Mea culpas, heated exchanges and reform pledges marked the first day of congressional hearings about the treatment of American veterans in military facilities like the scandal-plagued Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Meanwhile, Washington Post journalists Anne Hull and Dana Priest are following up on their Reed report with similar stories from vets across the country.

AP:

“We can’t fail one of these soldiers or their families, not one. And we did,” said Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who was in charge of Walter Reed from August 2006 until he was fired last week. He added, “We did not fully recognize the frustrating bureaucratic and administrative processes some of these soldiers go through. We should have, and in this I failed.”

Weightman’s comments were echoed by other top Army officials at an emotional House hearing held at the hospital itself as Congress began digging into the controversy.

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#health care#military#veteran#walter reed#white house