Walter Reed Hell

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Witnesses told a House panel Monday that wounded U.S. soldiers are forced to struggle against a nightmarish and untrustworthy Army medical system which leaves veterans stranded in unfit conditions.

Two Iraq war veterans and the wife of a third gave heartbreaking, at times stunning, tales of neglect at the now notorious Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The panel was convened in the wake of a scandal triggered by The Washington Post's detailing of problems at the hospital.

Annette McLeod, wife of Cpl. Wendell McLeod, who received an injury to his head in the war, said her husband "has been through the nightmares of the Army medical system.

"I'm glad that you care about what happened to my husband after he was injured in the line of duty. Because for a long time, it seemed like I was the only one who cared. Certainly, the Army didn't care. I didn't even find out that he was injured until he called me himself from a hospital in New Jersey."

Room 'wasn't fit for anyone'

During earlier testimony, a soldier who said he once lived in a recovery annex at Walter Reed described unfit hospital conditions.

Wounded Army Spc. Jeremy Duncan told the panel he spent some of his recovery in Building 18. Duncan said that his room "wasn't fit for anyone."

"I know most soldiers that come out of recovery have weaker immune systems and black mold can do damage to people," Duncan said. "The holes in the walls -- I wouldn't live there even if I had to."

After taking his complaints through the chain of command, nothing was fixed, Duncan said.

"That's when I contacted The Washington Post."

'I want to leave this place'

Another patient, Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon, said the revelations were no surprise. "Two years after first being admitted, I'm hearing the same thing that I heard two years ago," Shannon said. He described his many extensive efforts to get needed treatment and better conditions.

"I want to leave this place," said Shannon. "I have seen so many soldiers get so frustrated with the process that they will sign anything presented to them just so they can get on with their lives.

We have almost no advocacy that is not working for the government, no one that we can talk to about this process who is knowledgeable and we can trust is going to give us fair treatment and informed guidance."

As testimony began, Vice President Dick Cheney was making a speech Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, saying that President Bush has made clear "there will be no excuses, only action."

Changes being made

Jim Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs, said that the health-care system is not perfect, but steps are being taken to make sure veterans get the best care possible.

"I still worry that there are those cases where these things are not happening the way they should be," he said Monday on "The Situation Room."

Nicholson said he ordered the hiring of 100 patient advocates to attend to patients in the VA system.

"If that's not enough, we'll hire more," he said.

Nicholson said the system has new procedures to screen Iraq veterans receiving any type of care for traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder.

Source: CNN Politics