    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [March 30, 2007]
    [Pages 359-362]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks During a Visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center
    March 30, 2007

        Thank you. Please be seated. Thank you all for joining me. Every
    time I come to Walter Reed, my spirits are lifted. They're first lifted
    by the soldiers and marines who are recovering from some very tough
    wounds. I had the honor of pinning the Purple Heart on quite a few
    people today, and I am always impressed by their resolve

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    and their commitment to the country. Every time I come to Walter Reed,
    I'm also impressed by the caregiver: the docs, the nurses, the people
    who spend many hours trying to heal those who have been wounded in
    service to our country.
        The soldiers and marines stay here only for a few months, but the
    compassion they receive here stays with them for a lifetime. And so on
    behalf of a grateful nation, I do want to thank our docs and our nurses
    and caregivers for providing extraordinary health care to the people who
    wear the uniform. I know full well that the work you do is behind the
    scenes. In other words, you don't get a lot of glory for what you do,
    but you certainly do from the family members who first come here, and
    they see their loved one on a bed, wondering whether or not that person
    will ever walk again. And then, 6 months later, the body is returning,
    and the spirit is strong; the person is up and moving around. The family
    and the soldier is impressed by that care.
        Americans must understand that the problems recently uncovered at
    Walter Reed were not the problems of medical care. The quality of care
    at this fantastic facility is great, and it needs to remain that way.
    Independent analysis have given extremely high marks for the quality of
    care here. In other words, this isn't my assessment, nor is it the
    assessment of people I have talked to, the families; although that's
    what they believe. It is also the assessment of a joint commission,
    which accredits thousands of American hospitals. And this commission has
    given Walter Reed the highest possible rating, a gold seal of approval.
        Recently, the commission performed a surprise inspection. In other
    words, they didn't give a bunch of notice; they showed up and verified
    the high quality of care here. I want to congratulate you for what
    you're doing.
        The problems at Walter Reed were caused by bureaucratic and
    administrative failures. The system failed you, and it failed our
    troops. And we're going to fix it.
        I met some of the soldiers who had been housed in Building 18. I was
    disturbed by their accounts of what went wrong. It is not right to have
    someone volunteer to wear our uniform and not get the best possible
    care. I apologize for what they went through, and we're going to fix the
    problem.
        And that's exactly what this Government is going to do. We're not
    going to be satisfied until everybody gets the kind of care that their
    folks and families expect. And that's what I expect. And we've taken
    important steps to achieve the objective.
        First, Defense Secretary Gates has
    insisted on accountability in the military command. He made changes in
    leadership. He made tough decisions, because he, like me, demands
    results. I welcome General Schoomaker,
    but I also welcome General Tucker. Tucker
    is not a doc. As General Schoomaker informed me, he is a ``bureaucracy
    buster.'' His job is to make sure that the bureaucracy does not get in
    the way of making sure every soldier, marine, and their families get the
    best possible care. And I welcome you to the command, and thank you.
        Secretary Gates, as I said, has approved
    a nonmedical deputy commander; that's Tucker. Building 18 has been closed. We're fixing that which needs
    to be fixed, including, interestingly enough, putting a new roof on it.
    The patients from Building 18 have been transferred into Abrams Hall,
    and I'm pleased to report that living conditions there are of high
    quality.
        We have formed three working groups to help address problems that
    may exist and may arise. I want to share some of what the--the strategy
    behind the working groups is, and that is, first, Gates established--Secretary Gates established an independent
    review group, and that was

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    primarily to examine the conditions at Walter Reed and Bethesda. The
    group will recommend ways to ensure you have what you need to improve
    medical care.
        I heard one recommendation. In other words, one of the care
    providers said: ``Make sure we always have the best possible equipment;
    we want to be on the leading edge of technology, not the trailing
    edge.'' I agree completely. Those are the kinds of things that Secretary
    Gates's commission is going to be looking
    into.
        Veterans Affairs Secretary Nicholson
    is leading a task force of Cabinet officers to identify potential gaps
    in the services our wounded troops receive as they return from the
    battlefield. In other words, we want all hands on deck here at the
    Federal level to make sure that health care is as good as it possibly
    can be. I'm not talking about the health care in the operating room; I'm
    talking about the bureaucracies that may prevent good health care from
    being delivered.
        Finally, Bob Dole and Donna
    Shalala will chair a bipartisan
    Presidential commission on care for our wounded warriors. They will
    conduct a comprehensive view of the entire system for providing physical
    and emotional care to service men and women injured in this war. They
    will make sure that that person gets high-quality care from the time
    they suffer their wounds through their return to civilian life.
        We want to make sure, for example, that any transfer from the
    Defense Department to the Veterans Affairs Department is smooth, and
    that there's not bureaucratic delay or obstacles in the way of making
    sure that we can report to our fellow citizens that people are getting
    the best possible health care.
        I want to thank those who are working in these groups, and I'm
    looking forward to getting their recommendations, because I want to make
    sure our military families can be assured that their loved ones will get
    the very best.
        This military system of ours--when you really think about it--just
    across the country, it's very complex, and it's large. Yet there's
    nothing complex about what we owe our troops; we owe them the best.
    That's what you believe here at Walter Reed. I have seen the care and
    dedication that you give on a daily basis. I just came from the therapy
    rooms, the physical therapy and the vocational therapy rooms. I see
    people patiently working with a wounded soldier on how to pick up cards
    and play cards with a new prosthesis. It's just hours of help, all
    because the people here recognize each human being matters; each person
    counts; and each person has endless possibilities, even though they may
    have received terrible wounds on the battlefield.
        None of the problems that we have uncovered can overshadow the great
    work you do here. That's what you have to know. It's a special calling
    to serve those who serve our country. It requires a unique person to
    come here on a daily basis and to heal the hurts of those who served our
    country.
        And so our Nation is grateful, and I'm proud to be your Commander in
    Chief.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:12 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Brig. Gen. Michael S. Tucker, USA, deputy commanding general, Walter
    Reed Army Medical Center.

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