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Most of you weren't born yet whenI worked at Walter Reed Hospital in 1971-73. I was a 91-Q20 Pharmacy Specialist there. I dealt with Governors Rockefeller and Romney- the latter tried to bribe me flashing 50 dollars from his wallet and a thumb on it- wanting some dramamine-Ricardo Monteban, Mamie Eisenhower- one of the first hyperalimentations (food feeding tube) ever done. Kings and Leaders converged on Walter Reed and of course - vets returning from Viet Nam. President Trick Dick Nixon came down to the basement floor where I worked and many were lined up outside- yelling peace and other remarks. I use to take charcoal which was dispensed and pour cherry syrup on it and use it for incense. The colonel was pissed. I worked in the old W.R. Hospital so this is a shock to see this go under too.
WASHINGTON - A federal commission voted to close the crown jewel of Army hospitals as it began its second day of decision-making on sweeping plans to restructure U.S. military bases.
Located in the nation's capital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington has treated presidents and foreign leaders as well as veterans and soldiers, including those returning from Viet Nam and the Iraq war.
Under the Pentagon plan, the hospital's staff and services would move from Walter Reed's historic main post to the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., to create an expanded facility, as well as a regional hospital at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
The Pentagon calls this "jointness" — the services combining their strengths rather than working separately. Walter Reed's care is considered first-rate but the facility is showing its age, the commission found.
"Kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, all of them in harm's way, deserve to come back to 21st-century medical care," Commission Chairman Anthony Principi said Thursday, adding that the hospital is old. "It needs to be modernized."
One-time costs, including construction and renovations, would total $989 million. The Pentagon would save $301 million over 20 years, the commission said. The expanded facility would be renamed Walter Reed. The current hospital has about 185 beds, but the expanded facility would have 340.
The nine-member panel was voting on a host of big-ticket items Thursday in its second day of votes. Later Thursday it was to begin debating the Air Force's plans, arguably the most contentious of the group, as it steamrolled through hundreds of Pentagon proposals at a brisk pace after four months of study and preparation.
Principi said he expected to finish voting no later than Friday, a day earlier than planned. The commission must send its final report to President Bush by Sept. 8.
WASHINGTON - A federal commission voted to close the crown jewel of Army hospitals as it began its second day of decision-making on sweeping plans to restructure U.S. military bases.
Located in the nation's capital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington has treated presidents and foreign leaders as well as veterans and soldiers, including those returning from Viet Nam and the Iraq war.
Under the Pentagon plan, the hospital's staff and services would move from Walter Reed's historic main post to the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md., to create an expanded facility, as well as a regional hospital at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
The Pentagon calls this "jointness" — the services combining their strengths rather than working separately. Walter Reed's care is considered first-rate but the facility is showing its age, the commission found.
"Kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, all of them in harm's way, deserve to come back to 21st-century medical care," Commission Chairman Anthony Principi said Thursday, adding that the hospital is old. "It needs to be modernized."
One-time costs, including construction and renovations, would total $989 million. The Pentagon would save $301 million over 20 years, the commission said. The expanded facility would be renamed Walter Reed. The current hospital has about 185 beds, but the expanded facility would have 340.
The nine-member panel was voting on a host of big-ticket items Thursday in its second day of votes. Later Thursday it was to begin debating the Air Force's plans, arguably the most contentious of the group, as it steamrolled through hundreds of Pentagon proposals at a brisk pace after four months of study and preparation.
Principi said he expected to finish voting no later than Friday, a day earlier than planned. The commission must send its final report to President Bush by Sept. 8.
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