Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/army-hospital-struggles-to-provide-iraq-veterans-adequate-care Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Some Iraq war veterans returning to the United States for medical treatment have found that Washington, D.C.'s Walter Reed Army Hospital has failed to provide them with adequate care. Dana Priest, a Washington Post reporter who broke the story, describes the problems. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: Now a look at the care wounded Iraq war veterans are receiving. Judy Woodruff has that story. JUDY WOODRUFF: Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was long considered one of the finest American military hospitals. Almost a century old, it has treated soldiers and Marines returning from war, veterans, presidents and world leaders.Since the wars began in Afghanistan in 2001 and in Iraq in 2003, Walter Reed has treated over 5,000 wounded servicemen and women. But a new investigation by the Washington Post has revealed a troubling side of the hospital, its facilities and procedures.While receiving treatment at Walter Reed, service members have been housed in buildings, including one with a rodent infestation. Army Specialist Jeremy Duncan can stand in the shower and see through to the room above him. And his room has a mold problem.And Army Staff Sergeant Dan Shannon, who lost an eye and sustained brain injury in Iraq, said when he arrived at Walter Reed, he was given a map of the facilities and told to find his room on his own. He says he was often left for weeks without an appointment to see a doctor.In May 2005, the presidentially appointed Basing Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Walter Reed be closed.