[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 13 (Monday, April 2, 2007)]
[Pages 389-391]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 and their 
commitment to the country. Every time I come to Walter Reed, I'm also 
impressed by the caregivers--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

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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 non-medical 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 
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

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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.