While George W. Bush is yucking it up with comedian Rich Little and Karl Rove is arguing with Sheryl Crow over global warming this past weekend comes news of another scandal at Walter Reed Hospital.
ABC’s Bob Woodruff asks:
On July 4, 2003, Carol and Richard Coons had planned to welcome home their son Master Sgt. James Coons, a career soldier who had seen action in Iraq in 2003 and during the first Gulf War. Instead, they found out James was dead.
He had committed suicide in his room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and was found hanging from a bed sheet just inside his room in an outpatient hotel. Walter Reed staff did not find him until at least two days after his death, and only then at the insistence of his family, who were desperate to locate their son.
In their first network television interview since their son’s death, Carol and Richard Coons sat down with me to talk about their family’s anger and quest for answers. “They didn’t take care of my son. They just didn’t take care of him,” Carol said.
From the Left 
I don’t know a huge amount about hospitals, but they don’t check up on some patients for two day intervals? This is horrible.
This is a terrible thing to have to go through.
The fact that this happened after Bush visited the facility and made very public attempts to clean it up is damning.
Fitness,
Bush NEVER attends any funeral or memorial for dead American soldiers either.
He’s happy as a clam to send them to Iraq to die but, he has so little respect for them and their families that he can’t be bothered to EVER attend a funeral.
He’s MIA himself 54% of the time so he has the time. The fact is, Bush doesn’t care.
This story is one of the most depressing and anger-invoking tales to come out of the Walter Reed mess. The American people must rise up and revolt. Enough is enough of this bullshit.
When will the American people realize that members of the military are expendable to this administration? The soldiers are just bodies and if they should return home injured, whether physically or psychologically, they become a burden, a nuisance to be kicked to one side and forgotten? Heroism? Where? The Bush administration has no concept of heroism. They don’t care and until they get busted and the public screams, this type of thing will be allowed to continue unchecked.
My heart is heavy, having read this article. The people are Walter Reed should face criminal charges for their neglect. Bush should be impeached for starting this war and the top brass at the Pentagon should be fired.
Bring back the military draft. This will accomplish
what the Democrats can’t or won’t. A draft to share
equally in the sacrifice will end U.S. involvement in
Iraq in 30 days. It’s that simple.
This Saturday April 28th there will be Impeach Bush and Cheney rallies held at 100 different locations across the U.S.
No one checked on this soldier for 2 days while his dead body was hanging from a bedsheet in his room? This is face of Walter Reed Army Hospital and the level of care our veterans are receiving. And it happened on Bush’s watch.
The thing that makes me so angry as I read this is, how many more Sgt. Coons are out there that we haven’t heard about? Is this just the tip of the iceberg?
What we do know is, Walter Reed is a national disgrace. It’s a horror show and the people who are suffering are the troops.
I weep for them and I weep for my country.
This absolutely HORRIFYING!! I thought I couldn’t be shocked by the atrocities that our government has been involved in any more. But this is absolutely despicable.
Will we hear about this on Good Morning America?
We should really see this everywhere in the media. Walter Reed just had a major scandal in the news. This one will really catch people by surprise.
With Bush never attending funerals, its all part of his not acknowledging the human cost of the war. From reports of the massive numbers of civilian dead, to even photographs of coffins.
Ah, where is the MSM on this story?
Other than ABC and From the Left, I haven’t seen it reported. The MSM just can’t stop blabbing on and on about the V-Tech massacre and you know it has everything to do with milking it for ratings but this story about Walter Reed is just as bad to me and deserves just as much coverage.
I’m ashamed for the MSM. They’re hopeless.
I hope the parents of this young man bring legal action against every person and agency and department involved.
Once they are no longer useful as cannon fodder, bush neglects their care and strips their benefits. The man has no honor.
This is a sad comment on the state of affiars of the USA. All Bush cares about is Iraq and his legacy, all Cheney cares about is his bank account and dissing Democrats and all the Democrats care about is winning the White in 2008. Talk about epidemic apathy.