Walter Reed Army Medical Center Poem by Luke Easter

What’s going on at the hospital named Walter Reed?
Terrorists aren’t the only ones who lie and deceive,
Substandard treatment for soldiers, who risk their lives,
Enlistment is down, could this be another reason why?

War is hell and hardly any sound mind wants to be there,
But to get wounded in battle then receive piss poor care,
Not on the battlefield when treatment is performed with haste,
A couple of miles from the White House in the United States.

You mean to tell me an Army General lived across the street,
Surely the one who stepped on an IED and lost both his feet,
Did I hear another General on the news say he failed to inspect?
From the footage I’ve seen this damage was from years of neglect.

Oh yeah, the first guy in charge, Benedict Arnold was his name,
Those responsible now are they going to be shot or hanged?
What does the Supreme Court say concerning a lethal injection?
Or will a decision not be handed down till after the next election?

What would have happened if the army specialist had not squealed?
How about absolutely nothing because it would be no big deal,
Mistreated black folk still suffering from effects of a hurricane,
Have nothing on wounded troops who for years did not complain.

Their sight, hands, arms, feet and legs, for some face and brains,
New Orleans crying foul because the wind blew and it rained,
How about being in a hailstorm of bullets and enemy hand grenades,
To the confines of your native soil and one foot’s still in the grave.

Not only that but very soon to be thousands of troops more,
Dropped in perilous mountain terrain or unfriendly sandy shores,
There is no Houston Astrodome or parishioner’s homes to stay,
This is a Hurricane Katrina that rages every single night and day.

Mardi Gras, parades, Fat Tuesday, smell of Cajun food so sweet,
But not if an Army Commanding General lives across the street,
Common element in both these situations is the word Incompetence,
Why isn’t the hospital called a prison? It’s not surrounded by a fence!

NBC News reports a 120 million-repair contract for Walter Reed with IAP,
Seeing the deplorable conditions that company’s initials should become IED,
Same mismanaged outfit unable to handle shipments of something simple as ice,
Someone please tell me my Uncle Sam has not made the same mistake twice.

Our so-called president just a mere two miles away,
Somehow unable to take the time out of his busy day,
White house dinners with foreign dignitaries & honored guest,
Soldiers protecting this country can't even get second best.