harm’s way, but the second they get back, they become a non-entity. And God help them if they need any kind of medical or psychiatric care…
Posted by: survivor1962 | June 18, 2007, 1:46 pm 1:46 pm
Don’t blame the President past or present, VA clinics or hospitals are the pits. I can date this back to 1974. Bush was not in at that time. I might still have my husband if he had been given better medical attention at the VA. I ended up taking him to a cilvilian doctor after he had been mistreated by a VA doctor an to CHA the doctor wrote a report of lies
Also you are to lucky if you get a doctor that speaks ENGLISH(you know our native tongue)My report is on file with the VA hospital etc. also with the Senitor of NH at the time. Get rid of the VAs give the Veterans a form of credit card for medical services an let them go to their family doctors
Posted by: Family of James | June 18, 2007, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm