itsbob
I bowl overhand
I just read an article from the Washington Post about all the neighborhood people up in arms about the BRAC hit for Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). How do you feel about it?
Personally I was medevaced there in the early 90's, and I thought it was a disgrace, especially when compared to Bethesda. The neighborhood it was located in was a warzone. When I was there the guest house where family stayed was across the street form the WRAMC campus and we were told it was best to be in your room by nightfall, not to be caught walking across the street outside the WRAMC perimeter (of course people HAVE been murdered in the parking garage that IS on the campus too). To get into the Guest House you had to be buzzed into the lobby after the manager confirmed who you were by CCTV, and then he sat behind 3 inch thick bullet proof glass to wait on you. He then had to buzz you into the hotels proper to get into your room. I couldn't believe the Army and the government would want their crown jewel in Medicine (Specializing in Oncology, Burns and Prosthetics) located in such a grimy, crime ridden area. Everyday my family had to leave at 4:30 (it was November) to be back in the guest house by dark, and I couldn't really leave the WRAMC campus after dark for a walk, or to get something to eat. What's really strange, even to this day, the people that work there call it "Playing the Palace", of course noone that works there lives within 50 miles of the place either.
When your local Popeyes has bars on the windows, and an armed guard during all business hours, is this where you want your son or daughter to get the medical care they need?
I was glad to see it on the BRAC list, and hopefully they will re-open a new facility or co-locate with Bethesda. The Navy certainly has bragging rights when it comes to their premier medical facility. I've been there too, and at the time it upset me, how can the Navy's facility be so nice and the Army's such a disgrace? Interservice rivalry has it's place, but when it comes time to take care of our wounded soldiers, sailors and airmen, I think all the services could and should work together, to ensure our sons and daughters, brothers, sisters, moms and dads get the best care money can buy.
Personally I was medevaced there in the early 90's, and I thought it was a disgrace, especially when compared to Bethesda. The neighborhood it was located in was a warzone. When I was there the guest house where family stayed was across the street form the WRAMC campus and we were told it was best to be in your room by nightfall, not to be caught walking across the street outside the WRAMC perimeter (of course people HAVE been murdered in the parking garage that IS on the campus too). To get into the Guest House you had to be buzzed into the lobby after the manager confirmed who you were by CCTV, and then he sat behind 3 inch thick bullet proof glass to wait on you. He then had to buzz you into the hotels proper to get into your room. I couldn't believe the Army and the government would want their crown jewel in Medicine (Specializing in Oncology, Burns and Prosthetics) located in such a grimy, crime ridden area. Everyday my family had to leave at 4:30 (it was November) to be back in the guest house by dark, and I couldn't really leave the WRAMC campus after dark for a walk, or to get something to eat. What's really strange, even to this day, the people that work there call it "Playing the Palace", of course noone that works there lives within 50 miles of the place either.
When your local Popeyes has bars on the windows, and an armed guard during all business hours, is this where you want your son or daughter to get the medical care they need?
I was glad to see it on the BRAC list, and hopefully they will re-open a new facility or co-locate with Bethesda. The Navy certainly has bragging rights when it comes to their premier medical facility. I've been there too, and at the time it upset me, how can the Navy's facility be so nice and the Army's such a disgrace? Interservice rivalry has it's place, but when it comes time to take care of our wounded soldiers, sailors and airmen, I think all the services could and should work together, to ensure our sons and daughters, brothers, sisters, moms and dads get the best care money can buy.
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